BOX SCORE: KWC 86, USI 68 | Photo Gallery
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The 2nd-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team had its season-long winning streak come to an end Monday night when it stumbled 86-68 to 8th-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan College at the Physical Activities Center. USI falls to 23-1 overall and 14-1 in the GLVC, while KWC goes to 26-3, 15-2 GLVC.
The loss also ends Rodney Watson's chance at becoming the first rookie head coach to go undefeated since University of North Carolina Norman Shepard in 1924. Watson did match Shepard's 23-0 with last Saturday's win over the University of Indianapolis for the longest winning streak to start a head coaching career.
Poor shooting in the first half put the Screaming Eagles into a hole they could not climb out. USI shot 29.0 percent in the opening 20 minutes (9-31), only two-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc. The Panthers took the lead for good at 17-15 with 8:37 left in the first half and went on to lead 35-28 by the intermission.
KWC pushed its lead into double-digits early in the second half and never let USI cut the margin below 10 the rest of the game. The Eagles did shoot better in the final 20 minutes, hitting 51.9 percent of their field goals (14-27), but it was not enough to overcome the Panthers 29-of-33 from the charity stripe.
USI was led by the outstanding effort of senior forward Tyrone Bradshaw (Cincinnati, Ohio). Bradshaw scored a game-high 24 points, while grabbing five rebounds and blocking six shots. He also hit 53.3 percent from the field (8-15), including a three-pointer, and 87.5 percent from the line (7-8).
Bradshaw was joined in double-figure scoring by senior guard Jamar Smith (Peoria, Illinois), who dropped in 10 points.
The Eagles go on the road for the next two games when they travel to Northern Kentucky University Thursday and Bellarmine University Saturday. USI concludes the 2009-10 season February 22 when it host Quincy University for Senior Day.
FAN NOTE: The USI-KWC men's and women's basketball games will be televised tape-delayed Tuesday at 6 p.m. on WTSN, digital channel 36 (Insight Cable 186; Time Warner Cable 14).
