U of E Earns 84-72 Win Over Undefeated Salukis

U of E Earns 84-72 Win Over Undefeated Salukis

Curtis Tallies 29 Points In The Win

December 28, 2020

 CARBONDALE, Ill. – Samari Curtis poured in a career-high 29 points as the University of Evansville men’s basketball tied a school record with 17 3-pointers in an 84-72 road victory over Southern Illinois on Monday evening at the Banterra Center.

Curtis knocked down 9 of his 13 field goals, went 6-for-8 from outside and hit all five free throws for Evansville (3-5, 1-1 MVC).  He added four rebounds in a career-high 30 minutes of play.  Noah Frederking connected on four triples en route to an 18-point game while Shamar Givance hit five field goals and all five free throws in a 17-point effort.

“I think the back-to-back games can favor you if you can make the right adjustments and your guys carry them out.  Our poise, willingness to pass and spacing were excellent,” UE head coach Todd Lickliter explained.  “Tonight reaffirmed that you need to stay the course, take the possession that you have at hand, do your job and support one another.”

Evansville picked up its first Missouri Valley Conference win since March 2, 2019 when the Purple Aces earned a 65-63 win at Valparaiso.  It ended a 19-game conference skid.  For Southern Illinois (7-1, 1-1 MVC), it marked their first loss of the season.  Marcus Domask paced the Salukis with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting.

Noah Frederking and Jawaun Newton gave the Purple Aces a 6-2 lead in the opening two minutes of the game with each draining a triple.  The early run continued with UE knocking down five of its first six attempts on the way to a 15-6 lead at the 14:07 mark.  Frederking added his second long ball of the day before Evan Kuhlman finished the stretch off with his first from outside as Evansville picked up a 15-6 lead.

Over the next three minutes, the Salukis reeled off nine in a row to tie the score before Samari Curtis drilled a triple to put the lead back in the Aces’ hands.  SIU continued to claw its way back and took its first lead at 21-20 with 7:19 remaining.  Flawless shooting saw the Salukis hit five out of six 3-pointers over one stretch as they took a 30-20 lead inside of the 6-minute mark.  A 13-0 run was just part of a 21-5 rally that saw the Salukis turn the tables.

Just when it looked like SIU would take control of the game, the Aces had other ideas.  Curtis converted a 3-point play before a Jax Levitch trey cut the gap back to just four points – 33-29 – inside of four minutes left.  That deficit is where things would land at the break with Southern Illinois taking a 39-35 advantage into the locker room.  Hitting six of his seven attempts, Marcus Domask recorded 15 points in the first half while Curtis and Frederking registered 11 and 10, respectively, in the opening 20 minutes.

After making seven triples in the first half, UE continued its success from outside in the second.  Back-to-back treys by Frederking and Newton cut the deficit to a pair before Samari Curtis put UE back in front with his third triple of the game – 44-43 – with 15:10 on the clock.  SIU countered with four in a row, but it was Curtis getting the Aces back in front with consecutive triples to make it a 52-48 game.  Iyen Enaruna got in on the shooting, connecting on a three at the midway point of the final half to cement a 58-54 UE edge.  That came in a run that saw Evansville knock down eight out of nine 3-point attempts.

The career game for Curtis continued with a monstrous dunk that extended the lead to eight.  Inside of seven minutes left, it was an and-one by Givance, which pushed the lead to nine tallies at 68-59.  SIU stormed back with the next five points before Givance drained his second triple of the night.  From there, the Aces held strong, extending the lead over the final minutes and finishing with the 84-72 triumph.

UE outrebounded the Salukis by a 30-21 margin with Levitch recording 10.  Seven different Aces hit a triple in the record-tying effort.  The shooting excelled in all facets of the game as UE shot a season-high 55.3% from the field, 58.6% from the 3-point range, and 88.2% at the line.

On Saturday, the home portion of the Valley schedule begins as UNI comes to town.  The Aces and Panthers square off on Saturday and Sunday with each game starting at 3 p.m. inside the Ford Center.

FOOTNOTE: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville athletics, visit GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics.