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SCORE: USI 71, KWC 55
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 19
th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team completed a season-sweep of Kentucky Wesleyan College, 71-55, Thursday evening at the Physical Activities Center. USI rises to 20-6 overall and 13-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while KWC falls to 19-7 overall mark, 11-7 GLVC.
The win clinches the third seed and a first round bye in the upcoming Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament for the Screaming Eagles. USI advances to the GLVC Tournament quarterfinals at the Ford Center on March 7 with opponents and start times to be announced after Sunday's first round games.
The 20
th victory of the year marks the 19
th time in the last 20 seasons that USI has reached that milestone in a season. The game also was the final regular season meeting between the Panthers and the Eagles, a conference rivalry that dated back to 1978-79.
The Eagles spotted the Panthers a 15-8 lead through the first 10 minutes of the game after enduring a scoring drought of nearly seven minutes. But once the drought ended, the points rained in for USI as it went on a 27-4 run to take command and lead, 35-19, with 3:14 left in the opening half. USI junior guard
Lawrence Thomas (Springfield, Illinois) and junior forward
Orlando Rutledge (Louisville, Kentucky) led the Eagles during the run with seven points each.
KWC chipped away at the USI advantage, whittling it down to 12 points before the Eagles took a 14-point, 37-23 lead into the intermission.
In the second half, the Eagles continued to pressure the Panthers and extended the lead to 22 points, 49-27, with 13:35 remaining. KWC tried to get back into the game with an 11-4 run that cut the margin to 14 points, when a pair of technical fouls on the Panthers swung the momentum back to the Eagles for the rest of the game.
After Rutledge sank four-of-six free throws (four for the technicals and two on a foul), the Eagles flew out to their largest lead of the game, 24 points, 65-41, with 5:51 to play. USI put the game on cruise control the rest of the way and settled for the 71-55 final.
For the game, USI did the job on defense and on the glass. The Eagles held the Panthers to just 33.3 percent from the field (18-54) and outrebounded KWC, 45-31, for the contest.
Individually, Rutledge led the Eagles with his first double-double of the year. The junior forward produced a game-high 23 points on five field goals and 13 free throws, while grabbing 11 rebounds. Thomas was the only other Eagle to score in double-digits with 10 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.
Tickets for the GLVC Tournament quarterfinals will be available at the USI Athletic Ticket Office beginning Friday at 9 a.m.
