EVANSVILLE, Ind. --- Senior Austin Anderson and junior Josh Gaither exploded for 23 points each while the Lees-McRae men's basketball team fell short in a shootout with Southern Indiana, 118-104, Wednesday evening in the PAC in Evansville, Ind.
The Screaming Eagles (2-1) continued their home-opening success while shooting 56.5% on the evening. The Bobcats (0-4) scored 100 points for the fourth time since the beginning of last season while Gaither (Statesville, N.C.) dropped a career high.
Coach Steve Hardin's bench came with their shooting shoes on while being responsible for 50 of the team's 104 points.
USI scored almost a quarter of its point from the charity stripe (31).
Seniors Kendall Isler (Winder, Ga.) and Cameron Redd (Garner, N.C.) jumpstarted the Bobcat offense by combining to score the squads first 11 points.
The Screaming Eagles responded with an 11-2 run following a bucket from Cortez Macklin.
Sophomore Zach Wilmoth (Dobson, N.C.) cut the deficit to one, 23-22, following a pair of deep threes.
He set a career-high in points (13) for the second consecutive night after scoring 11 against Kentucky Wesleyan.
Gaither lit the gym up when he sank three three's in a 54-second span while Isler earned the assist on two of them.
USI's Bobo Drummond and Terrence Tisdell rattled off nine consecutive points to make it 52-46.
Drummond led all scorers with 24 points while Tisdell enjoyed a double-double with 20 points and 11 boards.
Sophomore Keegan Crabtree (Hillsborough, N.C.) tied the contest at 53 with a triple at the 1:54 mark.
Anderson (Anderson, S.C.) scored five of his 23 points when he splashed a three and sank a pair of free throws early in the second half.
Drummond steered the Screaming Eagles to a 79-68 lead with a pair of threes before Wilmoth responded with one of his own.
The Bobcats cut the deficit to eight following a Chad Hicks (Winston-Salem, N.C.) jumper. Hicks finished the night with nine points and five rebounds.
USI kept the visiting squad at arm's length for the final five minutes despite another three from Anderson and a bucket from Gaither.
Isler produced a quality night with 13 points and nine assists.
LMC continues its tough November stretch when it plays Allen University Friday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Newberry Classic in Newberry, S.C.
- LMC -
