EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball snapped a losing streak with a 77-70 victory over Western Illinois Thursday evening at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles go to 6-21 overall and 3-14 in the OVC, while the Leathernecks are 5-23, 1-16 OVC.
 
USI and WIU battle back and forth through the 20 with the Screaming Eagles rallying from a seven-point deficit to regain the lead 30-29 at the intermission. USI surged with a 12-4 run in the final four minutes of the half, led by senior guard Cardell Bailey and senior forward Ola Ajiboye lead way with five points and four points, respectively.
 
The second half had WIU jumping into the lead and controlling the second half for nearly 16 of the 20 minutes. In the final four minutes, USI rallied with a 15-4 run, including a seven-of-seven from the stripe to finish out the 77-70 victory.
 
Junior guard/forward Amaree Brown scored eight of his team-high 18 points during the final push to the victory. Brown was five-of-11 from the field and eight-of-10 from the stripe in the win.
 
Ajiboye followed Brown in the scoring column with 12 points, hitting five-of-seven from the field and two-of-two from the stripe. Bailey rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points, while junior forward Tolu Samuels grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Next Up For USI:
The Screaming Eagles continue the four-game road swing Saturday when they visit Eastern Illinois for a 3:30 p.m. contest.  
 
The Panthers of EIU are 11-16 overall and 7-9 in the league after losing to Morehead State, 73-70, this evening at home. EIU is 2-2 over the last four games.  
 
USI trails the all-time series with EIU, 5-4, following the Panthers' 59-51 victory in overtime at Liberty Arena in January. The Panthers have won three of the last four versus the Screaming Eagles.
 
The remaining regular season games, in addition to Eastern Illinois, are at Morehead State February 24 and Little Rock February 28.