EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Cris Brunson scored 14 points and made a key three-pointer with less than a minute remaining in the game as the University of Southern Indiana held off Northern Kentucky University, 74-66, Thursday night at the PAC Arena.
Southern Indiana owned a 67-64 lead with the shot clock winding down when Brunson drained a three-pointer with 51 seconds remaining. That shot extended the Screaming Eagles' advantage to 70-64, and Southern Indiana hit four free throws in the final seconds to seal the victory.
Southern Indiana improved to 17-4 overall, 10-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. NKU dropped to 14-9 overall, 7-6 in the GLVC.
NKU rallied from a 53-44 deficit with 9:15 left in the game and pulled within 61-60 on Steve Purdon's three-pointer with 3:12 remaining. Billy Harris countered with a basket to extend Southern Indiana's lead to 63-60, but Kevin Schappell responded with a layup to bring NKU within 63-62.
Brunson made a pair of free throws with 2:03 left to give Southern Indiana a 65-62 lead, and Harris converted a layup 20 seconds later off a steal to extend the Screaming Eagles' advantage to 67-62. Purdon hit a short jumper to cut the lead to 67-64 with 1:21 remaining, setting the stage for Brunson's clutch three-point shot.
“We got in some individual and team foul trouble early. We got overselves in the hole out there and couldn't get out of it,” said NKU head coach Ken Shields.
Purdon led NKU with 20 points, and Jesse Rupe added 13 points. Mike Kelsey finished with 11 points for the Norse, but the junior guard suffered a knee injury early in the second half and did not return to the game.
“Steve Purdon had a fine game in the end,” said Shields.
Brunson was the only Southern Indiana player to finish in double figures, but 11 Screaming Eagles did score. Southern Indiana shot 51.9 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle by a 39-31 margin.
“We missed a lot of shots that we should have made,” said Shields.
NKU has now lost seven 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.
|
Steve Purdon |