LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 20th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team finished action in the Fern Valley Hotel Classic with a 78-67 victory over West Virginia State University Saturday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky. USI raises its record to 7-1 overall, while WVSU goes to 5-4.
The Fern Valley Hotel Classic was hosted by top-ranked Bellarmine University.
The Screaming Eagles outscored the Yellow Jackets, 24-12, in the final 10 minutes of the first half and led 37-30 at the intermission. The largest USI lead of the first half came in the final minute before halftime when a pair of free throws senior guard
Jared Rehmel (Jasonville, Indiana) put the Eagles up eight, 33-25.
USI had an early lead five-point advantage in the opening minutes, 7-2, but WVSU rallied to take a five-point lead of its own, 18-13, with 10:50 left before halftime.
Senior center
Mohamed Ntumba (Kinshasa, Congo) led the Eagles to their first half lead by scoring all eight of his opening-half points during USI's 10 minute run to pull ahead. Junior forward
Isaac McClure (Paducah, Kentucky) also helped USI to its seven-point halftime advantage by scoring five of his seven first half points during the run.
After halftime, junior guard
Brandon Hogg (Edwardsville, Illinois) contributed four points in a USI run that quickly pushed the margin to 13 points, 43-30. WVSU fought back and chipped away at the deficit that dwindled to three points, 53-50.
The Eagles regained the momentum and methodically rebuilt its lead to 14 points, 76-62, with 2:26 left. The 14-point lead was the largest of the game for USI.
Individually, Ntumba led the Eagles with a double-double, 15 points and 11 rebounds. The double-double was Ntumba's third of the season.
Senior guard #C.J. Trotter# (Hopkinsville, Kentucky) followed Ntumba with 12 points, while senior guard
Kevin Gant (Indianapolis, Indiana) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points. Gant also had six rebounds in the contest.
As a team, USI outrebounded its eighth straight opponent, 36-30, and shot a blistering 88.0 percent from the line (22-25).
The next action for the Eagles comes after the Christmas holiday on December 29-30 when they host the Bill Joergens Memorial Tournament. The tournament features USI, Bellarmine, Harris-Stowe State University, and St. Catharine College.
