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Score: USI 88, LU 80 (ot)
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 18
th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team survived in overtime against Lewis University, 88-80, Thursday evening in the quarterfinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. USI, the third seed, rises to 21-6 overall, while Lewis, the seventh seed, goes to 19-9.
The Screaming Eagles stopped an early surge by the Flyers with an 18-5 run to lead by 11 points, 27-16, with 6:38 left before halftime. Lewis chopped into the USI lead near the end of the opening half with a 9-2 run, getting to within three, 36-33.
Eagles survive Lewis in overtime, 88-80 Gallery
USI shot well during the first 20 minutes, hitting 55.2 percent from the field (16-29) and outrebounded Lewis, 20-12. USI senior
Keith DeWitt (High Point, North Carolina) led the Eagles during the first stanza with 12 points and seven rebounds.
In the second half, the Eagles methodically extended the halftime margin to 12 points, 59-47, on a 12-4 run with 10:47 left. The Flyers fired right back with a 21-9 run of their own to tie game, 68-68, with 1:49 remaining. Each team would get another bucket before the game slid into overtime tied at 70-70 after USI missed two final chances at the basket with 2.4 seconds remaining.
In the overtime, it was all USI as it pulled away with a 14-2 run to lead 84-72. Lewis would get the margin back under double-digits in the final minute before it ran out of time and fell to USI, 88-80. USI junior guard
Lawrence Thomas (Springfield, Illinois) led the Eagles in the overtime with six points, hitting three-of-three from the field.
As a team, USI shot 53.3 percent from the field (32-60) in the game and outrebounded Lewis by 25, 51-26.
Individually, DeWitt posted his ninth double-double of the year with a team-high 25 points and 12 rebounds. The senior center has posted a double-double in eight of his last 10 games.
Junior forward
Orlando Rutledge (Louisville, Kentucky) followed DeWitt with his second-straight double-double with 19 points and a team-high 15 rebounds. The last time USI had two players post double-doubles was
Isaac McClure (12 points and 15 rebounds) and Mohamed Ntumba (13 points and 13 rebounds) January 2, 2011.
The victory propels the Eagles into the GLVC Tournament semifinals Saturday at 2:30 p.m. USI will be playing in the semifinals for the third-straight year.
Saturday's opponent will be the second-seeded University of Wisconsin-Parkside, which defeated seventh-seeded Kentucky Wesleyan College, 65-56, in the 6 p.m. game. UW-Parkside won the GLVC East Division and took both meetings with USI this season.
