Final Score: USI 88, William Jewell 66
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LIBERTY, Mo. – The eighth-ranked University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team got over half of its points off the bench as the Screaming Eagles cruised to an 88-66 win over William Jewell College Sunday afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri. USI rises to 10-0 overall and 2-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while William Jewell goes to 5-6, 1-2 GLVC.
The Eagles used a red-hot shooting effort in the first half to take command of the game. USI built a pair of 13 point first half leads, including the halftime score of 44-31, by shooting 67.9 percent (19-28) from the field and 71.4 percent from long range (5-7).
USI senior forwards
Aaron Nelson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) and
Manny Ogunfolu (Rockville, Maryland) set the tone in the first half for the Eagles. Nelson led the Eagle scorers with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Ogunfolu had nine points off the bench in the opening 20 minutes.
The Eagles quickly extended the lead to 18 points in the second half, 49-31, before WJC made an 11-0 run to cut the margin to five points, 49-42. Ogunfolu stopped the bleeding for USI by laying in a bucket and drawing a charge to begin a 15-7 run that closed the door on the game.
In addition to Ogunfolu's nine second half points, junior forward
Alex Marzette (Racine, Wisconsin) came off the bench to propel the final half surge by scoring 14 points in the last 20 minutes. The Eagles would go on to lead by as many as 24 points twice ahead of settling for the 88-66 win.
For the game, USI shot 62.5 percent from the field (35-56), 61.5 percent from beyond the arc (8-13), and 71.4 percent from the line (10-14). The Eagles, who outrebounded the Cardinals, 45-22, also won the battle of the benches, 45-24.
Individually, Ogunfolu would lead three players in double-figures with 18 points, two short of a career-best. He was followed by Nelson, who had 17 points and 13 rebounds for his 10
th-straight double-double, and Marzette's 14 points. Marzette was a blistering five-of-six in the second half, including a pair of three-point field goals, while Ogunfolu was eight-of-11 and Nelson was seven-of-10, respectively in the game.
The Eagles return to the friendly surroundings of the Physical Activities Center Thursday at 7:30 p.m. when they start a four-game homestand, beginning with Missouri University of Science & Technology. USI ends the first half of the homestand at 3:15 p.m. February 11 when it hosts third-ranked and defending NCAA Division II national champion Drury University.
