; Box Score (HTML) SCORE: Southern Indiana 83, IU Southeast 47

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 12^th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team needed overtime to defeat Indiana University Southeast, 80-74, Saturday afternoon in the final game of the Bill Joergens Memorial Classic. USI starts the year with a 4-0 mark and sweeps its season-opening homestand, while IU Southeast falls to 5-4 on the young season.
 
The Screaming Eagles found themselves in an unusual position at the end of the first half -- trailing by four, 41-37. USI put itself in that position with a poor half at the charity stripe, hitting only 12-of-24 opportunities. IU Southeast led by as many as nine points in the first half, while USI had an early seven point lead.
 
USI bounced out of the locker room in the second half and retook the lead, 49-48, with 13:51 left. The Eagles would increase the lead to six points, 56-50, before the Grenadiers rallied and retook the advantage, 62-60, with 3:49 remaining.
 
USI and IU Southeast battled a 64-64 draw by the end of regulation with both teams missing a combined five chances in the final 1:34.
 
In overtime, the Eagles quickly took command and built a nine-point advantage, 77-68, on a pair of free throws by senior guard Brandon Hogg (Edwardsville, Illinois). Hogg was three-of-three from the line in overtime after shooting 3-of-12 at the charity stripe in the first 40 minutes of the game.
 
The Grenadiers battled back in the final minute of overtime, cutting the margin to four points, 78-74, before USI sophomore forward Taylor Wischmeier (Brownstown , Indiana) sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds remaining.
 
In the scoring column, Hogg and sophomore guard Lawrence Thomas (Springfield, Illinois) led the Eagles. Hogg, who scored 12 points in the overtime, recorded a double-double with a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Thomas posted a career-high 26 points and dished out a game-high five assists. The sophomore had the hot hand, shooting 8-of-11 from the field, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and 7-of-11 from the line. He also grabbed five rebounds and made two steals while playing 41 of the 45 minutes.
 
USI senior forward Romaric Lasme (Port-Gentil, Gabon) rounded out USI's double-figure scorers with 10 points before fouling out in the second half.
 
In the first game Saturday, Bellarmine finished 2-0 in the classic with an 87-40 victory over Malone University. The Knight rise to 5-0 overall, while the Pioneers falls to 2-3.
 
The Eagles go on the road for the next four games, including the start of Great Lakes Valley Conference actions. USI opens GLVC play Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Lewis University and completes the first half o the road swing December 3 at 3 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.