USI's second half comeback not enough to stay perfect
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SCORE: DU 64, USI 56
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The eighth-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team could not sustain a second half comeback and lost to third-ranked Drury University, 64-56, Saturday afternoon in the Physical Activities Center. USI falls to 11-1 overall and 3-1 in the GLVC, while Drury, the defending NCAA Division II national champion, rises to 12-1 overall, 4-1 GLVC.
The Screaming Eagles scored the initial bucket, but that would be their only lead of the game as the Panthers used an 18-4 run to post a 12-point margin, 18-6, with 10:58 left to play in the opening half. Drury would extend the lead to as many as 14 points, four times, including the halftime score of 35-21.
USI had trouble getting on track in the first half, shooting 22.9 percent (8-35) and was 0-of-7 from beyond the three-point arc.
In the second half, the Eagles started to get back into gear offensively and slowly chipped away at the deficit after the Panthers extended the lead to 15 points, 42-27, with 16:26 to play. USI would close the gap to two points, 55-53, with 2:04 to play, but would go one-of-five from the field in the final minutes in stumbling for the first time in 2013-14, 64-56.
USI shot much better in the second half, hitting 43.8 percent from the field (14-32). They squad still had trouble from long distance, going 0-of-4 in the final 20 minutes and 0-of-11 for the contest.
Individually, senior forward
Aaron Nelson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) continued his dominance of the paint with his USI-record 12
th-straight double-double. Nelson was the only Eagle to score in double-digits with 29 points, while grabbing a team-high 13 rebounds.
The Eagles complete the four-game homestand next week when they hosts Saint Joseph's College January 16 and the University of Indianapolis January 18. USI is slated to celebrate the 20
th-anniversary of the 1993-94 men's basketball team that was the NCAA Division II national finalist.
