FT. WAYNE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) drained a record-tying 10 three-pointers to lead the Screaming Eagles to an 87-74 victory over Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis on day one of the Indiana Classic Monday at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. The Eagles are 7-5 after today's action, while the Jaguars are 2-10. The Indiana Classic is being hosted by Purdue University Ft. Wayne.
 
Lakes' 10 three-point field goals tied former USI All-American Jamar Smith, who sank 10 three-pointers against Maryville University January 9, 2010, and four other Ohio Valley Conference alumni (Marc Polite, Eastern Illinois University vs. Arkansas State, 1999-2000; Glenn Cosey, Eastern Kentucky Univeristy vs. EIU, 2013-14; Nick Smith, Belmont vs. University of Tennessee Martin, 2016-17; Corey Tillery, Tennessee Tech University vs. Warren Wilson College, 2018-19) The graduate forward, who posted a career-high 30 points, was a blistering 10-of-16 from beyond the arc and 10-for-20 overall in the game.
 
The first half was all Lakes, who propelled the Eagles to a 16-point first half lead, 47-31. Lakes hit three-straight three-point bombs to start the game and the early 9-2 lead. The graduate forward would go on to hit six-of-eight from beyond the arc for 18 first half points.
 
USI was a blistering nine-of-14 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes with sophomore forward Jack Mielke (Downers Grove, Illinois) following Lakes to post a pair of three-pointers, while senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) added a three.
 
The Eagles led by as many as 20 points, 42-22, in the opening half before settling for the 16-point margin at the break.
 
USI continued to pound the Jaguars in the second half, hitting another eight-of-14 from downtown. The Eagles finished the contest 17-of-28 from beyond the arc, surpassing the season-high of 15 in the 2022-23 opening game at the University of Missouri.
 
The Jaguars briefly pulled to within 12 points, 55-43, with 15:07 to play before the Eagles turned on the afterburners again and would go on to lead by as many as 21 points, 84-63, with three minutes to play. IUPUI outscored USI, 11-3 in the final minutes as the Eagles settled for the 87-74 win.
 
In addition to Lakes' 30 points, four more Eagles registered in double-digits on the scoreboard.
 
Senior forward Jacob Polakovich (Grand Rapids, Michigan) followed Lakes with 15 points and a career-best/game-high 20 rebounds. Polakovich was five-of-nine from the field and a perfect five-of-five from the field, while grabbing 10 offensive and 10 defensive boards. The 20 rebounds was one better than the 19 rebounds Polakovich grabbed twice last season.
 
Mielke finished the game with career-high 13 points on four-of-seven from the field, three-of-six from long range. Junior guard Tyler Henry (Brooklyn, New York) and Simmons rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points and 10 points, respectively.
 
USI sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana) dished a season-high eight assists in the victory.
 
Next Up 2022-23:
USI concludes play in the Indiana Classic against host Ft. Wayne Tuesday at 6 p.m. (CST).
 
Ft. Wayne, who was Indiana University/Purdue University Ft. Wayne when it and USI were a part of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, is 7-4 overall and was playing Texas A&M Commerce in this evening's second game.
 
USI leads the all-time series with Ft. Wayne, 25-13, and had a GLVC advantage, 22-13. The Eagles had won 16-straight versus the Mastodons, prior to Ft. Wayne making the jump to Division I. The last meeting in 2001 ended with USI posting a 110-108 victory at Ft. Wayne and gave the Eagles a 9-8 road lead in the series.