EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Another total team performance by the University of Evansville men’s basketball team saw five players in double figures as the squad improved to 9-2 with a 98-91 victory over UT Martin on Monday evening at the Ford Center.
Kenny Strawbridge Jr. registered a season-high 21 points with Yacine Toumi and Ben Humrichous finishing with 15 apiece for the Purple Aces. Tanner Cuff added 14 points while Chuck Bailey III scored 12. Humrichous paced the team with nine boards while Toumi added seven caroms, two blocks and two steals. Cuff had another extraordinary all-around game, adding eight boards and eight assists to his 14-point night.
“It is a 40-minute game and sometimes you just need to find a way to win. UT Martin is extremely talented and they average 85 points for a reason. It was an up and down game with a lot of points. We did not plan on playing zone tonight, but had it in our back pocket in case we needed it. I feel like we are getting closer every day and credit our guys for sticking with it. Tonight was a complete team win.â€
Toumi opened the night with a 3-point play while a jumper by Kenny Strawbridge Jr. gave the Aces an early 5-0 advantage. Strawbridge added a triple and dunk as he posted seven of UE’s first 10 points as they held a 10-4 lead at the 17:10 mark.
UT Martin countered with a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the night at 13-10 less than three minutes later, but the ensuing two minutes belonged to Evansville. Five in a row by Joshua Hughes gave the Aces a 17-15 lead. At the 11:08 mark. Tanner Cuff picked up a second-chance basket to push the lead to 27-21.
Once again, the Skyhawks answered, posting the next 11 to jump back in front, 32-27. A fast-paced contest continued with Ben Humrichous taking over, connecting on back-to-back triples to put the Aces back in the lead at 33-32. With 4:20 on the clock, the Skyhawks broke a 36-36 tie with four in a row and would take that same 4-point edge into the locker room with a 44-40 halftime lead.
The furious pace continued in the second half. Evansville posted the opening six points to retake the lead in the opening two minutes. Toumi accounted for four of the six tallies. Antonio Thomas’ field goal at the 16:35 mark made it a 51-48 Evansville lead. Over the next two minutes, UTM erupted with a 12-2 run to take their largest lead at 60-53. Jordan Sears, who was held to six points in the opening stanza, registered 12 tallies in the first eight minutes of the second half.
Evansville stormed back with triples by Strawbridge and Chuck Bailey III helping the Aces go back in front. After a UTM field goal gave them a 66-65 lead with 11:25 showing, UE switched to a zone defense and the adjustment paid immediate dividends. The Aces reeled off 11 in a row over the next three minutes to take their largest lead at 76-66. Tanner Cuff scored four in the rally while Bailey knocked down three free throws to complete the run.
Things continued to go the Aces way as the lead hovered around 10 points, but with UE holding an 88-80 lead with under two minutes left. The Skyhawks made a furious rally, getting as close as three points in the last minute before two late stops and four Thomas free throws clinched the 98-91 triumph
Shooting 56.3% in the second half, the Aces wrapped up the night with a 45.8% showing. UT Martin finished the game at 48.6%. Jordan Sears was the leading scorer in the contest, posting 26 points with 20 of those coming in the second half. Jacob Crews recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Home action continues on Wednesday when the Aces welcome Tennessee Tech for a 7 p.m. game.
