Donaldson Scores Eight In McKendree Loss

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Published on January 21 2020 10:01 am
Last Updated on January 21 2020 10:01 am
Written by Millie Lange

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana men's basketball withstood a second half comeback by McKendree University to post a 72-69 victory Monday evening at Screaming Eagles Arena. USI, avenges an early season road loss to the Bearcats in December, goes to 12-4 overall and 4-4 in the GLVC, while McKendree is 9-7, 4-4 GLVC.

USI was red hot from the field after the opening tip, hitting the first three shots and six-of-eight in building an early eight point lead, 15-7. McKendree would make a run of their own midway through the opening 20 minutes and knotted the game at 20-20.

After USI and McKendree traded a couple of buckets, the Eagles took command and built a 10-point lead, 35-25, with a 13-3 run that was capped off by a three-pointer from well beyond the arc by junior guard/forward Clayton Hughes. The lead reached as many as 12 points, 39-27, on a Hughes layup with 2:21 left before the Eagles went into halftime with the lead, 42-32.

USI junior forward Emmanuel Little led the offensive attack during the first half with 13 points, getting to the line eight times and converting seven. Hughes joined Little in double-digits by the break with 10 points.

The second half opened with a bang as senior guard Joe Laravie put the Eagles up by a game-high 13 points, 45-32, with an old fashion three-point play at 19:44. The Bearcats' offense followed with an 8-0 run to cut the Eagles advantage to five points, 45-40, with 16:48 to play.

USI maintained a five-to-nine point margin for the next six minutes until McKendree pulled to within two points, 53-51, with 10:46 left after a 6-0 spurt. The Bearcats continued to close the gap until they took the lead, 63-62, with 3:33 left on the clock. USI regained the lead, 64-63, before McKendree posted its final lead and largest of the second half, 66-64, with 2:52 left.

Little and Hughes took over to give the Eagles back the lead, 70-66, by combining for seven points and three rebounds in just over a minute. Junior guard Mateo Rivera sealed the victory for USI with a jumper with 56 ticks left on the clock as the Eagles closed out the 72-69 victory.

USI had four players reach double-digits in the scoring column with Little leading the way with 21 points. The junior guard, who grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, was five-of-10 from the field and took advantage of 12 trips to the stripe, converting 11.

Hughes and Laravie followed with 13 points each, while Rivera rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11.

McKendree was led by Logan Kohrmann with 18 and Nate Bethel with 15. Effingham graduate Jacob Donaldson contributed eight points on two of six from the field, both those three-pointers, and two of two at the line.