Home Game Set For 7 p.m. Tip
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Wrapping up a 2-game homestand, the University of Evansville is set to square off against Belmont on Wednesday evening at the Ford Center. Tip is set for 7 p.m. CT with the Purple Aces Radio Network and ESPN+ having the coverage.
Setting the Scene
– Evansville and Belmont have met on five previous occasions with the Bruins holding a 3-2 series lead
– This is the first meeting as fellow members of the MVC
– In two games played at the Ford Center, each team recorded a victory
– The first meeting between the schools was in the 2009 CBI and was played on the campus of USI
Last Time Out
– Scoring 55 points in the first half while shooting 56.7% over the entirety of the game, Drake defeated UE by a 97-61 score on Saturday at the Ford Center
– The Bulldogs have credited with a Ford Center record 31 assists with Roman Penn totaling 18
– Four Purple Aces reached double figures with Kenny Strawbridge Jr. and Yacine Toumi scoring 12 while Antoine Smith Jr. and Marvin Coleman II scored 11 each
Raising the Bar
– Yacine Toumi has hauled in at least five rebounds in eight of the last nine contests while raising his season average from 5.1 to 5.7 per game
– His top tally of 11 came in the win over Bellarmine while he added 7 against Valpo to solidify his mark of 5.7/game, which is 15th in the Valley
– Toumi scored 18 against the Beacons, which tied his career-high
– It halted a streak that saw him average 5 points in the prior three games
– His scoring average over the last six games is 7.2 PPG
Another Career Best
– Hitting 9 of his 13 shots at Southern Illinois, Marvin Coleman II reset his career scoring high with 25 points
– Over his last 11 games, Coleman is averaging 15.3 points while shooting 48.4%
– Coleman had just one double figure scoring game in his first ten contests this season while averaging 5.4 points…since then, he has reached double digits in 10 out of 11 games
– Following the first 10 games, Coleman was shooting 22.5% (20/89) from the field and 9.1% (2/22) from outside…he has hit 61 of his last 126 attempts (48.4%) and 23 of his previous 45 outside tries
Scouting the Opponent
– Midway through their first season as members of the Missouri Valley Conference, Belmont is tied for first place with a 6-2 mark while sitting at 15-6 Overall
– The Bruins have won six games in a row including a 78-76 decision at Bradley on Saturday
– Three Bruins average double figures led by Ben Sheppard
– Sheppard paces Belmont with 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds per game and a season total of 72 assists
– Cade Tyson comes into Wednesday’s game with 13.0 points per game while Drew Friberg is just behind with 12.9 PPG
