UE will face Seattle on Monday
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Gage Bobe and Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scored 11 points apiece to lead the University of Evansville men’s basketball team to a 64-63 victory over Quinnipiac in the opening round of the Ro CBI at the Ocean Center.
With the victory, UE advances to play Seattle at 5:30 p.m. CT. FloHoops will have the coverage. Bobe was 3-for-5 from long range on his way to the 11 points while Strawbridge added five boards. Tanner Cuff and Chuck Bailey III added 10 points apiece. Cuff led the way with 9 boards and 5 assists.
Cuff and Cam Haffner picked up early baskets as the Purple Aces took a 6-2 lead in the opening five minutes. UE’s defense held the Bobcats to a 1-for-9 start from the field. The Bobcats turned the tables as they scored the next nine points to take an 11-6 lead with under 12 minutes left in the half. Quinnipiac connected on four of their next five shots.
Chuck Bailey III hit a pair of free throws to put Evansville back on the board but the Bobcats continued to roll, going up by nine points (19-10) with eight minutes on the clock. Over the final minutes of the half, the Aces outscored the Bobcats by a 20-11 margin to tie the game at the break. Kenny Strawbridge Jr. knotted the score at 23-23 before a Quinnipiac basket saw them retake the lead on their next possession.
With two minutes remaining, Strawbridge drained a triple that put UE on top by a 28-27 score before both squads struck in the final moments leading to the 30-30 tie at the break.
Neither team could get into a groove to open the second half as the teams combined to hit just two of their opening 11 attempts in the first four minutes as the Bobcats held a 34-32 lead. Sekou Kalle had a putback before a triple from Gage Bobe gave UE a 39-36 advantage.
As the game entered the final nine minutes, Bailey drove for a dunk and two minutes later, Cam Haffner drained a 3-pointer to give the Aces their largest lead at 53-43. The Bobcats stormed back over the next sequence, getting within three points at 55-52 with 3:30 on the clock.
In the final minute, Quinnipiac made it a 1-possession game once again, but Antonio Thomas converted two free throws and Strawbridge added a late layup as UE hung on for the win. Evansville shot 46.6% in the contest while limiting the Bobcats to 37.5%.
