KWC thumped by USI - Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

Box Score

The calendar says its very much winter time, but the University of Southern Indiana was too hot to handle shooting the basketball Monday night.

The No. 6 Screaming Eagles left 18th-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan with no doubt who was in command of this first game of the season series with a 93-64 thumping at PAC Arena.

USI made 18-of-25 shots from the floor in the second half (72 percent) and was torrid from long range, nailing 7-of-9 3-pointers (77.8 percent).

"We just didn't defend," a disappointed KWC coach Todd Lee said. "We didn't guard the ball; their guards got in the lane a lot."

USI (16-1, 8-1 in Great Lakes Valley Conference) wanted to take KWC off the dribble after intermission, and it very much accomplished that mission.

"It was hard for them to guard us off the dribble," said C.J. Trotter, who scored 16 points and was one of five USI players scoring in double figures. "We came out (of halftime) with a lot of aggressiveness and didn't let up."

Brandon Hogg led USI with 21 points, hitting 10-of-13 free throws. Jared Rehmel added 17 points off the bench for the Screaming Eagles.

Their effectiveness outside was helped in large part by KWC having to collapse its defense around center Mohamed Ntumba whenever he got the ball. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound senior still hit for 14 points and made all seven of his shots from the floor.

USI finished the game making 32-of-52 shots from the floor (61.5 percent). It hit 11-of-18 from 3-point range (61 percent) and 18-of-22 free throws (82 percent).

All of that amounted to the second-worst KWC loss to USI in their 81-game series. The worst USI defeat of KWC was 117-83 (34 points) here in 1995.

It was also the worst loss in Lee's six seasons at KWC.

The second half for USI left several observers wondering when they had seen the Screaming Eagles play a better half ever against KWC (12-3, 5-3).

There wasn't any debate as to how good the second half was for USI coach Rodney Watson, who is in his second season at the school.

"That was the best 20 minutes all season, no question," Watson said. "Kentucky Wesleyan took our best shot. The breaker for us was getting them off the dribble."

KWC held up well in the first half, down 38-37 at the break, but it was all Screaming Eagles after that.

They opened the second half with a 10-4 run to get out to a 48-41 lead. KWC stayed in contact for another four minutes, but then things got ugly quickly for the Panthers.

USI got the ball where it wanted, and KWC was ineffective defensively. USI made 9-of-11 shots from the field in the first eight minutes of the second half and hit all four of its 3-point shots.

USI worked the ball inside and out to go up 59-44 before a traditional three-point play by Anthony Young made it 59-47 with 13:28 left. Jay Ivey scored a rebound basket to make it 59-49, but that was the last glimmer of light for the Panthers.

They gave up baskets to a variety of players on several different spots on the floor. When that particular onslaught ended, USI had outscored KWC 22-4 and was ahead 81-53.

USI, meanwhile, stopped the fastbreak baskets that KWC was able to get fairly easily in the first half.

"We never got any fastbreaks because they were scoring every time and setting up their defense," Lee said. "They pressured us, and we had some guys trying to do a little too much on their own. It was one pass and a shot, or two passes and a shot, and that kind of compounded things on us."

Young scored 16 points but was 1-of-6 from 3-point range.Cardell McFarland scored 15 points, and Chris Williams added 13.

KWC made 23-of-51 shots from the floor (45 percent), but only 5-of-17 from 3-point range (29 percent). The Panthers hit 13-of-15 free throws.

KWC returns to action on Thursday night, hosting Indianapolis to open a four-game homestand at the Sportscenter.

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