Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week and Wooden Legacy All-Tournament Team member Egidijus Mockevicius and the University of Evansville men’s basketball team return to the Ford Center on Tuesday evening to take on Alabama State in a 7 p.m. tilt.
Great seats are still available and can be purchased by calling 812-488-ACES, visiting the Carson Center Ticket Office or anytime leading up to the game at the Ford Center.
For the third season in a row, the Purple Aces have started the season with a 5-1 record thanks to a 2-1 performance in the Wooden Legacy that saw the Aces earn wins over Santa Clara and UC Irvine.
Two-time MVC Player of the Week Egidijus Mockevicius earned a great honor as he was named to the Wooden Legacy All-Tournament Team on Sunday. The lone player on the squad that did not play in the championship game averaged a double-double in the event while setting the tournament record for overall rebounds and boards in a single game thanks to his 21 rebound effort against Santa Clara.
With Sunday’s 75-56 win over UC Irvine, the Aces have won 8 in a row over teams from the state of California. The last loss came against UCLA in December of 1980. Included in that streak are four wins in the last two seasons over schools from the state. In last year’s Gulf Coast Showcase, UE defeated Fresno State and San Francisco before topping Santa Clara and UC Irvine in the 2015 Wooden Legacy.
This season, redshirt junior Mislav Brzoja has excelled in cutting down on turnovers while dishing out assists at a fast rate. Through six games, Brzoja has registered 30 assists against just six turnovers, the top assist-to-turnover ratio in the Valley. He added to that number in California, posting 19 assists and just 3 turnovers.
Alabama State enters Tuesday night’s game with a 2-3 overall record following a 66-64 triumph over Chicago State on Saturday. The Hornets opened up the season with an 85-82 win at Virginia Tech. Jamel Waters is the top player for ASU, checking in with 15.2 points per game; he also leads the team in assists with 20, steals with 11 and his 14 3-pointers. Torloft Thomas (12.4 PPG) and Bobby Brown (11.4 PPG) also average double figures for Alabama State. In their win over Chicago State, the Hornets were led by Waters’ 19-point effort as he drained 8 of his 9 free throw attempts and recorded five steals and three assists.
