Eagles fall to Knights, 87-81
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The 11th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team lost in overtime, 87-81, to second-ranked Bellarmine University in the GLVC Tournament championship game Sunday afternoon at Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri. USI, the second seed in the GLVC Tournament, falls to 24-5 overall, while Bellarmine, the top seed, rises to 27-2.
The Screaming Eagles controlled the first 10 minutes of the game, including a six-point, 11-5, advantage at the 16:25 mark, before a six minute scoring drought allowed the Knights to take the momentum. Bellarmine rallied with a 14-3 run to take a six-point lead of its own, 26-20.
USI got the offense back into gear and used a 6-0 run to knot the score at 26-26 with 2:20 remaining before halftime. The Eagles missed on their next possession, permitting the Knights to score the final five points of the half and take a 31-26 advantage into the intermission.
Bellarmine continued to nurse its advantage in the second half when the USI used an 8-2 run to tie the score, 47-47, with 9:36 left. USI senior center Mohamed Ntumba (Kinshasa, Congo) dominated during the run, scoring six of the eight points.
After the Knights briefly took back the advantage, the Eagles bounced back to post their first lead of the second half, 52-51, with 4:39 left. USI went on to build a three-point lead, 62-59, after the squads trade the lead three times in the span of three minutes. Bellarmine forced overtime when Knights senior forward Nick Holmes completed a three-point play to tie the game at 62-62 with one minute to play.
In overtime, the squads traded the lead seven times before Bellarmine hit back-to-back three-point field goals to go ahead for the final time. The Knights, who hit 21-of-22 free throws in the game, sealed the victory with 10 straight free throws to get the win, 87-79.
Overall, the championship contest had 15 lead changes and seven ties.
USI finished the game with four players in double figures, led by the 20-point performance of Ntumba. Junior guard Brandon Hogg (Edwardsville, Illinois) followed Ntumba with 17 points, while senior guards #C.J. Trotter# (Hopkinsville, Kentucky) and Kevin Gant (Indianapolis, Indiana) rounded out the top four with 17 points and 10 points, respectively.
Ntumba, who also led the team with eight rebounds, and Hogg, who had a team-best seven assists, were named to the GLVC All-Tournament team.
