LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The NCAA Division II 20^th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team scored over 100 points, but had to hold on to defeat Indiana University Southeast, 105-96, Friday afternoon in the Fern Valley Hotel Classic in Louisville, Kentucky. USI rises to 6-1 overall in 2010-11, while IUS, which is ranked 12^th in the NAIA, falls to 7-4.

The Screaming Eagles got off to a good start with senior guards Kevin Gant (Indianapolis, Indiana) and #C.J. Trotter# (Hopkinsville, Kentucky) leading USI to an eight-point lead, 51-43, at the intermission with 12 points each. Gant was a real force with a team-best six rebounds and three steals to go along with his 12 points.

The Eagles had an early eight-point lead, 36-28, only to see the Grenadiers cut the lead to two points, 40-38. Gant took control in the final four minutes of the opening half by scoring six points and making two steals.

The largest lead of the first half for USI was nine points, 49-40, with 1:03 remaining before halftime.

After intermission, Trotter propelled USI to a double-digit lead in the opening two minutes with a pair of three-point field goals. The Eagles extended the margin to 14 points, 61-47, when the Grenadier rallied to cut the lead back to eight points, 61-53.

The Eagles rebounded and re-extended the lead to as many as 21-points, 84-63, and had a 20-point lead with four minutes to play, but the Grenadier were not done. IUS outscored the USI, 33-21, in the final four minutes, but could get no closer than the 105-96 final.

Trotter finished the game with a team-high 24 points and led four USI players in double figures. Gant ended the contest with 17 points as well as a team-high eight rebounds (season-high), five assists, and four steals (tied season-high).

Junior forward/center Nick Evans (Carbondale, Illinois) and freshman guard/forward Eduardo Gallina (Florianopolis, Brazil) rounded out the double-figure scorers with a season-high 14 points and 13 points, respectively.

As a team, USI shot 57.4 percent from the field (39-68) and hit 63.6 percent in the second half (21-33). The Eagles also outrebounded the opposition for the seventh straight game, 40-35.

USI continues play in the Fern Valley Hotel Classic Saturday afternoon against West Virginia State University. WVSU, which is 5-3 overall, lost 93-73 to classic host and NCAA Division II top-ranked Bellarmine University in game two Friday night.