Bronx Native Scores 18 Points In Final Home Game
University of Evansville senior K.J. Riley shined in his final home game as a member of the Purple Aces men’s basketball team, scoring 18 points in a 71-60 loss to Illinois State on Saturday inside the Ford Center.
Riley hit 10 of his 12 free throw attempts and also led the Aces (9-22, 0-18 MVC) with eight rebounds and four assists. Evan Kuhlman and Sam Cunliffe registered 10 points apiece with each hitting a pair of 3-pointers.
“In these games, there are three or four possessions that make the difference, you never know which ones they will be. That is why you have to play every possession and that is demanding,†Aces head coach Todd Lickliter said. “Our team has the confidence that we can play with any team in this league and we are excited to head to St. Louis to make a run.â€
During his postgame press conference, Lickliter took the time to recognize K.J. Riley and his contributions to the program on and off the court.
“K.J. has made coaching really enjoyable for me. He is going to do everything you need as a coach and is going to be successful doing whatever he wants in his life,†Lickliter exclaimed. “K.J. has an open invitation to come back whenever he wants; he will always be part of this program and is an Ace forever.â€
UE finished the game shooting 32.8% overall and 30.3% from long range. Illinois State (10-20, 5-13 MVC) shot 46.4%. The Aces defense forced 15 turnovers and turned those into 18 points.
It was a defensive showdown in the opening moments. After Evansville scored the opening bucket, Illinois State knocked down a pair of threes to take a 6-2 lead. Sam Cunliffe registered two assists on baskets by Evan Kuhlman and Noah Frederking to put UE back on top, 7-6. The Redbirds reassumed the lead, scoring eight of the next 11 to go up 14-10. Sam Cunliffe ended the stretch with a triple, but Illinois State kept rolling.
ISU hit four out of five field goals in a 7-0 run to take a 21-13 lead near the halfway point of the opening 20 minutes. After UE reeled off the next four, ISU had another big run, adding 10 in a row to go up by a 31-17 score with five minutes left in the half. During the run, the Redbirds hit eight of their nine field-goal tries.
Facing their largest deficit, the Aces rallied in the final moments of the half. Four points both from Cunliffe and Noah Frederking was the start of a 10-0 stretch. K.J. Riley added the last two points, knocking down two free throws following a technical foul issued on Illinois State. ISU added a late triple, but UE’s rally saw them head to the break trailing by seven – 34-27.
The first bucket of the second half saw ISU hit the first shot to push the lead back to nine before UE fought back. Over the first 10 minutes of the half, Evansville stayed within two possessions before the senior from the Bronx converted a 4-point play. With 9:07 on the clock, K.J. Riley made it a 46-45 game in favor of ISU before Jawaun Newton continued the run a minute later.
Newton drained a triple on the feed from Frederking to put the Aces on top at 48-46. Illinois State countered with four in a row to retake the lead before a John Hall layup knotted the score at 50-50 with the game nearing the six-minute mark.
Over the final moments, the Redbirds put the game away as they finished the game on a 21-11 run to finish with the 71-60 victory.
Leading ISU was D.J. Horne, who posted 24 points. He was 8-for-16 from the field and hit all eight free throws. Horne and Matt Chastain finished with seven rebounds apiece.
Arch Madness is next for the Aces. UE heads to St. Louis as the #10 seed for the sixth time in program history. Evansville opens the tournament on Thursday evening at 8:35 p.m. against the #7 seed. The final standings and seeds will be determined following Saturday’s league games.
