UE overcomes 11-point first half deficitÂ
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In a game that featured 11 lead changes, Chuck Bailey III converted a 4-point play to put the University of Evansville men’s basketball team in front for good, leading to a 70-61 win over Bellarmine inside Freedom Hall on Saturday afternoon.
Bailey was one of four players to finish in double figures, recording 12 points. Yacine Toumi had a team-high 14 points while Ben Humrichous added 12 and Kenny Strawbridge Jr. completed the game with 10. Antonio Thomas put forth an efficient all-around performance with 9 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Humrichous had a team-high 9 caroms. Leading the way for Bellarmine was Langdon Hatton. He recorded 18 points and 11 rebounds.
“This was a big road win for us. To be down double digits in the first half and rally to take a lead at the break was huge,†UE head coach David Ragland exclaimed. “This is one of those games that really builds your culture. We had contributions from so many guys and it helps their confidence.â€
It was Toumi providing the offense in the early moments. After the Knights posted the first basket of the day, Toumi connected on his first three attempts to give UE a 6-2 lead. Bellarmine began the game hitting one of their first nine attempts.
Following the tough start, BU countered with 11 in a row to take 13-6 edge. The Aces uncharacteristically had five turnovers in the opening eight minutes and the Knights took full advantage, turning those into nine points. With 8:08 remaining in the opening stanza, Bellarmine opened its largest advantage at 24-13.
Evansville got back to business over the final segment of the half, outscoring Bellarmine by a 16-4 margin to hold the lead heading into the break. Chuck Bailey III took it coast-to-coast as UE registered four in a row. Bailey converted once again, hitting a 3-pointer at the 3:21 mark to make it a 1-possession game at 26-23. The Knights pushed the lead to 28-23, but the Aces would score the final six of the half to take a 29-28 advantage. Joshua Hughes took a feed from Kenny Strawbridge Jr. for the final basket of the half.
An exciting second half saw the squads swap the lead in the opening minutes before Bellarmine went up 46-40 at the 13:39 mark. Tanner Cuff had a 3-point play and Bailey would hit his second triple of the afternoon to tie the game at 48-48 as the game entered the final 10 minutes. Bellarmine posted the next four points while the Aces came back to go up 57-55 inside of the 7-minute mark thanks to an excellent move by Tanner Cuff.
With 3:47 remaining and the game knotted at 59-59, it was Bailey with the game-changing play. The freshman was fouled on a 3-point make and the 4-point play gave UE the lead for good. With just over a minute remaining, a putback by Toumi proved to be the dagger as it pushed the lead to 68-61. Evansville would go on to win the game by a 70-61 final.
UE shot 47.4% in the road triumph while holding the Knights to 34.3%. The Aces wrapped up the game with a 39-38 edge on the boards.
Next up in a busy stretch is a home game on Monday against UT Martin. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside the Ford Center.
