Leathernecks fend off Screaming Eagles to stay in position for top-four finish in OVC

MACOMB, Ill. — Western Hall feels like home once again.

Fighting for a top-four seed in the Ohio Valley Conference postseason tournament, the Western Illinois University men’s basketball team ended a four-game home losing streak Saturday by beating Southern Indiana 82-76 at Western Hall.

Western Illinois (18-11, 11-5 OVC) remains in fourth place in the conference standings, one game behind Morehead State, UT Martin and Little Rock, which are tied for first place. The Leathernecks close out the regular season next week by hosting Eastern Illinois on Thursday and SIU-Edwardsville on Saturday.

The Leathernecks led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but the Screaming Eagles trimmed the lead to 74-72 with 57 seconds left. WIU’s Ryan Myers hit four straight free throws to put the Leathernecks back up by six. USI again rallied, cutting the deficit to 78-76 with 12 seconds left.

But Myers and James Dent Jr. both hit two free throws to ice the game.

It was a balanced effort for the Leathernecks as Jesiah West scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Drew Cisse added nine points and 12 boards, Myers had 14 points, Quinlan Bennett finished with 12 points, JJ Kalakon scored 11, and Tay Knox finished with 10 points.

The Leathernecks started quickly, taking a 7-2 lead in the first 2:30, but the Screaming Eagles stormed back, taking their largest lead at 22-16 at the 9:48 mark. Western Illinois responded, going on a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to lead 26-22. WIU extended the lead to 39-33 going into the halftime.

In the opening 20 minutes, Western Illinois went 17 of 31 from the floor (54.8 percent) and outrebounded USI 25-16.

In the second half, WIU started quickly, taking a 46-35 lead on a Kalakon 3-pointer. The lead grew to 55-42 on a Knox dunk off a Kalakon feed. But the Screaming Eagles did not fold, which forced the Leathernecks to show some resolve.

Overall, WIU went 22 of 29 from the charity stripe (75.9 percent), 27 of60 from the field (45 percent), and 6 of 22 from 3-point range (27.3 percent). The Leathernecks outrebounded the Screaming Eagles 51-29 and held a 17-7 second-chance points advantage.