Final GLVC match-up between USI and KWC
Game Notes;
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 19
th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team hosts Kentucky Wesleyan College for the finale of the 2012-13 season Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Physical Activities Center. The match-up is the final GLVC game between the long-time rivals.
The season finale also determines whether USI will receive a first round bye in the upcoming GLVC Basketball Tournament. A USI win automatically sends the Screaming Eagles the quarterfinals of the conference tournament at the Ford Center in Evansville on March 7. A USI defeat could mean first round game March 3 at the PAC, depending upon the outcomes of several contests.
Following the Thursday's showdown, USI will honor its four seniors – center
Keith DeWitt (High Point, North Carolina) and guards
Kenyon Smith (Chicago, Illinois),
Melvyn Little (Louisville, Kentucky), and
Travis Jones (Carmi, Illinois)
.
The Eagles play in the season finale after going 1-1 last week, losing by 11 to 15
th-ranked Bellarmine University, 73-62, and defeating McKendree University, 94-64.USI was led in the two games by DeWitt, who dropped in 20.5 points and grabbed 12.5 rebounds per game, while junior forward
Orlando Rutledge scored at a 19.0 points per outing pace.
After last week's action, USI fell to 19
th in the NABC/Division II Top 25 poll. The GLVC also was represented by Drury University at number eight, while the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Bellarmine University remained 13
th and 15
th, respectively.
For the season, Rutledge continues to pace the Eagles with 15.8 points per game, while DeWitt is a close second with 14.4 points per contest. DeWitt also is grabbing a team-high and GLVC-best 9.4 rebounds per appearance.
The Panthers of KWC (19-6, 11-6 GLVC) are 5-5 in the GLVC since playing USI on January 21. KWC has bounced back in the last two weeks with four-straight wins. USI dominated Kentucky Wesleyan College, 72-53, in the first meeting in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Panthers lead the all-time series, 49-37, but the Eagles hold an advantage at the PAC, 6-4.
Coverage of the Eagles' GLVC games, including live stats and audio/video broadcasts, is available at gousieagles.com. The USI action also can be heard on ESPN 106.7FM and WPSR 90.7FM.
NABC/Division II Top 25
1. West Liberty
2. Metropolitan State
3. Western Washington
4. Seattle Pacific
5. Cal Poly Pomona
6. Alabama-Huntsville
7. Minnesota State
8. Drury
9. Saint Anselm
10. Winston-Salem State
11. Saint Leo
12. Lincoln Memorial
13. Wisconsin-Parkside
14. Florida Southern
15. Bellarmine
16. Indiana, Pa
17. Fort Lewis
18. Benedict
19. Southern Indiana
20. East Stroudsburg
21. Winona State
22. Grand Canyon
23. Dominican
24. Livingstone
25. Augustana
Others receiving votes: South Carolina Aiken, Assumption,
Kentucky Wesleyan, Michigan Tech, Wayne State, Newman,
Eckerd, Carson-Newman, Fairmont State, Franklin Pierce, Gannon,
Dixie State, North Carolina-Pembroke, Midwestern State.
