ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Three University of Southern Indiana guards combined for 65 points as the Screaming Eagles posted a 76-69 victory over the University of Missouri-St. Louis Thursday evening in St. Louis, Missouri. USI goes to 16-6 overall and 9-5 in the GLVC, while UMSL sees its record go to 16-8, 8-6 GLVC.
USI senior guard
TeNale Roland (New Albany, Indiana) put on a show in the opening 20 minutes as the Eagles went into halftime leading, 32-31. Roland had 16 of USI's first 23 points, on five-of-eight from the field, two-of-three from long range, and four-of-four from the charity stripe.
The Eagles and the Tritons battled back and forth in the opening half as neither team was able to take command of the game. The largest lead for either team was four points, while USI and UMSL combined for nine lead changes and four ties in the opening stanza.
In the second half, USI sophomore guard
Bobo Drummond (Peoria, Illinois) and senior guard
Gavin Schumann (Cincinnati, Ohio) took over the offensive production for the Eagles. Drummond would pour in 17 second half points on five-of-six from beyond the three-point arc and two-of-two from the charity stripe, while Schumann posted 15 points in the final half by hitting four-of-six from the field and seven-of-eight from the free throw line.
With the increased second half production by Drummond and Schumann, the Eagles expanded a one-point halftime lead to six points, 37-31, two minutes into the final stanza. USI would extend that margin to as many as 12 points, 67-55, with 1:27 remaining in the contest.
The Tritons, however, were not done and chipped away at the Eagles advantage, cutting it to five points, 74-69, with 10 ticks left on the clock. Schumann would seal the USI victory in the final seconds with a pair of free throws to give the contest a final score of 76-69.
As a team, the Eagles had the hot hands in the second half, hitting 53.8 percent of its overall field goal (14-26) and 60 percent of their shots from downtown (6-10).
Individually, USI would finish the game with a trio of 20-point scorers. Drummond would match a season and career-high with 23 points, hitting seven three-point field goals, also a season and career-best. Schumann and Roland followed Drummond in the scoring column with 21 points each.
USI senior forward
Austin Davis (Freeport, Illinois) led the Eagles on the glass with a career-high 11 rebounds, nine coming in the second half and 10 coming on the defensive end of the floor. Roland also tied a season-best with three steals in just under 40 minutes of action.
The Eagles finish their visit to the St. Louis area Saturday at 3 p.m. when they visit Maryville University. The Saints saw their record go to 10-13 overall and 5-9 in the GLVC after a home-loss to third-ranked Bellarmine University, 83-66.
USI leads the all-time series with Maryville, 7-0, after winning both meetings last year. The Eagles took the regular season contest, 64-61, and the GLVC Tournament first round game, 86-78, at the Physical Activities Center.
The Eagles and Saints met for the very first time during the 2009-10 season in St. Louis and ended with USI posting a 153-88 victory. USI broke six single-game records in the win.