UE returns home for first time since Nov. 18
With its second road win of the season secured, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team returns to the Ford Center on Wednesday evening for a 6 p.m. game against Western Illinois. ESPN3 and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the coverage.
 Setting the Scene
– Following a season-long stretch of four games away from home, the Purple Aces host a pair of games this week, facing the Leathernecks on Wednesday before welcoming Miami Ohio for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday
– The Aces completed the recent stretch with an even 2-2 mark and have come out on the winning side in its last two games
– In its finale in the Bahamas against Morgan State, Evansville played just the second triple overtime game in program history
– The other 3OT game came on the road at St. Joseph’s (Ind.) with the Aces earning a 78-70 victory
Last Time Out
– Evansville improved to a perfect 2-0 in true road games this season with a 70-64 win against IUPUI on Saturday in Indianapolis
– Facing a 10-point halftime deficit, the Aces rallied in the second half and used a late 11-0 run to take the lead for good in the final minutes
– DeAndre Williams led all players with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists
– Artur Labinowicz tallied nine points while Noah Frederking and K.J. Riley posted eight points apiece; Riley did all of his scoring in the second half
– In his first action since the Kentucky game, Evan Kuhlman added six pivotal points while registering an assist and a steal
 Leftovers from IUPUI
– With 20 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists, DeAndre Williams became the first UE player since Reed Jackson in 1994 to post those numbers in a game
– After missing five games, Evan Kuhlman made his return against the Jags; he scored six points and had a pivotal basket in the final minutes that saw the UE lead reach multiple possessions for the remainder of the game
– Evansville outscored IUPUI by a 43-27 margin in the second half; it was the fourth time in eight games that UE has outscored the opposition in the second half
Doing what he does best
– Aces senior K.J. Riley ranks 8th in the nation with 8.2 fouls drawn per 40 minutes
– He is tied for 4th in the NCAA with 48 free throw makes and is tied for 6th with 59 attempts
– Artur Labinowicz has drawn an average of 7.2 fouls per 40 minutes and is 28th in the country
1992 Indiana All-Stars
– The relationship between UE head coach Walter McCarty and Western Illinois coach Billy Wright goes way back to 1992
– McCarty and Wright were teammates on the Indiana Senior All-Star Team
– Wright attended Richmond HS while McCarty was from Harrison HS in Evansville
Doing it all
– In Evansville’s only game of the week, sophomore DeAndre Williams had one of the most complete games in recent years for the Purple Aces
– The Houston native recorded 20 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in a 70-64 road win over IUPUI; he hit 8 of his 13 attempts in the game while posting two blocks and a steal
– He drew five fouls in the contest and turned that into six trips to the line
– His effort was the first 20-15-5 performance for the Evansville program since Reed Jackson had 21 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists against South Alabama on December 14, 1994
Scouting the Opponent
– Western Illinois comes to the Ford Center with a 2-5 record with wins over Central Christian College of the Bible and Ball State
– Last time out, they came up just short against Kansas City, 68-67
– Kobe Webster and Zion Young are the top two scorers for WIU, averaging 16.3 and 15.4 points per game, respectively
– Ben Pyle (12.7 PPG) and C.J. Duff (10.8 PPG) also average double figures
– James Claar is their top rebounder with 6.7 per game
– Pyle was their top player against the Kangaroos, scoring a career-high of 21 points
