at Wisconsin-Parkside (16-2, 9-0 GLVC): 82
#9 Southern Indiana (14-3, 6-3 GLVC): 71
-Box Score:
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SOMERS, Wis.—Despite a career-high tying 31 points from senior forward
Aaron Nelson, the No. 9 University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team could not keep pace with the University of Wisconsin-Parkside as the Screaming Eagles suffered an 82-71 setback to the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division-leading Rangers Saturday afternoon.
USI (14-3, 6-3 GLVC) survived an early barrage of three-pointers by the Rangers (16-2, 9-0 GLVC)—four in the first five minutes—as Nelson scored 14 of the Eagles' first 28 points to help his team overcome a nine-point deficit and tie the score at 28 with 6:37 to play in the first half.
Nelson, who added 10 rebounds to his 31 points to earn his 16th double-double, had 22 points in the first period as the Eagles trailed 41-40 at the intermission.
The two teams battled back-and-forth throughout the first three minutes of the second half, but a 6-0 UW-Parkside spurt that featured four points from sophomore guard Jimmy Gavin gave the Rangers a 51-44 lead with just under 15 minutes to play.
USI cut the deficit to three points on two occasions in the next five minutes, the second of which came on a Nelson layup. UW-Parkside, however, answered with a three-pointer by Gavin, who led the Rangers with 22 points, to take a 58-52 lead with just under nine minutes remaining.
Gavin's three-pointer started an 8-2 UW-Parkside run that staked the Rangers to a 63-54 advantage and a deficit the Eagles could not recover from.
In addition to Nelson, the Eagles got 11 points and four assists from senior guard
Lawrence Thomas as well as eight points apiece from senior guard
Orlando Rutledge and senior forward/center
Chuck Jones.
Junior forward Zygimantas Riauka added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Rangers, who shot 54.4 percent (31-57) from the field. Senior guard Colt Grandstaff, who sunk a two shots from three-point range in the first two minutes of the contest, added 18 points for UW-Parkside.
USI shot 50.8 percent (31-61) from the field, but was just 1-of-4 from three-point range compared to UW-Parkside's 6-of-16 from behind the arc.
The Eagles, who have lost two straight games for the first time this season, return to action Thursday at 7:30 p.m. when they host the University of Illinois Springfield at the Physical Activities Center.
