Eagles rally from a 20-point first half deficit to win
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SCORE: USI 89, IUS 87
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana junior guard Gavin Schumann (Cincinnati, Ohio) converted an old-fashion three-point play with 14 seconds remaining to give the 14th-ranked Screaming Eagles an 89-87 victory over Indiana University Southeast in the final game of the Bill Joergens Memorial Classic Saturday evening at the Physical Activities Center. USI rises to 4-0 overall, while IU Southeast goes to 5-3 to start the 2013-14 campaign.
The victory clinching three-point play capped off a USI comeback that saw the Eagles rally from a pair of 20-point deficits in the first half. Schumann, who finished the game with 25 points, scored the final seven points of the game.
Trailing 87-86 with 49 seconds to play, the Eagles made a defensive stand and set the stage for Schumann. USI senior guard Lawrence Thomas (Springfield, Illinois) grabbed a rebound and pushed the ball ahead to Schumann, who drove the lane to get the go-ahead basket and clinched the victory with a free throw.
The Eagles found themselves in position to make their second final-minute comeback in the last three games after a rough first half. IU Southeast used a 27-7 run midway through the first half to build a 42-22 lead with 5:09 left in the half.
USI cut the 20-point deficit in half by the intermission with a 16-6 run and trailed 48-38. Schumann and senior forward Manny Ogunfolu (Rockville, Maryland) led the first-half-ending rally with seven points and five points, respectively, in the final five minutes.
The Eagles continued to close the gap in the second half, narrowing the deficit to three points, 54-51 with 15:02 left. USI would get to within three-points four times in the final half before pushing past IU Southeast in the final minute when Schumann took over.
Individually, USI was led in the win by senior forward Aaron Nelson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) with his fourth-straight double-double, 28 points and 13 rebounds. Nelson was 11-of-17 from the field and six-of-nine from the charity stripe.
Nelson and Schumann were joined in double-figure scoring by Thomas and Ogunfolu with 10 points each. Senior forward Taylor Wischmeier (Brownstown, Indiana) reached double-digits in rebounds for the third time in four games with a game-high and career-best 14 boards. Wischmeier narrowly missed his third double-double of the year with nine points.
Prior to the USI victory over IU Southeast, third-ranked Bellarmine University defeated King University in the third game of the Bill Joergens Memorial Classic, 84-71. USI and Bellarmine were 2-0 in the classic.
The next action for the Eagles is December 7 when they conclude their four-game homestand by hosting Kentucky State University for a 3:15 p.m. contest.
