EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team used a 28-6 run in the final 10 minutes of the first half to propel the Screaming Eagles to an 86-74 victory over Indiana University East in the first round of the 2014 Bill Joergens Memorial Classic Friday night at the Physical Activities Center. USI continues to roll and rises to 4-0 overall in the five-game homestand, while IU East sees its record go to 8-3.
 
The Eagles did not start the game on a high note as the Red Wolves built a nine-point lead, 25-16 with 10:47 left in the opening half. USI erased the nine-point deficit with the 28-6 run in the final 10 minutes in the first half to take control of the contest and build a 44-31 lead at the intermission.
 
Junior guard Travis Britt (Rantoul, Illinois) and sophomore guard Bobo Drummond (Peoria, Illinois) led the charge in the final 10 minutes of the half with eight points each during the run, while junior forward George Edwards (Chicago, Illinois) dropped in seven points. Drummond finished the opening half with a team-high 11 points, while Britt posted 10 points.
 
On the defensive side of its run to the halftime lead, USI held the IU East three-of-10 from field, zero-for-five from long range, and forced eight Red Wolves turnovers.
 
In the second half, the Eagles increased the margin to a game-high 19 points, 73-54, with 8:57 left in the game. The Red Wolves would attempt a comeback, cutting the USI lead to single-digits twice, 79-70 and 81-72, before the Eagles could close out the 86-74 victory.
 
Individually, Edwards would lead the squad with his fourth-straight double-double by posting 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He was a blistering 12-of-16 from the field on his way to the double-double.
 
Drummond followed Edwards in the scoring column with 17 points, while senior guard TeNale Roland (Louisville, Kentucky) and Britt rounded out the double-figure scorers with 15 points and 12 points, respectively.  
 
USI concludes its season-opening, five-game homestand and the Bill Joergens Memorial Classic at 7:30 p.m. Saturday when it plays Cedarville University. Cedarville lost the opening game of the classic to fifth-ranked Bellarmine University, 93-74. Bellarmine and IU East tip off the third game of the Bill Joergens Memorial Classic at 5:15 p.m. Saturday.
 
 
USI-IUEast Box Score (HTML)
Bellarmine-Cedarville Box Score (HTML)