Aces take 64-52 win over Cardinals
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The second double-double of Connor Turnbull’s career along with timely outside shooting by Trent Hundley helped the University of Evansville men’s basketball team pull away for a 64-52 win over Ball State on Wednesday inside the Ford Center.
Turnbull recorded season highs in both points (21) and rebounds (10) en route to his second career double-double. He added five blocks. Hundley tallied nine points while knocking down three triples. AJ Casey finished just a point shy of his first double-double finishing with nine points and a career-high 11 boards.
“We have been challenging the group to hold teams between 60 and 65 points and we held them to 52 tonight,” UE head coach David Ragland said. “From a defensive standpoint we played well all night and offensively we were able to get it inside and take advantage of our height.”
Alex Hemenway opened the evening with a 3-pointer in Evansville’s first possession while Ball State scored the next five points to take their first lead at 5-3. The Cardinals maintained the lead for the majority of the game’s opening 12 minutes. Their second triple of the night gave them an 11-7 lead while their third outside shot solidified a 14-9 lead with 11:46 remaining in the half.
Evansville chipped away at the deficit with field goals from Josh Hughes and AJ Casey cutting the deficit to a single point. At the 8:03 mark, it was Bryce Quinet putting the lead back in UE’s hands at 17-16. Another triple by the Cardinals put them back in front seconds later before Trent Hundley connected from downtown to tie things back up at 22-22.
Over the final four minutes of the half, the Aces reassumed the lead. Hundley’s second 3-pointer gave UE a 33-29 with just over a minute remaining. BSU scored the final three to make it a 33-32 game at the break. Connor Turnbull led UE with 11 points in the opening 20 minutes while Armoni Zeigler matched that tally for Ball State, leading the way with 11.
Ball State regained a 36-32 lead just over three minutes into the second half as the squads swapped the lead six times over the ensuing stretch. With the score tied at 44-44 inside of 13 minutes remaining, back-to-back baskets by Turnbull gave UE a lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. Another basket by Turnbull gave the Aces a 50-46 edge with 10:35 remaining.
Neither team would find the scoreboard over the next four minutes as the squads combined to go 0-for-8 with six turnovers. Another huge basket by Hundley ended the stretch as another trey gave UE its largest lead at 53-46. The Cardinals got back within three on multiple occasions before Evansville finished strong over the final two minutes. Buckets from Turnbull and Bryce Quinet got things going before Quinet hit four free throws as the Aces pulled away for the 64-52 victory.
Zeigler paced the Cardinals with 17 points while Devon Barnes and Kayden Fish added 11 and 10 points, respectively. UE wrapped up the night shooting 42.3% from the field while limiting BSU to 32.1%. Evansville outrebounded Ball State by a 41-34 final.
On Saturday, the Aces travel to Western Kentucky for a 3 p.m. contest in Bowling Green.
