Aces and Ramblers square off at 8 p.m.
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Riding a 13-game home winning streak, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team plays host to Loyola at 8 p.m. in a game that will be carried live on the CBS Sports Network.
A superb defensive effort saw the Purple Aces hold the Redbirds to just 30.7% shooting as UE earned its first win at Redbird Arena since 2011, winning 66-55 on Friday evening. The Aces are now 5-1 in MVC play and 16-3 overall, it is the first 5-1 league start since 1999 when Evansville won six of its first seven games.
D.J. Balentine hit all 10 free throw attempts on his way to 25 points while Egidijus Mockevicius moved past Jerry Sloan into second on the all-time UE list with 20 rebounds. UE was outscored by a 33-8 margin in points off turnovers and second-chance points, but the difference came in shooting as UE hit 22 shots in 44 attempts, Illinois State hit one more shot in 31 more tries (23/75).
For the first time since joining the MVC, the Aces have won three games in a row by double figures. The last time UE won three league games in a row by a double digit margin came in the MCC in 1992-93. In that streak, UE defeated Loyola (108-70), Detroit (82-58) and La Salle (63-41).
The defending CBI champion Loyola are currently 8-10 on the season and 1-5 in the Valley. On Saturday at UNI, the Ramblers earned their first league win of the season, taking down the Panthers by a final of 51-41. Milton Doyle is the top scorer for the Ramblers, checking in at 11.3 points per game; he also leads the team with 60 assists. Next up is Montel James at 11.1 PPG; James was the leader in the win at UNI, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds and now has a team-best 6.5 caroms per game this season.
