Less than 48 hours after defeating #1 Kentucky, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team is back on the floor, welcoming IU Kokomo to the Ford Center on Thursday evening at 6 p.m. ESPN3 will have the broadcast.
Setting the Scene                                                                                                            Â
– The Purple Aces look to improve to 3-0 as they take on the IU Kokomo Cougars for the first time
– Evansville is coming off of the biggest win in the program’s Division I history, defeating top-ranked Kentucky on Tuesday evening at Rupp Arena
– Despite being a 25-point underdog, the Aces led the Wildcats for 29:34 of the 40 minutes while trailing for just under six minutes
– K.J. Riley led everyone with 18 points as he was 2-2 from outside and 8-8 from the free throw line
– For the second game in a row, Sam Cunliffe recorded 17 points; he drained six buckets but his most important points came in the final seconds as his two free throws put the finishing touches on the 67-64 win
Last Time Out                                                                                                            Â
– One of the biggest days in program history saw the Purple Aces take down #1 Kentucky by a 67-64 final on Tuesday night
– Evansville held the lead for nearly 75% of the game; the Aces held a 34-30 lead at the half and went up by as many as eight points in the game; UK never led by more than three
– Senior K.J. Riley led by example, pouring in a game-high 18 points; he was 2-2 from outside and 8-8 from the line
– Sam Cunliffe posted another 17-point outing and hit the two biggest free throws of the game with six seconds left
Leftovers from Kentucky                                                                                                            Â
– In his first trip to the arena he called home as a player, Aces head coach Walter McCarty led his UE squad to the 3-point win over the Wildcats
– In the second half of the contest, the Aces were a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe; for the game, UE was 12/13 from the line
– Evansville’s defense held the Wildcats to just 37% shooting; last season – just one team fared better – that came on March 2, 2019 when #7 Tennessee held Kentucky to 31.8%
– K.J. Riley and Sam Cunliffe have both posted double figures in both contests; they are a combined 17-for-19 from the line on the season
– UE attacked the offensive glass, hauling in 11 offensive rebounds while holding UK to just eight; this season – 24.6% of the Aces rebounds have come on the offensive side, last year that number stood at 20%
