It was just another typical men's basketball game in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
         Southern Illinois University Edwardsville nearly eroded a 10-point, second-half deficit but fell 61-60 to Southern Indiana before a crowd of 2,500 at PAC Arena.
         SIUE, ranked No. 5 in the nation in the latest NABC/Division II national poll, had its national-best 14-game winning streak snapped and took its first loss in the GLVC this season. SIUE is now 15-3 overall, 8-1 in the GLVC and remains the leader in the league.
         The Cougars must regroup and face an always strong Kentucky Wesleyan squad in Owensboro, Ky., on Saturday. Game time is 3:30 p.m. and can be heard on SIUE's .
         The game featured the No. 1 team in the Great Lakes region against Southern Indiana, ranked No. 3 in the region.
         Southern Indiana, 12-4 overall and 8-2 in the GLVC, became the first team this season to shoot better than 47 percent from the field against SIUE's defense. USI shot 47.1 percent for the game after hitting 51.9 percent of its shots in the first half and taking a 31-26 lead at halftime.
         SIUE got off to a slow start in the first half, hitting 10 of 27 shots, before rebounding for a 10-of-18 effort in the second half. Joel Jaye led all scorers with 17 points while Dan Heimos added 15 points and 11 rebounds.
         Southern Indiana extended its lead to double digits one time in the game on a dunk from Randy Holbrook with 6:52 to play in the second half. Holbrook led the Screaming Eagles offense with 16 points.
         SIUE chipped away at the lead in the final minutes of the game behind a pair of three-pointers from Anthony Jones. USI used its strength on the boards to hold off the Cougars, gathering four offensive rebounds in the final 90 seconds of the game.
                  -siue cougars-