The men’s basketball team broke its three game losing streak Saturday with a 64-60 victory over the visiting Lewis University at the Physical Activities Center.
The first half consisted of two ties, but the Eagles never led and headed into halftime trailing the Flyers by nine at 26-35.
The Eagles were 9-23 from field goal range in the first half compared to the Flyers who were 15-30. They also fell behind the Flyers from three-point range with 22.2 percent compared to the Flyers’s 41.7 percent.
One large difference between the two teams in the first half was free throws. The Eagles were 6-9 to give them a 66.7 percent free throw performance, while the Flyers did not have an opportunity to go to the line at all.
The second half opened in a similar fashion as the Flyers grew the lead only to have USI cut it down and then tie it up.
This happened multiple times as the Eagles tied the game four times in the second half. At the 3:53 mark, the Eagles took the lead for good when freshman Brett Benning made two free throws.
The Eagles came away with better percentages in the second half in both field goals and free throws. They only fell below the Flyers in three-point percentages – the Flyers at 40 percent and the Eagles at 36.4 percent.
USI sent Lewis to the line in the second, but sophomore guard Bobo Drummond said it was just a sign of the team contesting shots.
“I think that was a sign of us playing more aggressively,”  Drummond said. “Even though we fouled we just contested shots.”
Head Coach Rodney Watson also said free throws had a lot to do with the end result of the game.
“Rebounds, free throws and lay ups; they just decide games. They were 1-8 from the free throw line and that’s kind of hard to explain,” Watson said.
Overall USI had a 72.7 percent performance from the free throw line while Lewis had a 12.8 percent performance.
Drummond was key to fueling the team’s victory. He had a season high 21 points, which was a majority of the 32 bench points that the Eagles ended the game with.
Senior gaurd Gavin Schumann was the second leading scorer with 12 points during his 24 minutes of playing time.
Junior forward Shane Seniour ignited the crowd when he grabbed his own rebound twice before hitting the layup with 12:20 to play in the game, lowering the deficit to five.
The crowd was fully engaged, which fueled the Eagles as they worked to gain the lead.
“It gave me goosebumps,” said Drummond. “I haven’t felt a crowd like that in a long time. If we can keep that going, it will be big for us as far as confidence.”
Watson said the students and the crowd were great.
“They really understood the importance of the game. Our crowd understands basketball,” Watson said.
Saturday’s game also gave the team some things to keep in mind as the season continues. Drummond said the biggest thing for them to work on is the pace of the game.
“We need to play faster and make teams chase us a little more,” Drummond said.
The team is looking forward to a road game against McKendree University on Thursday.
“It’s the second half of the season, one game at a time. These road games are just as difficult as anything else,” Watson said.
The next home game is scheduled for Feb. 5.
