Aces fall short against Hilltoppers
WKU takes 79-65 win over UE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Cam Haffner and Gabriel Pozzato tied for the game-high with 19 points as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team fell to Western Kentucky on Saturday by a final score of 79-65 at the Ford Center.
Haffner added 8 rebounds and 4 assists while Pozzato registered 7 caroms and a pair of steals. Tayshawn Comer finished with 12 points while Connor Turnbull had 9 points and 6 blocks.
“Today was a game of runs. I felt like we did a better job of sticking to the gameplan in the first half, but we let it get away from us in the second half,” UE head coach David Ragland said. “We’ll get back to work tomorrow and learn what we need to from today.”
Two triples gave the Hilltoppers a 6-0 lead before Tayshawn Comer knocked down a triple to put UE on the board. Evansville made it a 1-point game at 8-7 on a Cam Haffner basket but WKU battled back with six in a row to double up the Aces at 14-7.
Triples from Connor Turnbull and Comer helped UE cut into the deficit before a 3-pointer by Gabriel Pozzato gave Evansville its first lead of the day at 18-17 just past the halfway point of the period. The teams swapped the lead over the next sequence as a spin-around move from Haffner saw UE retake the lead before WKU jumped back in front at 24-22 as the half approached its final six minutes.
With two minutes on the clock, Haffner’s first triple of the afternoon was followed by a Pozzato dunk that gave UE its largest advantage at 31-26. The Hilltoppers closed with two more triples to make it a 33-32 game at halftime.
Just as he did to open the game, Comer posted the first basket of the second half and Haffner added another triple to give UE a 38-35 lead. Trailing 39-38, WKU hit a shot in a crazy sequence that saw them force a pair of turnovers as UE worked to inbound the ball and turned it into five more points, forcing the Aces to use their first timeout of the second half with the Hilltoppers in front at 45-39.
The run continued for the Hilltoppers as they converted six out of seven attempts to take their first double figure lead at 52-41 before going up by a 55-41 score. Just as fast as the Hilltoppers took control, Evansville stormed right back. Haffner got things going with his third triple of the day while Pozzato followed with six in a row. Tanner Cuff’s first trey of the game cut the deficit to 57-53.
Up 59-55, the Hilltoppers pulled away in the final minutes, utilizing a 10-0 run before taking the game by a final of 79-65.
Babacar Faye tied for the game-high with 19 points while hauling 12 boards. The Hilltoppers finished with a 41-37 edge on the boards while outshooting UE by a 44.3%-36.1% tally.
The Aces look to get back on track when they host Chattanooga on Thursday.
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