KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team stumbled in its comeback attempt at Rockhurst University, 75-70, Saturday afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri. USI saw its overall record fall to 19-9, 10-6 in the GLVC, while Rockhurst goes to 13-13 overall, 6-10 GLVC.
 
The Screaming Eagles shot 60.7 percent from the field (17-28) in the first 20 minutes, but trailed at the intermission, 39-36. USI was down early, 12-6, but used a 15-6 run to take a 24-22 lead on a three-point bomb by junior guard/forward Nate Hansen (Evansville, Indiana) with 8:21 remaining until halftime. Hansen's three-pointer was the only one from downtown that USI would get in the first half.
 
The Hawks would bounce back to regain the six-point lead, 36-30, before going into the locker room with the three-point lead.
 
Hansen was on fire during the first half for the Eagles, shooting five-of-seven from the field, including the one three-pointer, and hit his only free throw. Senior forward DayJar Dickson (Washington, D.C.), junior forward Jacob Norman (Evansville, Indiana), and freshman forward Emmanuel Little (Indianapolis, Indiana) followed with six points each. Dickson and Norman were perfect three-of-three each from the field.
 
In the second half, USI sprang out of the locker room with five-straight points to regain the lead, 41-39, on a three-point field goal by senior guard Marcellous Washington (Lexington, Kentucky) at the 18:46 mark. Rockhurst, however, responded with a 10-0 run to regain the advantage with 16:28 left, 49-41.
 
The Eagles did not give up and stayed close in an attempt to make another run at the Hawks. USI chipped away at the deficit, briefly regaining the lead, 65-64, with 2:53 remaining on Washington's second three-point field goal of the contest. Rockhurst rallied again to retook the lead and this time did not give it up in the 75-70 USI loss.
 
As a team, USI struggled from the free throw line in the loss, shooting 14-of-24 overall in the game. (one-of-four in the first half and 13-of-20 in the second half). The Eagles did start to come out of their three-point field goal slump in the final 20 minutes, hitting three-of-five, compared to one-of-eight in the opening stanza.
 
Overall in the contest, there were 11 ties and 11 lead changes.
 
Individually, Hansen finished the game with a team-high 19 points and led five players in double-digits. Junior guard Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana) and junior forward Jacob Norman (Evansville, Indiana) followed Hansen with 12 points and 11 points, respectively, while Washington and Little rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points each.
 
The Eagles begin the second half of the four-game road trip Thursday when they visit the University of Wisconsin-Parkside for the final GLVC game between the two programs. UW-Parkside, who are 9-17, 7-9 GLVC, after losing to Drury University, 74-57, on the road today, is joining the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference at the end of the season.  
 
USI is 30-12 all-time versus UW-Parkside in a series that dates back to 1972. The Eagles, who are 11-6 all-time versus the Rangers in Somers, Wisconsin, won the first meeting of 2017-18, 74-55, at the PAC and were led by Stein, who had 20 points, and Little, who had 10 rebounds.