Game Notes ; Complete Top 25 Rankings
EVANSVILLE, Ind. –The 2nd-ranked University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team takes to the road to play a rescheduled game at 14th-ranked Drury University Tuesday before returning home to host the University of Indianapolis Saturday and 16th-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan College February 15.
Game coverage of the Screaming Eagles’ games, including live stats, video, and audio, can be found at www.gousieagles.com. Game time at Drury is 8 p.m., while the home games with UIndy is 3:15 p.m. and with KWC is 7:30 p.m.
The Eagles (21-0, 12-0 GLVC) returned home after month on the road to post a pair of victories at the PAC. USI defeated the University of Missouri-St. Louis in a low-scoring game, 59-44, and came-from–behind to defeat Rockhurst University, 78-71. Senior guard Jamar Smith (Peoria, Illinois) led the Eagles during the homestand with 19.0 points, including a 24-point effort against Rockhurst.
USI also received a career-performance versus Rockhurst from senior forward Tyrone Bradshaw (Cincinnati, Ohio), who posted his first double-double of the year with 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. The 17 rebounds were the most by an Eagle this year.
Smith is leading the Eagles and the GLVC with 22.1 points per game this year, while Bradshaw is second with 12.9 points per appearance. Junior center Mohamed Ntumba (Kinshasa, Congo) has a team-best 5.8 rebounds per contest with Bradshaw second with 5.7 per game.
Smith also has a GLVC and team-best 4.3 three-point field goals per game and is on pace to break the USI season-mark of 103, set by Melvin Hall in 2006-07.
The Panthers of Drury (18-4, 11-2 GLVC) are sitting on top of the GLVC West Division and has a three-game lead over second-place Rockhurst. Drury has won eight of its the last nine games after splitting a pair of road games last weekend, losing at Northern Kentucky University, 65-61, and winning at UIndy, 84-73.
USI leads the all-time series with Drury, 5-4, and swept Panthers last season. The Eagles defeated the Panthers at the PAC, 84-71, and in Springfield, Missouri, 76-69.
The Greyhounds of UIndy (12-11, 6-8 GLVC) have fallen to last in the GLVC East after losing four of the last six. UIndy split last weekend at home, defeating Rockhurst, 79-64, and losing to Drury. The Greyhounds are scheduled to play at KWC on Thursday before coming to Evansville.
The Eagles won the first meeting with the Greyhounds, 78-70, in Indianapolis. USI, which leads the all-time series, 47-15, was led in the win by Ntumba, who had a double-double, 20 points and 14 rebounds.
The Panthers of KWC (23-3, 12-2 GLVC) start this week in the midst of a five-game winning streak since losing a 67-62 decision at Northern Kentucky two weeks ago. KWC is scheduled to play NKU Saturday, in addition to its contest with UIndy, before coming to the PAC.
USI trails the Panthers 45-34 in the all-time series, despite winning the first meeting with KWC, 74-69, at the Sportscenter in Owensboro, Kentucky. Smith led USI with 15 points in the win.