For the second time this season, the Purple Aces make their way to California as a game on Sunday at Fresno State is on tap. Game time is 3 p.m. CT.
Fans can tune into Sunday’s 3 p.m. CT game on the Mountain West Network, which is a free video service offered through the Mountain West website. Sunday’s contest is the resumption of the MVC/Mountain West Challenge, which UE also took part in from 2010 through 2012, falling in games against Air Force, TCU and Colorado State.
A free throw in the second half marked the 2,000th point in the legendary career of D.J. Balentine; he finished with 26 points in the victory over Norfolk State on his way to the mark. He became the 4th player in program history, the 16th in the MVC record books and 32nd player among all of the Division I schools in the State of Indiana to do so. Colt Ryan reached 2,000 in a home overtime win against Drake in 2013 while Marcus Wilson hit the mark in an MVC Tournament win over Bradley in 1999.
A career night against Norfolk State saw Jaylon Brown score 17 points, eclipsing his previous high of 15, which came against San Francisco last year. Through 11 games, Brown has scored 8 or more points on nine occasions; last season, he scored at least 8 points just ten times in 36 games. His career effort versus the Spartans featured a 7-of-11 shooting performance along with four assists. For the season, he is averaging 10.0 points per game and tied for 7th in the Valley, shooting 54.3%.
Fresno State has gotten off to a strong 8-3 start this season following a home win over Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday. The Bulldogs losses, all on the road, have come to Oregon, Cal Poly and Arizona. As a team, FSU is outrebounding the opposition by an average of 6.2 per game. Marvelle Harris leads the way, averaging 18.5 points per game while leading the squad with 22 steals and 52 assists. Torren Jones has recorded 11.3 points while Cezar Guerrero stands at an even 10 PPG. Harris was the leader in the win over Cal State Bakersfield, scoring 20 points while posting 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
Last year, the Aces and Bulldogs met up in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida as UE took a 58-52 win. Mislav Brzoja scored 17 points while D.J. Balentine had 13.
