UE Men Drop Final Game Of Homestand

Aces Fall By a 73-50 Final To Bulldogs

John Hall posted a solid evening, registering seven points and seven rebounds to lead the University of Evansville men’s basketball team on Wednesday in a 73-50 loss to Drake inside the Ford Center.

Hall’s final carom tally marked his season-high.  Leading the Purple Aces (9-11, 0-7 MVC) on the scoreboard was Shamar Givance.  The sophomore had his best game in nearly two months going a perfect 3-for-3 from long range on his way to nine points.  Jawaun Newton finished with eight points.

Less than 24 hours after his introduction as Evansville’s new head coach, Todd Lickliter was on the bench to lead the team.  Following a first half that saw the UE defense allow Drake (14-6, 4-3 MVC) to shoot 56.3% and score 46 points, the Aces were much better in the final 20 minutes, holding the Bulldogs to 33.3% shooting and 27 points.

“I see a lot of hope.  If you struggle offensively, it usually impacts other areas, but we guarded and defended well; I see the potential and the positives,” Lickliter said after the game.  “I am a firm believer in practice and I am looking forward to getting some practice in and moving along in that way, then we will have more to build on.”

“It is great to be back in the Ford Center and great to be an Ace.”

A 4-for-7 start from the field saw the Bulldogs open up a 9-0 lead.  Jawaun Newton got the Aces on the board with a triple, ending a 0-for-7 start to the game, but the Bulldogs continued their hot start, taking a 14-3 advantage.

Evansville used the long ball to trim into the deficit, getting within five points at 25-19 on a Sam Cunliffe jumper with under six minutes remaining.  Evan Kuhlman and Shamar Givance connected on triples in the run with Marcus Henderson assisting on both.  The freshman added a trey of his own.

Over the final five minutes of the half, the Bulldogs outscored the Aces by a 21-7 tally as they took their largest lead of the game to that point – 46-26 – at the break.  Four 3-pointers found the bottom of the net in that rally.  Over the opening 20 minutes, the Bulldogs hit 56.3% of their attempts while going 8-of-13 from long range (61.5%).  Evansville was held to seven field goals in the half with 15 of their 24 attempts coming from outside.

In the second half, the Aces worked to get the ball inside and found success with John Hall knocking down consecutive baskets at the rim.  Five minutes into the period, a 6-0 stretch saw UE made it a 50-36 game with Artur Labinowicz, K.J. Riley and Newton hitting field goals.  While the Aces did a much better job of getting to the rim in the final 20 minutes, the Bulldogs countered with a 13-5 rally that pushed their advantage to 63-41 with eight minutes on the clock.

Drake’s lead reached 24 points with 2:40 remaining before finishing the night with the 73-50 win.  The defense for the Aces performed much better in the latter half, holding Drake to just 33.3% shooting.

The final rebounding tally went in Drake’s favor, 38-33.  Liam Robbins paced the Bulldogs with 16 points and 8 boards.  Roman Penn had 14 points while Garrett Sturtz finished with 10.

Evansville is back on the road for its next two games with the first contest set for Sunday when the Aces take on Valparaiso in a 4 p.m. tilt.  On Wednesday, UE heads to Illinois State.