Day 2 Bill Joergens Memorial Classic
Game 3: Bellarmine 88, UVA-Wise 47
Box Score (HTML)
Game 4: USI 103, Philander Smith 82
Box Score (Sortable); Box Score (HTML)
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The ninth-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team soared to a 103-82 victory over Philander Smith College to conclude the sixth-annual Bill Joergens Memorial Classic Saturday night at the Physical Activities Center. USI sees its record rise to 4-0, while PSC goes to 4-4 in 2012-13.
The Screaming Eagles surpass the century mark for the first time this year and the first time since December 28, 2010, when USI defeated Harris-Stowe State University, 105-76.
The Eagles flew out of the gate in the first half, leading by double-digits for most of the first stanza and posting the largest lead of the opening 20 minutes, 35-21. The Panthers, however, clawed their way back into the contest and trailed at the intermission, 53-49, on the strength of a 26-18 run in the final seven minutes of the opening half.
USI had three players reach double-digits in the first stanza with junior forward
Taylor Wischmeier (Brownstown, Indiana) leading the way with 18 points. Junior guard
Lawrence Thomas (Springfield, Illinois) and junior forward/center
Aaron Nelson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) followed with 11 points and 10 points, respectively, in the opening 20 minutes.
The Eagles' lead shrank to two points, 53-51, in the opening minute of the second half before the offense exploded on a 24-5 run to put the game out of reach. PSC would never get any closer than 19 points the rest of the game. Nelson led the game-clinching surge with eight points, while senior guard
Kenyon Smith (Chicago, Illinois) dropped in six of his eight points during the run.
USI would continue to build the lead to as many as 28 points twice in the second half before settling for the 21-point, 103-82 victory. The Eagles were a blistering 69.7 percent from the field (23-33) in the second half.
Individually, Wischmeier led four Eagles in double figures with a career-high 28 points. Nelson followed with his first USI double-double, 23 points and 14 rebounds, while junior forward
Orlando Rutledge (Louisville, Kentucky) and Thomas dropped in 15 points each to close out the double-figure scorers.
The Eagles dominated the glass for a second-straight night, outrebounding the Panthers, 51-27. USI junior forward
Manny Ogunfolu (Rockville, Maryland) joined Nelson in double-figure rebounds with a season-best 11.
In the third game of the classic, fifth-ranked Bellarmine University defeated the University of Virginia at Wise, 88-47. Bellarmine rises to 4-0 in 2012-13, while UVA-Wise falls to 3-6.
The next action for the Eagles will not be until December 8 when they host Notre Dame College (Ohio) at the PAC. Game time is a special 8 p.m. tip-off following the USI Winter Commencement.
