JUST IN: Aces Fall To Louisville By A Final Of 79-44

UE Men Wrap Up Season Opener; Set Sights On Friday

Aces fall to Louisville by a final of 79-44

 LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The long wait finally came to an end on Wednesday when the University of Evansville men’s basketball team took to the hardwood against the University of Louisville inside the KFC Yum! Center.

Louisville (1-0) set an early tone, holding UE (0-1) to 1-of-13 to begin the game before finishing the day with a 79-44 victory.  Today’s contest saw an Evansville squad with six newcomers face its first live-action against opposing competition since March.  With the cancellation of the exhibition play, the Purple Aces were excited to return to the floor at the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic.

“We are trying to grow and be the program that we envision; it is early in the process and we have some work to do,” UE head coach Todd Lickliter said after the game.  “I am glad we came in and had this experience.  It will be good to look at the film, share it with our players and let them see where we can improve.”

Following the game, the team remains in Louisville over Thanksgiving to await Friday’s noon CT game against Prairie View A&M.

The duo of Evan Kuhlman and Shamar Givance led the team with 10 points apiece.  Kuhlman was 3-for-8 from the field and knocked down two triples.  Since February 1, Kuhlman has scored in double figures in 7 of the last 11 games.  He did not reach that mark in any of the first 17 games last year.

“I really liked our effort, especially early in the game.  Coach told us in the locker room that our season is not predicated on beating Louisville in the first game of the season.  We cannot get too high or low,” Kuhlman explained.  “It was a good test for us; I think later in the season it would be a good opportunity for us to face a team with their talent level again.”

Grievance knocked down four of his eight attempts on the way to the double-digit effort.  Last season, he had just one game reaching that mark.  In his first game in an Aces jersey, freshman Trey Hall recorded nine points.  He hit a pair of 3-pointers and converted three free throws.

Kuhlman, who scored the first seven Evansville points of the day, got the Aces on the board with a 3-pointer to give his team a 3-2 lead less than two minutes into the game.  The defense held strong in the opening moments, limiting the Cardinals to one make in their first five attempts.

JJ Traynor converted an and-one to put Louisville on top at the 14:06 mark and they would take control from there.  It was their defense that got the job done, holding Evansville to 1-for-13 from the field to begin the game.  A 5-for-7 stretch by UL capped off a 14-0 run that put them on top – 17-5 – with 9:31 remaining in the half.  Kuhlman ended the stretch with his seventh point of the day.

Inside the final minute of the period, Louisville extended its lead to 23 points (36-13) before Jax Levitch finished up his first half of play in an Evansville uniform by hitting a triple at the buzzer to make it a 36-16 game at the break.

After being held scoreless in the first half, senior Noah Frederking recorded five points to begin the final 20 minutes.  His triple at the 17:24 mark cut the UL lead to 38-21.  That would be as close as the Aces would get over the remainder of the contest.  A 20-4 stretch pushed their advantage to 58-25 inside of the 12-minute mark.

Their lead reached as many as 37 points at the midway point of the second half before they wrapped the day up with the 79-44 win.  Carlik Jones led all players with 18 points, 11 boards and 7 assists while Samuell Williamson scored 17.  The Cardinals shot 58.5% in the game while the Aces finished at 29.8%.

Jax Levitch led UE with just over 29 minutes of work.  The graduate transfer from UNC Asheville and Louisville native did not play more than 25 minutes last season with the Bulldogs.  Sophomore Gage Bobe saw a career-high of 16 minutes today; he played a total of 12 minutes over his entire freshman season.

UE continues the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic on Friday at noon CT against Prairie View A&M.  ESPN3 will have the broadcast.

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