EVANSVILLE — Jack Campion has done it again.
The University of Southern Indiana junior guard had already scored a game-winning jumper earlier in the season against Bellarmine, and on Thursday night at Liberty Arena his name was called out once again as the Screaming Eagles trailed Tennessee State by one point with less than 10 seconds left in the game.
After missing the last two games due to injury, Campion knew he couldn’t miss his team’s Ohio Valley Conference opener. He drove to the paint and drained another game-winning jumper with 2.3 seconds left by going down to the floor.
FINAL: USI – 77, Tennessee State – 75
Jack Campion once again ‼️ USI wins their OVC opener in dramatic fashion. pic.twitter.com/6z7cFDGUH5
– Washington Treasure (@Twashington490) December 20, 2024
The game-clinching shot helped secure USI’s 77-75 victory over Tennesse State and a winning record for the first time this season. This game, which also included a fight and two ejections, began and ended with drama.
“My mind goes a little blank,” Campion said of his game-winning drive against the Tigers. “It’s like I see my defender in front of me, and I have to go to my place and hopefully we get this win.”
USI coach Stan Gouard felt his team was not in a good rhythm with Campion out of the lineup. He added that the Eagles also weren’t in a good rhythm against Tennessee State with Campion back. Yet the USI stepped up to get the job done.
The Eagles’ “Big 3” of Damoni Harrison, Stephen Olowoniyi and Jayland Randall all reached double figures in scoring – Harrison’s 19 points were a team high. Gouard also praised Campion for his leadership and ability to thrive.
USI Sports: What we learned about men’s basketball in the first 10 games
He is currently averaging 5.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game and continues to thrive with his passing distribution. The OVC leader in assists per game has recorded 34 over his last four games, including seven on Thursday. Campion established himself as one of USI’s most reliable players, missing just seven games during his three seasons with the Eagles.
“I think we understand each other pretty well and what we expect,” Gouard said. “And now I trust him with the offense to run the show a little more than I always control him. He does a great job with that. The team believes in him and trusts him, and they know they’re good with him.
USI knows there’s still work to do, but they feel good about winning their conference opener. The Eagles look to keep their momentum going at home against UT Martin on Saturday.
“We knew (Tennessee State was) a very dynamic team,” Campion said. “Like coach (Gouard) told us all week, they’re going to come in and try (to get under our skin). We just couldn’t let this happen. It was a back-and-forth game all day, but that’s kind of what the Ohio Valley Conference is. These are going to be tough games that go all the way to the end, and we executed it.
This article was originally published on Evansville Courier & Press: USI men’s basketball wins OVC opener against Tennessee State
