EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball started fast, but lost momentum in falling to Purdue University Fort Wayne, 70-57, Wednesday evening at Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles slide to 2-8 after tonight's action, while the Mastodons are 9-1 this season.
 
The Eagles exploded out of the gate, building a 12-point, 17-5 lead before seven minutes were gone in the contest. USI sophomore forward Kiyron Powell (Evansville, Indiana) and junior guard Jeremiah Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) led the charge with six points and five points, respectively, during the run.
 
In addition to starting fast offensively, USI stood tall on the defensive end by holding Purdue Fort Wayne to 22.2 percent (4-18) from the field through the first 12 minutes.
 
The Mastodons' offense kicked into gear after the under-eight time out and knotted game at 24-24 with 4:57 left in the half after a 16-4 run. USI regained the lead, 28-24, on buckets by Hernandez and junior forward Jack Mielke (Downers Grove, Illinois), but a 7-2 surge by Purdue Fort Wayne gave the Mastodons a 31-30 lead with 1:25 to play in the first half.
 
USI would rally in the final minute and sent the game into halftime tied, 34-34. Powell knotted the score in the final second with a crushing slam dunk.
 
For the half, Hernandez and Powell led the Eagles with 12 points and eight points, respectively.
 
USI quickly regained the advantage to start the second half with a 10-4 run, led by an eight-point outburst by sophomore guard AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois). Purdue Fort Wayne, however, would battle back with a 13-4 run of its own to take back the lead, 51-48 with 11:21 to play.
 
The Mastodons expanded the lead to nine points with eight minutes to play, 59-50, before methodically increasing the margin to double-digits to 63-53 with 2:41 remaining. The remainder of the game would be played at the free throw line as Purdue Fort Wayne sealed its win by hitting eight-of-11 charity shots for the 70-57 final.
 
Individually for USI, Hernandez added two points in the second half and finished the game with a team-high 15 points. Smith followed with 12 points and recorded his fourth double-double of the year with 15 rebounds.
 
Powell rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points and posted his second-straight double-double by grabbing 12 rebounds. He also blocked a season-high four shots.  
 
Next Up For USI:
USI hits the road this weekend, traveling north to Terre Haute, Indiana, and a visit with Indiana State University Saturday at 1 p.m. (CST). The Eagles took the first meeting between the two programs last year at Screaming Eagles Arena, 88-85, in overtime.
 
The Sycamores are 7-1 overall and have won seven-straight games after starting the year with a loss. Indiana State started this week with a 90-67 victory over Northern Illinois University on the road after opening Missouri Valley Conference play with victories over Southern Illinois University and Bradley University.
 
Fans can find all of the ways to follow USI Basketball action on the road by visiting USIScreamingEagles.com