USI wins second GLVC tourney title in the past three years

The 14th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men`s basketball team won its second GLVC Tournament title in three years with a 63-61 come-from-behind victory over Northern Kentucky University Sunday afternoon at Roberts Stadium. The Screaming Eagles, who are 28-5 overall, receive the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament that will be played March 10th-13th. Northern Kentucky, who will likely receive a bid to the NCAA II Tournament, falls to 22-8. In a rematch of the 2005 GLVC Tournament championship game that USI won by 30 points, it was NKU that took the initiative for most of the game. The Norse took the lead in the first half with 14:58 left and led at the intermission 36-33. The Eagles took brief leads, never more than three points, to begin the second half. The Norse fired back and built 10-point leads of 54-44 and 56-46 midway through the final half. USI chipped away at the lead and cut the margin to one, 61-60, on lay-up by junior guard Kenny Love (South Bend, Indiana) with 1:17 to play. This set the stage for the final lead change in the final minute. Eagles` junior guard Kenny Page (Indianapolis, Indiana) grabbed an offensive rebound and gave USI a 62-61 lead with 29 seconds left. Page flew through the air to grab the rebound of a shot by senior center Rashard Sullivan (Miami, Florida) before laying the game-winner into the bucket. The Norse had a chance to retake the lead with six seconds remaining, but NKU sophomore guard Billy Finnell missed a jumper just outside the lane. Love finished the scoring by sinking one of two from the free throw line to make the final 63-61. USI senior guard Melvin Hall (Evansville, Indiana) led four Eagles in double figures with 14 points. Page followed with 12 points, while senior forward Geoff Van Winkle (Ferdinand, Indiana) and Sullivan had 10 points each. NKU was led by senior guard Steven Wright, who had a game-high 17 points, and junior guard Morton Harrison, who had 14 points. USI`s Hall was named the tournament`s Most Oustanding Player, while Page was named to the All-Tournament team. The Eagles are the number-two seed in the NCAA Regional Tournament, which starts this Saturday in Findlay, Ohio. USI will play number-seven seed Rockhurst on Saturday. Game times will be announced on Monday.