Senior Day Set For Noon Saturday For UE Men’s Basketball
Face Indiana State In Home Finale
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The final game of the regular season is set for Saturday as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team welcomes Indiana State to the Ford Center for a 12 p.m. game. It will also mark Senior Day as a group that includes Christian Benzon, Jaylon Brown, David Howard, Sergej Vucetic and Willie Wiley will be honored before the game and will speak following the contest.
Evansville dropped both ends of their final road trip of the season, including a 109-83 loss at #25 Wichita State on Tuesday. Jaylon Brown reached the 20-point plateau for the third game in a row, totaling 25 points while knocking down 10 out of 11 free throws. Dru Smith connected on 5 out of 7 3-pointers en route to a career-best 19 points while Duane Gibson finished the night with 10. UE will open up the MVC Tournament on Thursday evening; the time and opponent will be determined following Saturday’s games.
Against one of the top teams in the conference and one of the best atmospheres in the nation, freshman Dru Smith was on fire Tuesday at Wichita State. Smith connected on 5 of his 7 shots from outside while finishing with a career-high 19 points against the Shockers. Prior to the game, he hit just 11 triples on the season.
Evansville notched 83 points on Tuesday versus the Shockers becoming the first team to score 80 points in regulation at Charles Koch Arena since WSU beat #18 Texas Tech, 85-83, in December of 2009. It was the most points scored by an opponent in a regulation MVC game at the venue since the Aces had 81 on 12/31/04.  Consequently, that was the last time UE reeled of 80 or more tallies against WSU.
Jaylon Brown’s career scoring output currently stands at 1,294 points, which is 25th on the all-time Aces list. With at least two guaranteed games remaining, Brown has a realistic shot to move into the top 20. Brown is just 41 points behind Buster Briley, who ranks 20th with 1,335 points in his career.
Indiana State enters the regular season finale with an overall mark of 11-18 and stand at 5-12 in the MVC. Brenton Scott is the top scorer for the Sycamores, checking in at 16.0 points per game, which is second in the league behind Jaylon Brown. Last time out, Indiana State dominated their way to a 69-59 win over UNI in their Senior Night at the Hulman Center.
Niels Bunschoten led the way with 20 points while Scott chipped in 14; Everett Clemons had a double-double, registering 12 points and 13 caroms. Earlier this year, ISU grabbed an 85-84 overtime win over UE at the Hulman Center as five Sycamore players hit double figures, led by a 22-point game by Scott.
One of the top rivalries for both programs see Indiana State holding a 90-78 lead in the series. The Aces own a 53-29 mark in home games versus the Sycamores and have won 3 out of 5 meetings played at the Ford Center. Indiana State has won six in a row over UE in Terre Haute.
