Another buzzer beater dooms UE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the second game in a row, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team made a late comeback before a 3-pointer at the buzzer halted those efforts. On Tuesday, it was Drake hitting the triple to pick up a 78-75 win at the Ford Center.
Five Purple Aces reached double figures with Ben Humrichous recording a team-high 18 points. Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scored 12 while Chuck Bailey III and Josh Hughes posted 11 each. Yacine Toumi finished the night with 10. Atin Wright led Drake with 26 points.
Gage Bobe gave the Purple Aces a 3-0 lead out of the gate before the Bulldogs scored seven in a row to take their first lead. Ben Humrichous brought the Aces back, giving UE the lead with a 3-pointer. Kenny Strawbridge Jr. was key to the play, grabbing the ball out of a Drake players hands before dishing it off to Humrichous to put the Aces up 10-9 at the 12:55 mark.
Drake regained control over the next sequence, embarking on a 14-5 run over the next 2+ minutes to take their largest advantage of the period at 23-15. A tenacious Aces squad did not relent, cutting that back to just a 1-point deficit in less than two minutes. Following a Cam Haffner jumper, Chuck Bailey III reeled off five in a row, including a 3-point play to make it a 23-22 score.
After the Bulldogs retook a 5-point edge at 27-22 Evansville fought back once again. Two triples from Strawbridge were followed by a Yacine Toumi jump shot that gave UE a 33-32 edge inside of the 4-minute mark. Drake posted the next five before field goals from Humrichous and Toumi knotted the game at 37-37 at halftime.
Evansville converted the first two baskets of the second half to jump in front at 41-37. UE forced two misses and a pair of turnovers by Drake to open the period. After DU retook a 46-43 advantage, it was another Strawbridge 3-pointer that tied it up as Toumi would follow with consecutive field goals to give the Aces the lead.
With the game entering its final ten minutes, it was the Bulldogs jumping in front as a pair of Atin Wright buckets both gave DU a 2-point lead. Drake would slowly add to that lead, extending it to a 73-66 score going into the last three minutes. A handful of free throws by the Aces cut the deficit to four, but with the shot clock turned off, Evansville had one more trick up its sleeve.
Tanner Cuff drained a long triple inside of 20 seconds remaining to cut the DU lead to 75-72. On the ensuing inbound play, Evansville forced a turnover to get the ball right back. Humrichous drained a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left to complete the comeback and tie it up. With one more chance, the Bulldogs struck with a three at the buzzer to grab the win.
UE shot 50% on the night with Drake finishing at 49.1%. The Bulldogs finished with a slight 30-29 edge on the boards. The next two games will take place on the road beginning on Sunday with a trip to Illinois State.
