Defense shines as UE men defeat Illinois State
Aces win by final of 69-51
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Holding Illinois State to a season-low 51 points, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team earned a dominant 69-51 win over the Redbirds on Wednesday at the Ford Center.
Entering the game, ISU’s lowest scoring output was a 64-point game against George Washington. Four Purple Aces registered double figures with Tayshawn Comer leading the way once again, scoring 19 points while adding 5 assists. Tanner Cuff and Cam Haffner finished with 14 apiece while Josh Hughes had 10 points and 9 boards. Connor Turnbull also had a stellar performance, recording 8 points, 10 boards, and 3 blocks.
“We are the best defensive team in the league facing the best offensive team and something had to give. Our guys did everything that we needed to do; we kept them off balance, challenged every shot and made things hard on them,” Aces head coach David Ragland said. “Since returning from Christmas, we have established our identity with our physical play. There are still areas for improvement, but if our defense plays at this level, we will have a chance in every game.”
Neither team could find the bottom of the net in the opening minutes as the teams combined to miss their first 11 shots on the evening. After missing their first five shots, the Purple Aces got on the board on a drive by Tanner Cuff. On the other end, the Redbirds quickly countered. ISU connected on a triple to take its first lead at 5-4 before Cam Haffner knocked down a triple to give UE a 7-4 lead at the 14:23 mark.
With the score tied at 11-11, Evansville made its first run of the night, scoring eight in a row. Highlighting the stretch was a 4-point play by Gui Tesch following a foul on a 3-point make. Illinois State battled right back, making it a 24-22 game as the period approached the final four minutes. Haffner drained his third triple of the evening in the final moments as UE held a 34-30 advantage at the break. Haffner recorded a game-high 9 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Comer opened the second half with a triple before back-to-back field goals from Connor Turnbull pushed the lead to 10 – 43-33. Two more baskets extended the lead to 14 points with the UE defense holding the Redbirds to a 1-of-9 start from the field. In a defensive clinic, the Aces held strong over the remainder of the game with the lead never getting back to single digits.
The biggest lead for UE was the final score as the 18-point victory gave the Aces their third MVC win of the season.
Evansville shot 50% in the contest while holding ISU to 34.6%. Illinois State wrapped up the night with a slight 33-30 edge on the glass. Malachi Poindexter was the lone double figure scorer for ISU, tallying 14.
Next up for the Aces is a 2-game swing through Iowa. UE faces Drake on Saturday before traveling to UNI on Tuesday.
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