LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball team struggled offensively and dropped its season finale to second-ranked Bellarmine University, 67-54, Thursday evening in Louisville, Kentucky. USI finishes the regular season 19-7 overall and 12-6 in the GLVC, while Bellarmine sees its record go to 25-2, 17-1 GLVC.
 
The Screaming Eagles needed a strong defensive effort in the opening half to stay in the game, but trailed at halftime, 32-21. USI limited Bellarmine to just 37.9 percent from the field (11-29) and just one three-point field goal.
 
The Eagles, however, struggled on the offensive end, shooting only 24.4 percent (10-41). The offense USI was able to showcase kept the Eagles within shouting distance. USI's few offensive runs during the first stanza stalled before the Eagles could overtake the Knights.
 
In the second half, USI seemed to get on track and cut the Bellarmine lead to three, 40-37, with 13:59 to play in the game on a three-point field goal by senior guard TeNale Roland (New Albany, Indiana). The Knight regained control of the contest by holding the Eagles to a single field goal over the next seven minutes and never looked back the rest of the way as they closed out their 67-54 win.
 
The Eagles shot a little better in the second half, hitting 31.3 percent from the field (10-32) and was 30 percent better from long range, dropping in five-of-16 three-point field goals. USI finished the game at 27.4 percent from the field (20-73) and 22.2 percent from beyond the arc (6-27).
 
Individually, USI was led by the 13-point performance of senior guard Gavin Schumann (Cincinnati, Ohio). Schumann was followed by senior forward Austin Davis (Freeport, Illinois) and junior forward George Edwards (Chicago, Illinois) with nine points each. Edwards also grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds, one off his season best.
 
With the loss by USI, the Eagles will be the sixth-seed in the upcoming Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament and will host 11^th-seeded Maryville University in the tournament's first round Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Physical Activities Center. The Saints finished the season with an 11-16 overall record and a 6-12 GLVC mark after defeating the University of Missouri-St. Louis, 81-67, in St. Louis, Missouri, this evening.
 
In the regular season meeting at Maryville, the Eagles defeated the Saints, 64-62, in a game that came down to the final minute.