UE Faces Sycamores In Terre Haute
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – It is back to Missouri Valley Conference action for the University of Evansville men’s basketball team when the Purple Aces travel to Indiana State on Thursday.  The tip is set for 7 p.m. CT with the Purple Aces Radio Network and ESPN+ having the coverage.
Last Time Out
– Evansville outscored Bellarmine by a 23-10 margin to earn a 73-61 win on December 21 at the Ford Center
– With the Knights holding a 51-50 lead with 6:28 remaining, Evansville took control to pick up their fourth win of the season
– After being held scoreless in the first half, Kenny Strawbridge Jr. erupted for 22 in the second half to lead all players
– Yacine Toumi recorded his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Gage Bobe wrapped up the game with a career-best 12 points
Second Half Performance
– In the Dec. 21 game against Bellarmine, Kenny Strawbridge Jr. was held scoreless in the opening half but rebounded with 22 points in the final 20 minutes
– He converted three consecutive triples as the Aces wrapped up the game on a 23-10 run; he was 3-for-6 from outside in the win and ended a 3-for-22 streak from long range entering the contest
– Strawbridge is currently 8th in the league with his average of 16.2 points per game and has scored 20 or more points on six occasions
– His top-scoring output of the season saw him register 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting versus Fairfield
Career Game
– Knocking down four of his seven 3-point attempts against Bellarmine, Gage Bobe set his career mark with 12 points
– It surpassed his previous mark of nine points which came on two occasions prior to this season
– Aside from his point tally, Bobe also set his career highs with five rebounds and 35:46 minutes
– Bobe has made the start in all 13 games this season
Chalk up Another
– For the third time this season, Yacine Toumi recorded a double-double as he finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds against Bellarmine
– His 11 caroms was a new career high and was his third double digit rebound game this season and his average of 5.6 per game is second on the team and 15th in the Valley
– Toumi scored a career-high 18 points against Campbell and has registered at least 8 points in five straight games and 10 of his 12 games in 2022
– His first two double-doubles of the year came against Saint Louis (11 pts, 10 rbs) and SMU (14 pts, 10 rebs)
Scouting the Opponent
– Indiana State enters Thursday’s game with a 9-4 record while picking up wins in its first two MVC games
– The Sycamores defeated Drake and Southern Illinois to open their league slate
– Since the win over SIU, Indiana State has lost three in a row with their most recent game being a 67-57 loss to Northern Illinois
– Courvoisier McCauley paces ISU with 17.5 points per game while shooting 43.9% from the field and leading the squad with 42 triples
– Cameron Henry checks in with 11.8 points and a team-high 5.3 rebounds
