EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Diond’re Givens and Cris Brunson combined for 38 points Saturday as the University of Southern Indiana defeated Northern Kentucky University, 87-82, at the PAC Arena.
Dennis Coutee added 16 points as Southern Indiana improved to 11-4 overall, 6-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Screaming Eagles shot 65.4 percent from the field in the second half and rallied from a nine-point deficit to defeat NKU, which is ranked No. 12 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll.
Brenden Stowers scored 28 points to lead NKU ( 14-3 overall, 8-2 GLVC), which has lost six straight games at the PAC Arena against Southern Indiana. The Norse have not defeated the Screaming Eagles on the road since a 99-87 victory in the 1996 NCAA II Great Lakes Region championship game.
NKU has not won a regular-season game in the PAC Arena since the 1994-95 season, when the Norse rallied for a 96-90 victory over Southern Indiana. At that time, Southern Indiana was ranked No. 1 in the nation.
A dunk by Chris Seabrooks gave NKU a 51-42 lead early in the second half Saturday, but Southern Indiana used a 17-7 run to take a 59-58 advantage. Brunson drilled a pair of three-pointers to key the Screaming Eagles spurt.
Stowers converted a layup to give NKU a 79-77 lead with 3:30 remaining in the game, but a jumper by Coutee tied the game at 79-79. Brunson (17 points) made a three-pointer with 2:42 left to give Southern Indiana a 82-79 advantage, and the Screaming Eagles led the remainder of the game.
With Southern Indiana holding an 85-82 lead and 5.1 seconds remaining, Brunson hit a pair of free throws to seal the victory. The Screaming Eagles made 19 of 23 free throws for the game, while NKU converted 27 of 31 attempts from the line.
Stowers tied an NKU single-game record by making 17 free throws. Derek Fields also hit 17 free throws in a game against Kentucky State on Feb. 15, 1989.
Givens made 9 of 11 shots from the field and scored 21 points to lead Southern Indiana, which has now won 22 consecutive home games. The 22-game home win streak is the second longest in the NCAA Division II ranks.
Mike Kelsey added 20 points for NKU, and Quentin Smith finished with 13 points for the Norse.
NKU will play host to Bellarmine University this Thursday night at 7:45 p.m. in Regents Hall. The Norse still lead the GLVC by one-half game over the University of Indianapolis (12-4 overall, 7-2 GLVC).
Brenden Stowers