Kuhlman scores career-high in home victory

Aces defeat DePauw at the Ford Center

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Evan Kuhlman drained five 3-pointers on his way to a career-high of 23 points to lift the University of Evansville men’s basketball team to a 69-58 victory over DePauw at the Ford Center on Tuesday evening.

Kuhlman’s previous scoring mark was 21 points last season against UNI.  He was 8-for-13 from the floor while connecting on five of his seven attempts from outside for the Purple Aces (2-2).  Jawaun Newton scored 15 points, hitting seven out of eight shots from inside the arc.  Shamar Givance and Noah Frederking recorded 11 points apiece.  Frederking went 3-of-4 from 3-point range while Givance led the way with seven assists.  Newton and Preston Phillips recorded six rebounds apiece.

“What I have learned is that teams like Mount St. Joseph and DePauw make you work hard for a long time.  Their offenses are very efficient, so they really test your defense,” Evansville head coach Todd Lickliter exclaimed.  “I think this was a good learning experience for us.”

Shamar Givance did it all in the first half, finishing with 6 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds to help the Aces take a 36-35 halftime edge.  Givance assisted on the first two field goals of the night as UE hit three of its first five attempts to take an 8-4 lead.  The Tigers fought back to take their first lead of the day – 9-8 – six minutes into the game.  The third helper of the game saw Givance find Kuhlman for a basket that put UE back on top.

A tenacious DePauw squad fought back with a 10-2 run to take a 19-12 advantage midway through the opening 20 minutes.  Facing a 7-point deficit, UE began its road back with a triple by Antoine Smith Jr., but another triple by DePauw put them back up by a 26-19 tally with seven minutes on the clock.

Over the final portion of the half, the Aces were able to connect on 7 of their final 11 shots to go back in front at the break.  A 9-2 run saw UE tie it up at 28-28 inside of the 5-minute mark on a layup from Jawaun Newton.  Inside the final minute, it was Newton who gave the Aces the lead, knocking down a triple to send UE to halftime with a 36-35 lead.

DePauw retook the lead in the first possession of the second half, taking a pair of 3-point leads.  Each time they did, it was Gage Bobe finding Evan Kuhlman for a 3-pointer to tie it up.  With the score knotted at 42-42, Blaise Beauchamp hit consecutive baskets to give the Aces a 46-42 lead before Givance found Noah Frederking for a triple just past the 13-minute mark to make it a 5-point game at 49-44.

With 8:34 left in the contest, Frederking was true from outside once again, giving UE its first double figure lead at 59-48.  The Tigers did not go away quietly, closing to within six tallies, but the Aces were able to hold strong to clinch the 69-58 win and improve to 2-0 at home.  DePauw (1-2) was led by Elijah Hales’ 18 points with Grant Niego finishing with 12.

UE shot a season-high 53.8% in the victory while outrebounding the Tigers by a final of 29-23.  The Aces were credited with 16 assists while turning the ball over just eight times.

On Saturday, the Aces will take on UCF in a 1 p.m. game at the Ford Center before traveling to the Gulf Coast Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla.