EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 12^th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team completes the non-conference portion of its schedule by hosting the fourth annual Bill Joergens Memorial Tournament December 29 and 30. The 2010 tournament features USI, NCAA Division II top-ranked Bellarmine University, Harris-Stowe State University, and St. Catharine College (Kentucky).

 

Bellarmine and St. Catharine tip off the tournament December 29 at 4:30 p.m., while USI and HSSU finish the first day at 7 p.m. The tournament continues on December 30 with Bellarmine and HSSU starting the action at 2 p.m. and concludes at 7:30 p.m. when USI hosts St. Catharine.

Game coverage, including audio, video, and live stats, can be accessed at gousieagles.com, while fans also can listen to all of the action on ESPN 106.7FM or WPSR 90.7FM. Both USI games in the tournament are scheduled to be televised live on the News 25 Sports Channel.

 

Sandwiched in between the Bellarmine-HSSU match-up and the USI-St. Catharine contest on December 30 is a USI women's basketball game at 5:15 p.m. against 12^th-ranked Michigan Tech University.

 

The Eagles (7-1) restart action 18 days after sweeping their games in the Fern Valley Hotel Classic hosted by Bellarmine. USI got back on track against Indiana University Southeast with a 105-96 victory and won its second straight with a 78-67 victory over West Virginia State University.

 

Through the first eight games, senior guard #C.J. Trotter# (Hopkinsville, Kentucky) leads the Eagles with 16.8 points per game. He also averaged 18.0 points in the two games of the Fern Valley Hotel Classic.

 

Senior center Mohamed Ntumba (Kinshasa, Congo) follows Trotter in the scoring column with 12.8 points per contest, while grabbing a team-high 7.5 rebounds per outing. Ntumba led the squad in the win over WVSU with his third double-double of the year, 15 points and 11 rebounds.

 

The best all-around effort in the Fern Valley Hotel Classic came from senior guard Kevin Gant (Indianapolis, Indiana). Gant, who is posting 9.3 points and 5.3 assists per game this season, averaged 14.0 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds per contest in the wins over IUS and WVSU.

 

The Hornets of HSSU (4-9) have won their last two after stopping a four-game losing streak. The Eagles lead the all-time series with the Hornets, 3-0, including an 84-61 victory in last year's season opener at the PAC. USI senior forward Nick Duncheon (Montgomery, Indiana) was second on the team in scoring that night with 15 points.

 

The Patriots of St. Catharine (7-2) are playing well, winning their last four games. The USI-St. Catharine match-up will be the first ever game between the two teams.