EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball shut down by the University of Tennessee at Martin, 77-46, Saturday afternoon at Liberty Arena. The Screaming Eagles are 6-6 overall and start OVC action 1-1, while the Skyhawks are 5-8, 1-1 OVC.
 
USI was stuck in neutral for the first seven minutes of the game as UTM built a 15-0 lead by the 15:31 mark. Eagles' sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi finally put USI on the scoreboard with a thunderous dunk with 13:16 left in the opening half.
 
The half did not improve for the Eagles the rest of the first half as the Skyhawks led at the break, 52-15. USI's junior guard Jayland Randall led the team with seven points as the Eagles were only able to connect on six field goals and 21.4 percent from the field (0-12 from long range).
 
The Skyhawks were deadly in the opening half from beyond the arc, hitting 13-of-24 attempts.
 
USI improved during the second half, winning the half, 31-25, but never got to the point of challenging UTM in the final 20 minutes. The Eagles were outrebounded for the game, 44-39, and shot only 28.8 percent from the field (19-66) for the contest.
 
Individually, Randall was the only Eagle to reach double-digits in the scoring column with 12 points. Junior guard Jared Washington followed in the scoring column with nine points.  
 
Next Up For USI:
The USI homestand concludes New Year's Eve against Morehead State at 7:30 p.m.  MSU Eagles, who finish non-conference play December 28 versus Alice Lloyd College, rose to 6-6 overall and 2-0 OVC with a 74-68 victory over Tennessee State University Saturday afternoon.
 
MSU leads the all-time series, 3-1, after splitting the series with USI last season. The MSU Eagles took the opening game at USI, 81-70, before the Screaming Eagles grabbed the game in Morehead, 80-73. 
 
Fans can ring in the New Year with USI at Liberty Arena with a special offer of four tickets, four sodas, and four popcorns for $20.25. Additional tickets are $5. For more information, call the USI Ticket Office at 812-465-1189 or visit the USI ticket website.