EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball cut down Oakland City University, 82-63, Tuesday evening at the Physical Activities Center. The Screaming Eagles, who have won four-straight, go to 4-1 to begin 2018-19 campaign, while OCU goes to 1-3.
 
USI started the game by throwing a shutout through the first 6:30 and built a 16-0 lead with 13:46 left before halftime. The Eagles' lead would swell to as many as 29 points by halftime, 45-16. Senior guard/forward Nate Hansen (Evansville, Indiana) led the offensive charge with 12 first half points on five-of-eight from the field and two-of-four from long range.
 
USI also did the job on the defensive side of the court during opening 20 minutes, holding the Mighty Oaks to 24 percent from the field (6-25) and forcing 14 turnovers.
 
The Eagles' first half lead grew to as many as 31 points four times during the first seven minutes of second half before the Mighty Oaks decided make their charge in the final 10 minutes. Oakland City rallied to cut the USI advantage to 14 points twice, 69-55 and 72-58, before the Eagles put the game away with a 14-5 run in the final three minutes for the 82-63 victory.
 
As a team, USI finished the game by forcing 22 OCU turnovers and had 12 steals on the defensive side of the court. The Eagles, who had 11 players score tonight, shot 44.3 percent from the (31-70), 40.7 percent from beyond the arc (11-27), and 60 percent from the stripe (9-15).
 
Hansen finished the game with a team-high 16 points after adding four more in the second half. He finished the contest six-of-11 from the field, three-of-six from long range, and one-of-two from the line.
 
Sophomore forward Emmanuel Little (Indianapolis, Indiana) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
 
The Eagles start the 2018-19 Great Lakes Valley Conference scheduled Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when they host top-ranked Bellarmine University. The Knights, currently, are 4-0 and are slated to host Lindenwood University Wednesday at home in Louisville, Kentucky. Game coverage can be found on GoUSIEagles.com.