EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball battled Ohio Valley University for 40 minutes and came away with the 83-74 victory to conclude the Bill Jeoregens Memorial Classic Sunday afternoon at the Physical Activities Center. The Screaming Eagles go to 8-3 overall, while the Fighting Scots 5-5 on the season.
 
USI was sluggish out of the gate as Ohio Valley built a nine-point first-half lead, 34-25, with 5:09 remaining before halftime. The Eagles rallied with a 13-6 run to knot the game at 38-38 with 84 ticks left in the opening 20 minutes, but the Fighting Scots rebounded to score four of the last six points of the half and went into the locker room with a 42-40 advantage.
 
Junior guard/forward Kobe Caldwell (Bowling Green, Kentucky) paced the Eagles with 13 points on a blistering five-of-seven from the field and three-of-four from long range. Senior guard Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana) joined Caldwell in double-digits with 12 points.
 
The Eagles wasted little time taking control in the final half, going on an 11-2 run to take a seven-point lead, 51-44, with 16:09 left. Ohio Valley remained on USI's heels until the 14:11 mark when Stein broke a 51-51 tie with a three-point bomb to give the Eagles the lead for good.
 
USI extended the lead to as many as 11 points, 80-69, with 1:35 remaining before closing out the 83-74 victory.
 
Stein finished with a team-high 26 points on eight-of-15 from the field, two-of-four from the long range, and eight-of-nine from the line. Caldwell followed with 20 points on seven-of-13 from the field, four-of-eight from downtown, and two-of-four at the stripe.
 
Sophomore forward Emmanuel Little (Indianapolis, Indiana) posted his third double-double in the last four games with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. Little scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half, while grabbing eight defensive and two offensive boards to record the double-double.
 
The Eagles resume Great Lakes Valley Conference action next week when they travel to Maryville University Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. tip off in St. Louis, Missouri. The first weekend of 2019 concludes when USI travels crosstown to visit the University of Missouri-St. Louis Saturday for a 3 p.m. start.
 
Game coverage information for USI Men's Basketball can be found on GoUSIEagles.com.