January 27, 2009
USI finishes month on the road
#19 Eagles go west to play at Drury and Missouri S&T
USI Game Notes; NABC Division II Top 25
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team goes on the road to finish January when it travels to Drury University Thursday and Missouri University of Science & Technology Saturday. Game time Thursday is 8 p.m., while tip-off Saturday is set for 3 p.m.
Fans can follow the play-by-play on ESPN 106.7FM, WSWI 820AM (Saturday only), and WPSR 90.7. The broadcasts also can be heard through the internet by following the links on www.usi.edu/sports.
The Screaming Eagles (18-4, 7-2 GLVC), who rose to 19th in today's NABC/Division II Top 25, start conference play this week on top of the GLVC West by a half game over Rockhurst University and two games ahead of Drury. USI moved back into first last Saturday with the double-overtime win over Rockhurst at the Physical Activities Center.
The Eagles have already started the week with a victory, concluding the 2008-09 non-conference schedule with a 100-58 win over Lake Erie College. Junior guard Jamar Smith (Peoria, Illinois) led the way with 23 points, connecting on seven three-point field goals.
Smith, who has been on top of the USI scoring column since joining the team in December, leads the team with 17.3 points per game. Junior forward Brandon Russ (Cincinnati, Ohio) follows Smith with 13.4 points per game, while senior forward Anthony Pimble (Bronx, New York) and junior guard Marvin Gray (Freeport, Bahamas) round out the double-figure scorers with 12.5 and 11.4 points per contest, respectively.
In GLVC action, Smith is averaging 17.4 points per contest in seven league appearances. Russ is second with 12.6 points per game, while Gray has an 11.9-point average.
The Panthers of Drury (12-7, 5-4 GLVC), the defending GLVC West and GLVC Tournament champion, have had a rough time of late, losing their last three games. The three losses also came at the hands of teams from the GLVC East Division.
Drury is led by senior forward Chris Ijames, who is averaging 14.5 points per game, and freshman guard/forward Dominique Long, who is posting 11 points per contest.
The Panthers have taken over the all-time lead in the series with the Eagles, 4-3, with three straight victories. Drury swept USI last year, winning in Springfield, 61-56, and at the PAC, 70-68,
The Miners of Missouri S&T (7-10, 2-7 GLVC), who host Kentucky Wesleyan College Thursday before hosting the Eagles, start the week looking to break a two-game losing skid. Missouri S&T lost a pair on the road last week in the GLVC, falling at Northern Kentucky University, 79-55, and at Bellarmine University, 87-57. Junior guard Justin Taylor leads the Miners with 13.4 points per contest this season.
The Eagles lead the all-time series with the Miners, 7-2, and are a perfect 6-0 since 2000. USI swept Missouri S&T last year, winning 73-57 in Rolla, Missouri, and 76-55 at the PAC.
Ray Simmons, USI Sports Information
