EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball had six players in double-digits and dominated Western Illinois University, 96-64, Friday evening at Liberty Arena. The Screaming Eagles go to 5-15 overall and 2-8 in the OVC, while the Leathernecks are 4-17, 0-10 OVC.
 
USI exploded out of the gate and had a 20-8 lead before five minutes were gone in the first half. Senior guard/forward Steven Clay and senior guard Cardell Bailey combined for the 20 points with 11 points and nine points, respectively.
 
The Eagles would add to the lead over the next eight minutes and had an 18-point advantage with 8:07 to play in the half after an old-fashion three-point play by junior guard/forward Amaree Brown. USI would lead by as many as 20 twice before closing out the half with a 51-31 advantage.
 
Clay, Brown, and Bailey were dominating in the opening half. Clay led the way with 13 points, while Brown and Bailey had 11 points each.
 
USI started the second half by doubling its lead with a 30-15 run through the first 10 minutes to 81-49 with 9:50 left in the game. The Eagles were a blistering 70.5 percent (12-17) during the dash and were led by senior forward Ola Ajiboye's eight points. Bailey and junior forward Tolu Samuels also added seven points each during the run.
 
USI sophomore guard Alem Fejzic led the charge on a 10-0 surge to push the lead to 42 points, 91-49, scoring half of the points of the run with 7:47 remaining in the contest.
The 42-point lead would be the largest of the game for USI as it cruised in the final four minutes to a 96-64 win.
 
In the scoring column, USI had six players reach double digits for the first time this season and was led by Bailey's 22 points off the bench. Bailey was seven-of-13 from the field, four-of-nine from beyond the arc, and four-of-four from the stripe. He also tied Samuels for the team-high with seven rebounds.  
 
Clay added five points in the second half and finished a season-high16 points. Samuels doubled his point total in the second half to conclude his action with 14 points. The second half of the double-digit scorers included junior guard Sheridan Sharp, who had 14 points and a team-high eight assists; Brown, who finished with 13 points; and Ajiboye, who concluded with 10 points.
 
As a team, USI dished 18 assists, the second most for a game this season, and dominated the glass, 47-29.
 
Next Up For USI:
USI finishes the second half of the homestand with Homecoming Week, featuring Lindenwood Thursday and SIU Edwardsville Saturday for the Homecoming game. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tips.
 
Lindenwood (12-8, 6-3 OVC), which hosts Tennessee State Saturday, started OVC action by winning four-straight, but has stumbled in the last few weeks, going 2-3,
including an 89-68 loss to Tennessee Tech Thursday. USI leads the all-time series, 8-3, but has lost the last two meetings with Lindenwood, including the series opener this year, 83-80, in St. Charles.
 
SIUE (12-8, 5-4 OVC), which is hosting Tennessee Tech Saturday, has won its last two games and five of its last eight after posting a 74-66 win over TSU Thursday. USI leads the all-time series, 46-26 overall. The Eagles also hold a 24-8 lead in conference games (GLVC & OVC) since 1995.
 
The Cougars won the first meeting of the season on New Year's Day, 59-55, in Edwardsville, Illinois.