Habib scores 21 as Southern Indiana takes down Tennessee Tech 71-54

Ismail Habib had 21 points off the bench in Southern Indiana's 71-54 win against Tennessee Tech on Thursday.

The Associated Press
January 16, 2026 at 5:10AM

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Ismail Habib had 21 points off the bench in Southern Indiana's 71-54 win against Tennessee Tech on Thursday.

Habib also added seven assists for the Screaming Eagles (4-13, 1-6 Ohio Valley Conference). Cardell Bailey went 7 of 11 from the field (2 for 4 from 3-point range) to add 17 points. Tolu Samuels shot 3 of 9 from the field and 3 for 5 from the line to finish with nine points and 10 rebounds. The Screaming Eagles broke an eight-game skid.

The Golden Eagles (7-11, 2-5) were led by JaJuan Nicholls, who recorded 16 points and seven rebounds. Malik Ferguson added 10 points for Tennessee Tech. Ja'Quavian Florence also had nine points.

The game was tied at 27 at the half, but the Golden Eagles were shut out for eight minutes, from the first half into the second, allowing a 15-0 run from the Screaming Eagles. The game was tied at 50 with 7:02 remaining, before the Tennessee Tech once again went scoreless, this time for nearly all of the final seven minutes.

They allowed a 19-0 run from the Screaming Eagles, snapping the skid with 38 seconds left.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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