Aces have just two games remaining in regular season
A game-ending 13-6 run saw Indiana State defeat the University of Evansville men’s basketball team on Sunday by a final of 64-62 inside the Ford Center.
Evansville (9-20, 0-16 MVC) led by five points with 3:32 remaining before a 7-0 stretch by the Sycamores (16-11, 9-7 MVC) put them in front for good. K.J. Riley led UE with 15 points. He was 5-of-6 from the line and dished out a game-high five assists. Evan Kuhlman posted 11 points, all coming in the second half. He added five rebounds. Sam Cunliffe led the Aces with seven caroms and chipped in eight points.
“All indications are that we are making progress and are becoming a better team. You have to learn how to win before you can win and I feel like that is where we are at right now,†Aces head men’s basketball coach Todd Lickliter said. “We play every game to win, there is no question about that, but not all is lost when you lose.â€
An interesting first half of play saw eight ties, a pair of lead changes and no points scored by either team outside the paint. After Indiana State jumped out to an 8-4 lead, the Aces responded by scoring eight out of ten points to go up by a 12-10 margin just past the midway point of the period. John Hall scored four points during the stretch.
Neither team was able to get too far out in front throughout the majority of the half before Evansville changed that in the final moments. With the score tied at 18-18 entering the final three minutes, UE wrapped up the stanza with another 8-2 rally.
Sam Cunliffe and Jawaun Newton added buckets to give Evansville a 22-18 lead. After a Sycamore basket, K.J. Riley knocked down two field goals in the final 50 seconds to send the Aces into the half up by a 26-20 score. The Aces connected on four of their final six attempts to grab the halftme lead. Riley recorded eight points in the first 20 minutes.
Evan Kuhlman did not take a shot in the first half, but made it count in the opening moments of the second, draining a triple to give UE its largest lead at 29-22 two minutes in. It was the first triple of the afternoon as well as the first points outside the paint. A free throw from Hall pushed the lead to eight points, but ISU countered with a 9-0 stretch to retake a 33-32 lead at the 12:57 mark.
Jawaun Newton hit his fourth basket of the day to end a scoreless drought that lasted for three minutes. Indiana State jumped back in front by a 37-35 tally, but a 5-0 spurt saw the Aces retake the lead. Cunliffe added his third basket of the game while Riley found Noah Frederking for a triple. UE jumped back on top on four occasions before the score was tied at 49-49 with five minutes to go.
Frederking drained his second long ball of the day to put the Aces back in front before four in a row from Riley gave Evansville a 56-51 edge with 3:32 on the clock. Indiana State made its final push, scoring seven in a row to take the lead for good. Their game-ending run – a 13-6 stretch – saw them clinch the 64-62 win. They were led by Christian Williams’ 16-point effort.
UE finished with a 31-27 rebounding edge while Indiana State outshot the Aces, 45.8%-40.0%.
A trip to Cedar Falls, Iowa marks the final regular-season road trip for Evansville. The Aces will face UNI on Wednesday evening in a 7 p.m. contest. On Saturday, Feb. 29, UE welcomes Illinois State to the Ford Center for a 1 p.m. game. It will mark Senior Day with K.J. Riley being recognized.
