EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball completed its four-game homestand with a 58-46 loss to SIU Edwardsville in the Homecoming game Saturday evening at Liberty Arena. The Screaming Eagles go to 5-17 overall and 2-10 in the OVC, while the Lions are 14-9, 7-5 OVC.
 
USI and SIUE split eight lead changes and a pair of ties to open the contest, while the Eagles had the biggest lead up to 11:14 to play in the half, three points, 12-9. USI junior forward Devin Curtis came off the bench in the first nine minutes to contribute half of the Eagles' points with six.
 
The Eagles would extend the lead to as many as eight points (25-17) on a five-point swing on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Josiah Dunham and a layup by junior guard/forward Amaree Brown in the final five minutes of the half. USI would settle for a four-point lead at the break, 27-23, behind the 10 points by Curtis.
 
 USI was outscored 10-5 to start the second half, and SIUE climbed out in front, 33-32, with 14:13 to play. The Eagles' offense would go cold for the first 12 minutes of the final half, shooting 21.4 percent from the field (3-14), and falling into a 45-36 deficit with 8:32 left.
 
The offensive woes would not end for the Eagles as they would lose a 58-46 decision after shooting 19.2 percent (5-26) in the final 20 minutes.
 
In the scoring column in the loss, Curtis was the only Eagle to reach double-digits and posted a career-high 11 points. Junior forward Tolu Samuels led USI with seven rebounds.
 
Next Up For USI:
USI is on the road for the next two games, beginning with UT Martin Thursday and concluding with Southeast Missouri State Saturday. The USI-UTM contest is set for a 7:30 p.m. start, while the USI-SEMO tipoff is slated for 3:45 p.m.
 
UTM is leading the OVC with a 17-5 overall mark, 9-2 in the league, with an 84-44 win at Western Illinois this afternoon. The Skyhawks have won nine of their last 10 games after today.
 
USI trails in the all-time series with UTM, 10-4, after losing to the Skyhawks in December, 73-56, at home.
 
SEMO is 13-10 overall, 8-4 in the league, after posting a 77-59 win at Eastern Illinois this afternoon. The Redhawks have won eight of the last 11 games after today.