BOX SCORE: NKU 68, USI 56

HIGHLAND HEIGHT, Ky. — The 2nd-ranked and shorthanded University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team lost a tough GLVC contest at Northern Kentucky University, 68-56, Thursday evening in Highland Heights, Kentucky. USI falls to 23-2 overall and 14-2 in the GLVC, while NKU goes to 14-12, 6-11 GLVC.

The Screaming Eagles played with only nine players due to senior guard Jamar Smith (Peoria, Illinois) being out of the line-up with a bruised heel.

The Eagles started the final road trip of the year with a 4-0 lead, but the Norse quickly matched the score. The teams would trade buckets before USI posted its final lead of the first half 10:17 before the intermission, 12-11.

NKU took control of the half with a 10-0 run to lead 21-12. The Norse would increase the lead to 10 points at 24-14 when the Eagles made a mini 4-0 run to pull to within six, 24-18. NKU responded with an 8-2 run to lead 32-20 at halftime.

After Norse upped the margin to 15 points, 35-20, to open the second half, USI began to chip away the lead and rallied to tie the game, 49-49, with 7:02 to play. NKU put together a rally of its own, scoring seven straight points to retake the lead, 56-49. The Norse finished out the game by outscoring the Eagles, 19-7, on the strength of a nine-of-10 from the charity stripe in the two minutes.

USI was led by senior forward Tyrone Bradshaw (Cincinnati, Ohio), who had 16 points despite battling an illness, and senior guard Marvin Gray (Freeport, Bahamas), who dropped in 12 points. Junior center Mohamed Ntumba (Kinshasa, Congo) led the squad on the glass with 10 rebounds, while Bradshaw and senior forward Brandon Carr (Baltimore, Maryland) grabbed seven rebounds each.

The Eagles conclude the final road trip of 2009-10 at Bellarmine University Saturday at 8 p.m. (CST). The Knights went to 18-8 overall and 11-6 in the GLVC after falling to Kentucky Wesleyan College, 71-69, at home tonight.