$5 ticket vouchers still available
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – West Side Night is up next for the Purple Aces as they welcome UNI to the Ford Center on Sunday at 3 p.m. Fans on the West Side of Evansville can pick up vouchers for $5 tickets at one of 17 different locations.
On Thursday, UE opened up the MVC schedule at Illinois State, falling by a final of 62-50. Playing all 40 minutes, Jaylon Brown tied for the game high with 17 points; his success came from the line as he knocked down 11 out of 13 free throws. Illinois State’s defense held UE to just 25.9% shooting, the lowest output for the Aces in five years since shooting 25.8% at North Carolina in 2011. Ryan Taylor had 11 points in the game.
Great scorers have a way of reaching their potential even if their shots are not falling and that is exactly what Jaylon Brown did against Illinois State. Brown finished with 17 points against the Redbirds as he hit 11 out of 13 free throws while going 3-of-10 from the floor. He was named the MVC Player of the Week on 12/26/16 after posting 33 points in the win over Mount St. Joseph. Brown has been on an absolute roll over the last seven games, averaging 23.9 points per game while scoring over 20 points in seven of the last 12 games.
Solomon Hainna has seen his game evolve since starting his inaugural season at UE. He is coming off of his top game in the Valley opener at Illinois State. In 28 minutes of work, he notched 6 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals.
UNI comes to the Ford Center with a 5-7 overall mark and sit at 0-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play after dropping their league opener to Missouri State on Wednesday by a final of 68-64. The Panthers opened the season at 3-0 with victories over Arizona State and Oklahoma, but are 2-7 since that time. MVC Preseason Player of the Year Jeremy Morgan leads UNI with 17.6 points per game and 7.3 rebounds; he has also dished out a team-high 38 assists. Spencer Haldeman has 9.5 points while Klint Carlson enters Sunday’s tilt with 8.3 PPG.
The Panthers hold a slight 25-24 advantage in the series against UE and has won the last four meetings and six of the last seven. Evansville has performed well at home against the Panthers, going 17-7 while its road mark is 7-15. Last year, UNI won all three meetings.
