USI basketball teams seal Ohio Valley Conference tournament fate in home finales
EVANSVILLE — The result ultimately was insignificant.
Yes, Tennessee Tech completed a season sweep of the University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team with an 82-79 win Thursday evening at Screaming Eagles Arena. But the loss didn't change USI's positioning within the Ohio Valley Conference standings.
It finished the day exactly where it started.
USI remains tied for sixth place. It also sealed its fate for next week's conference tournament. Following Thursday's OVC slate, the Eagles are guaranteed to finish either sixth or seventh, and those two teams play each other on the first night. The Eagles (15-15, 8-9 OVC) will take the floor inside Ford Center at 9 p.m. Wednesday night against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
USI wanted to win its final home game of the season, regardless.
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"We have to make our free throws. We've got to be better than 12-of-19 (from the line)," USI coach Stan Gouard said. "And we gave them too many open three-point shots in the first half. We struggled to guard those guys early, but once we figured them out in the first half, we had a good chance to win the ball game."
There still were a few positives from the home finale. Jacob Polakovich picked up his 13th double-double of the year with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Isaiah Swope scored a game-high 26 points, two points shy of his season high.
Plus, the bench contributed once again with Jeremiah Hernandez and Gary Solomon also reaching double-digit scoring at 12 and 10 points, respectively. Hernandez also had six rebounds.
"We know what these guys do each and every night," Swope said. "We see it every day in practice. So it wasn't a surprise to me. Everybody can get in and impact the game easily. We believe in our guys to go out and produce."
"They didn't give up," Gouard added. "We have great leadership in our seniors. In every timeout, those guys were so vocal and showed tremendous poise and helped us get back in the ball game."
Tyler Henry also returned to the bench after a scary scene over the weekend in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Henry collapsed during a timeout near the end of the SEMO game. After receiving medical care on the court, Henry was transported to Southeast Hospital in stable condition. He didn't play Thursday and will miss Saturday as well while USI awaits word from doctors about what happened.
"That was a life-changing moment for everybody," Gouard said. "I'm just happy that he's okay. I don't wish last week on anybody. It shook us up quite a bit."
Henry's presence was a tremendous morale boost despite the loss. The game came down to the final moments, but Tennesse Tech (18-9, 12-5 OVC) pulled through.
"We know that he's a fighter," Swope said. "He's one of the main assets of our team. Even if he's out playing on the floor, we still feel his presence throughout on the bench."
Before USI plays at Ford Center next week, it needs to take care of Tennessee State (18-12, 10-7) in Nashville on Saturday. The Tigers are in a four-way tie for second place and defeated USI in Evansville earlier this month.
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An early deficit cost the USI women a shot at competing in the conference tournament as they fell to Tennessee Tech 78-57. That was despite Vanessa Shafford posting her fifth double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds.
"You've got to give Tennessee Tech credit," coach Rick Stein said. "That's an experienced club that has a bunch that's used to winning. They came in here tonight with a chip on their shoulder and obviously got a great road win."
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USI (11-17, 5-12) was eliminated from postseason play with the loss. Only eight of the league’s 10 teams qualify for next week’s conference tournament and the Screaming Eagles are ninth with one game remaining.
"Does it hurt to be eliminated? Absolutely," Stein said. "We couldn't find the basket. I thought we had good shots early, but we had some layups that we just couldn't put in. They just made a run and made a play."
The best USI can do is tie Morehead State (6-11 OVC) for eighth place, but it does not own the tiebreaker. Both schools won on their home courts in head-to-head meetings, so the next tiebreaker is determined by winning percentage against the highest-seeded teams. Both were swept by first-place Little Rock and second-place Eastern Illinois. Morehead then split with No. 3 Tennessee Tech while USI was swept with Thursday’s loss.
USI closes against Tennessee State (7-10 OVC) as it attempts to complete a season sweep.
Courier & Press sports reporter Treasure Washington can be reached via her email, treasure.washington@courierpress.com, and on Twitter @Twashington490.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: USI basketball teams seal OVC tournament fate in home finales
