BOX SCORE: USI 72, Missouri S&T 59
ROLLA, Mo. — The 8th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team battled through an off night to defeat Missouri University of Science & Technology, 72-59, Thursday evening in Rolla, Missouri. USI raises its record to 14-0 overall and 5-0 in the GLVC, while Missouri S&T goes to 5-8, 1-4 GLVC.
The Screaming Eagles scratched out a 33-32 lead by halftime after having its roughest shooting half of the season. USI shot an uncharacteristic 34.5 percent from the field (10-29), 20 percent from long range (3-15), but was able convert 83.3 percent of its trips to the free throw line (10-12).
The Eagles jumped out to a pair early four-point leads before the Miners fought back to tie the game 16-16 and take a 19-16 lead. USI rebounded with a 5-0 run to re-take the lead 21-19 and extended the advantage to six points, 27-21, when Missouri S&T fought back with an 11-6 run to go into the locker room trailing by one.
The second half started with the Eagles and the Miners trading leads through the first nine minutes. USI began to pull away with a 6-0 run to lead 55-49 and then senior guard Marvin Gray (Freeport Bahamas) took over for the Eagles.
Gray, who had 12 second half points, scored seven straight points to put the Eagles up by nine points, 62-53, with 7:43 left. USI would build on Gray's offensive outburst by extending the margin to 68-57 with just over two minutes to play.
The USI defense would do the job the rest of the way, allowing just one more Missouri S&T bucket in the final minutes. The Eagles held the Miners to 27 points overall in the second half, only four points in the final 10 minutes.
Individually, USI was led by senior forward Tyrone Bradshaw (Cincinnati, Ohio) with a game-high 16 points. He was followed by Gray, who had 14 total points, and senior center Jeron Lewis (Ft. Wayne, Indiana), who dropped in 11 points. Lewis also recorded his fourth double-double of the season with a game-high 11 rebounds.
USI continues its three-game road swing Saturday at 3:15 p.m. in St. Louis, Missouri, when the Eagles make their first GLVC visit to Maryville University. The Saints fell to 2-11 overall and 0-4 in the GLVC after losing to the University of Indianapolis, 106-80, at home tonight.
The road swing concludes January 14 when USI plays at Kentucky Wesleyan College. The next home date for USI is January 16 when Quincy University visits the PAC.
