EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball got back on track with a dominating, 32-point win over Loras College, 87-55, Friday evening at Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles are 2-2 after tonight's action.
 
The Eagles traded buckets with the DuHawks through the first five minutes before exploding on a 19-0 run to take command of the contest, 26-9. USI was eight-of-10 from the field during the run with senior forward Jacob Polakovich and junior guard Tyler Henry combining for 12 of the 19 points with six each.
 
USI and Loras would trade buckets for the remainder of the first half, allowing the Eagles to take a 17-point, 37-20 lead into the intermission. Senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) had the big first half for the Eagles with 14 of the 37 points.
 
In the second half, Loras' offense start to put some pressure on the USI defense with an 8-0 run to cut the Eagles' advantage to 11 points, 52-41, with 11:43 left to play. The Eagles quickly re-established command with an 18-8 run to push the lead back to 21 points, 70-49, when sophomore forward Jack Mielke (Downers Grove, Illinois) hit his second three-point bomb of the run with 7:24 remaining.
 
The Eagles continued to extend the advantage until they reached a game-high 32 points in the final score of 87-55.
 
Simmons had the hot hand for the Eagles in the win with a game-high 21 points. The senior guard was nine-of-12 from the field, three-of-six from long range. He also dished out three assists.
 
Henry followed and rounded out the double-digit scorers with a season-high 19 points. The junior was six-of-nine from the field, all three-pointers, and one-of-one from the stripe.
 
In the season-high column, freshman guard Jack Campion (Milton, Wisconsin) had a game-high seven assists, while freshman center Kiyron Powell (Evansville, Indiana) blocked six shots.
 
Next Up 2022-23:
USI returns to action in the Gotham Classic series when it visits St. Bonaventure University Tuesday in St. Bonaventure, New York. The game will be aired live on ESPN 97.7FM and 95.7 The Spin, in addition to being streamed live on ESPN+.
 
The Bonnies, who host Bowling Green State University Saturday, are 1-2 to start the year. St. Bonaventure defeated Saint Francis University, 71-58, to open the season, before falling to Canisius College, 84-80, in overtime and to South Dakota State University, 66-62.

Tuesday's contest between USI and St. Bonaventure is the first meeting between the two sports in any athletic competition.