Aces to face Drake on Wednesday evening
  In search of their 21st victory of the season, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team will travel west to Des Moines, Iowa to take on Drake in an 8 p.m. game that will be carried by the Missouri Valley Conference TV Network.
Evansville won its 20th game of the season in dramatic fashion on Sunday, defeating Loyola by a final of 74-73 at Gentile Arena. Up by as many as 19 points, the Aces hung on as the Ramblers made a furious charge to take the lead in the final minute, but D.J. Balentine hit a floater with 18 seconds left to seal the win. Egidijus Mockevicius led everyone with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks in the win. Balentine finished with 16 while Jaylon Brown posted 12 points and Blake Simmons recorded 11 tallies, hitting a season-high three 3-pointers.
For the third time in four years, the Purple Aces have won 20 games, clinching the all-important victory against Loyola on Sunday. It marks the first time since 1999 that the Purple Aces have won 20 games in the regular season.
Drake enters Wednesday’s match-up with a 6-20 record and stands at 1-13 in MVC play. The Bulldogs began the season at 4-3 with wins over Western Kentucky and Pepperdine, but are 2-17 since the beginning of December.
Leading the way for the Bulldogs is Reed Timmer, who has established himself as one of the top shooters in the MVC; he stands at 17.3 points per game and is shooting 47.7%. Kale Abrahamson has notched 12.0 PPG while Graham Woodward checks in with 11.1; Abrahamson was the leading scorer last time out for DU, posting 15 against SIU. Jacob Enevold is their top rebounder, hauling in 5.3 rebounds per contest, he is also their top free throw shooter at 83.0%.
