Feehan leads Aces in loss to UNI

UE drops 73-58 game to Panthers on Sunday

Three University of Evansville men’s basketball players recorded double figures, but UNI freshman A.J. Green scored a game-high 21 points to give the Panthers a 73-58 win over the Purple Aces on Sunday in the Ford Center.

Shea Feehan scored a team-high 14 points while knocking down three triples.  K.J. Riley recorded 12 points and a team-best six boards for UE (10-17, 4-10 MVC) while Shamar Givance had a solid effort with 10 points.  Green was the top scorer for UNI (12-15, 7-7

MVC) with his 21 points. He was one of four Panthers to reach double figures. Trae Berhow led everyone with 11 rebounds.

“At some point, we have to let teams stop pushing us around and get to the rim easily,” UE head coach Walter McCarty said.  “We are not playing with any passion or urgency right now. Until we figure it out, this will continue to happen. We are not doing anything right now that connects us as a team.”

Givance got the Aces on the board with a triple on the first possession of the game.  The Panthers took their first lead of the day at 6-5. Evansville was able to regain the lead and push it out to 12-8 on a triples by Shea Feehan.

The Panthers responded with a pair of runs that saw them take a double digit lead.  UNI notched the next nine points to go up 17-12. A.J. Green had 10 of the Panthers’ first 12 points to spearhead the run.  After Feehan knocked down three free throws to make it a 2-point game, UNI came right back with a 10-0 stretch that pushed its lead to 27-15 with seven minutes remaining in the first half.

UNI matched its highest lead, taking a 36-22 advantage into the break.  Green led UNI with 13 points while Riley paced Evansville with eight.

Riley moved into double figures when he hit the first shot of the second half.  Northern Iowa responded with a 5-0 stretch that pushed their lead to a game-high 41-24.  Eight minutes into the final period, the Panther lead stood at 49-33. Noah Frederking’s triple started a 7-0 run that made it a 49-40 game.

Once again, UNI had the answer as they extended their lead back to 16 points (58-42) with just under seven minutes left and held strong to take the 73-58 win.

“We have to do a better job of knowing the scouting reports and other team’s tendencies,” Feehan said after the game. “I feel like what we are doing wrong are things we can control.”

Freshman Jawaun Newton made his first start of the season on Sunday.  He saw 17 minutes of action. Chatkevicius scored seven points while going 3-of-5 from the field.  As a team, the Aces shot 41.3% while the Panthers checked in at 46.4%. UNI finished with a 37-25 rebounding edge.