EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 12th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team soared to a 105-76 victory to start the Bill Joergens Memorial Tournament Wednesday night at the Physical Activities Center. USI, who had been idle since December 11, raised its record to 8-1 overall, while HSSU goes to 5-9.
The Screaming Eagles used a 16-point effort by senior guard #C.J. Trotter# (Hopkinsville, Kentucky) to soar to 54-34 lead by the intermission. Trotter was a blistering 6-of-9 from the field in the first 20 minutes, including three three-point field goals. Senior center
Mohamed Ntumba (Kinshasa, Congo) also reached double-digits in the first 20 minutes with 10 points, hitting 5-of-7 field goal attempts.
Trotter would finish the contest with a game-high 26 points after going 10-of-17 from the field, including three long-range field goals. He also had a game-high seven assists.
Ntumba followed Trotter in the scoring column for USI with 15 points and recorded his fourth double-double of the year with 10 rebounds.
USI outscored HSSU, 19-6, in the first five minutes of the game. The Hornets tried to chip away at the Eagles' lead midway through the first half, cutting the margin to eight points, 21-13, but could not get any closer.
The Eagles pushed their lead to as many as 31 points, 75-44, with 14:02 to play before the Hornets made a final push. HSSU would cut the USI advantage to 16 points, 79-63, with a 19-4 run, but the Eagles kicked the offense back into gear and pushed the lead back to 29 points twice, including 105-76 final.
Trotter and Ntumba were joined by four other Eagles in double-figure scoring. Junior center
Nick Evans (Carbondale, Illinois) deposited 11 points, while senior guard
Kevin Gant (Indianapolis, Indiana), junior guard
Brandon Hogg (Edwardsville, Illinois), and senior guard
Jared Rehmel (Jasonville, Indiana) finished the game with 10 points each.
Gant was second on the team with five assists and tied for the game-high with three steals.
In the tournament's first games, St. Catharine College defeated NCAA Division II top-ranked Bellarmine University, 79-74 (
box score)
. The Patriots, who rose to 10-2, trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half before outscoring the Knights, 51-33, in the second half. Bellarmine fell to 8-1 in 2010-11.
The Bill Joergens Memorial Tournament resumes Thursday at 2 p.m. when Bellarmine takes on HSSU. Following the USI women's basketball game with Michigan Tech University at 5:15 p.m., the Eagles conclude the tournament at 7:30 p.m. against St. Catharine.
