Stein scores 33 in comeback victory

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – In a battle for the ages between two great squads, University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball won the 2019 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional, 76-69, over seventh-ranked Bellarmine University Tuesday evening in Romeoville, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles, the fourth seed, advance with a 25-8 record, while the Knights, the second seed, end the season with a 28-5 mark.
 
With the win, USI advances to the NCAA II Elite Eight, slated for March 27, 28, and 30 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, for the first time since 2004. The Eagles will be making their fourth appearance in the Elite Eight, advancing to the national championship game twice (1994 and 2004) and winning the national championship in 1995.
 
USI will be the seventh seed in the Elite Eight and will play second-seeded and third-ranked West Texas A&M University March 27 at 6 p.m. in the third quarterfinal game.
 
The Eagles' defense set the tone early by shutting out the Knights for the first four minutes of the game and building an early 9-3 advantage. Bellarmine broke out of its early slump and exploded on a 25-5 run that put the Knights up by 15 points, 31-16, with 4:40 left in the first 20 minutes.
 
USI started to regain the momentum in the final three minutes of the first half with an offensive surge, but Bellarmine got the last bucket of the half to go back up by 16 points, 42-26, at the intermission.
 
USI senior guard/forward Nate Hansen (Evansville, Indiana) provided most of the USI offense in the first half with nine points on three-of-four from beyond the arc.
 
In the second half, senior guard Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana) took over the game. The senior scored 27 of his game-high 33 points on a blistering eight-of-nine from the field, two-of-two from beyond the arc, and nine-of-nine from the stripe.
 
Stein's secon-half explosion sparked the Eagles 50-27 sprint by the Knights to erase the 16-point halftime deficit.
 
USI started its comeback rally as soon as it left the locker room after halftime. The Eagles scored eight of the first 10 points of the final half to get the game to within 10 points, 44-34, but the Knights responded by re-extending the lead briefly 14 points, 50-36.
 
Then, it happened. Stein and the Eagles exploded on a 14-0 run that tied the game, 50-50, when sophomore forward Emmanuel Little (Indianapolis, Indiana) hit a jumper with 11:35 left. USI was a perfect four-of-four from the field and five-of-five from the line following nine points by Stein.
 
After three ties and four lead changes over the next two minutes, USI began to take command. Stein hit a three to give the Eagles the lead for good, 59-56, with 7:52 to play.
 
It was all USI from that point as the Eagles extended the lead to as many as eight points 73-65, before settling for 76-69 victory. Stein and sophomore guard Mateo Rivera
were named to the NCAA II Midwest Regional All-Tournament team. 
 
The victory is win number 228 for USI Head Coach Rodney Watson, who is three victories away from tying Bruce Pearl (231-46; 1992-2001) for the all-time USI career record for victories.