EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana sophomore guard
Bobo Drummond (Peoria, Illinois) powered a Screaming Eagles' second half comeback to defeat Lewis University, 64-60, Saturday afternoon at the Physical Activities Center. USI goes to 12-5 overall and 5-4 GLVC, while Lewis sees its record go to 12-6, 4-5 GLVC.
The victory broke the USI three-game losing streak and salvaged a victory out of the three-game homestand. The three-game losing streak was just the second time since the 2009-10 season.
Drummond scored 15 of his season-high and game-high 21 points in the second half as the Eagles overcame an 11-point second half deficit. The sophomore guard was a blistering five-of-seven from the field, three-of-five from beyond the arc, and two-of-four from the charity stripe in the second half.
Overall in the game, Drummond was seven-of-12 from the outside, while converting on five-of-10 from long range.
While Drummond provided the offense, junior forward
Shane Seniour (Newburgh, Indiana) ignited the Eagles' 19-8 run when he converted on back-to-back layups with just over 12 minutes to play. Seniour's second lay-up was a battle as he had to get his own rebound twice before getting the ball into the bucket and roaring with emotion down the court to lead the Eagles back on defense.
The 19-8 run would springboard the Eagles into the lead, 56-54, after freshman forward
Brett Benning (Davis, Illinois) converted a pair of free throws with 3:53 remaining. USI would hit seven-of-13 shots as a team during run that had Drummond scoring 10 of the 19 points. The USI defense also rose up to stymie the Lewis offense, which was just three-of-nine from the field during the Eagles' run.
Down the stretch, USI would get clutch free throws from Drummond and senior guard
Gavin Schumann (Cincinnati, Ohio). Drummond would hit a pair of free throws to push the Eagles' lead to a game-high six points, 60-54, with 52 ticks left on the clock. Schumann, who finished the game with 12 points, sealed USI's 12
th win of the year by hitting four-straight free throws for the 64-60 final.
In the first half, the Eagles and the Flyers battled back and forth for the first five minutes before Lewis used a 14-6 run midway through the first half to post its first eight point lead of the contest, 22-14. The Flyers, who hit six-of-nine shots during the run, would extend the lead to a first half-high nine points twice, including the halftime score of 35-26.
Overall in the game, Lewis would hold the lead for nearly 30 of the 40 minutes.
The Eagles start the second half to the GLVC schedule on the road when they travel to McKendree University Thursday and the University of Illinois Springfield Saturday. Tip-off at McKendree in Lebanon, Illinois, is 7:30 p.m., while the start time at Illinois Springfield in Springfield, Illinois, is set for 3 p.m.
The next home game for the Eagles is February 5 when they host Quincy University.
