UE Heads To Cedar Falls For MVC Match-Up
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Following a break that has lasted 25 days, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team will return to action on Sunday, January 2 to face UNI inside the McLeod Center. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the coverage.
Season Update
– Evansville’s last two scheduled contests (UT Martin/SMU) were cancelled due to COVID issues
– The Purple Aces played 12 games over the course of 30 days to open the year, but will go 25 days in between the 12/8 game at SEMO and the 1/2 contest at UNI
Last Time Out
– Prior to its longest break of the season, the Purple Aces took on Southeast Missouri State on December 8 in Cape Girardeau
– A late rally came up just short with UE dropping a 75-73 contest to the Redhawks
– Jawaun Newton, Shamar Givance and Noah Frederking recorded 15 points apiece while Blaise Beauchamp added 11 points off the bench
– Givance had another outstanding all-around performance, adding 7 assists and 6 rebounds
– UE had its lowest number of turnovers (5) since finishing with five against MIssouri State on 2/4/17
Top 8 Across the Board
– An outstanding opening portion of the season has Shamar Givance ranking the MVC top eight in points, assists and steals
– He currently ranks 5th in the league with 1.5 steals per game and 6th with 3.8 assists per contests…his 15.0 PPG is 8th
– On Dec. 6, Givance was named the MVC Player of the Week for the second time in his career after scoring a career-high 31 points against Southern Illinois before adding 15 points and 7 rebounds against Tennessee Tech
– Over the last four games, Givance has recorded 21.8 PPG…since scoring 7 points in the opener at Cincinnati, Givance has recorded an average of 15.7 PPG while scoring at least 11 points in all but one game
On a Roll
– Sitting at 14.0 points per game on the season, Jawaun Newton has been even better over his last seven contests, averaging 16.6 PPG including a career-high of 30 points versus Rice
– His rebounding numbers are the best in his career with his average improving each season from 2.2 (FR), 2.8 (SO), 4.4 (JR) and 6.0 as a senior in 2021-22…over the last 5 games, Newton’s average has been even higher, checking in at 7.6/game
– He set his career mark with 12 at Eastern Illinois while his season average ranks 7th in the league
Top of the Valley
– Antoine Smith Jr. earned MVC Newcomer of the Week recognition on Nov. 29 and has continued to play well since that time and has assumed the conference lead with 47.5% of his outside attempts finding the bottom of the net
– After opening the season going 1-for-8 from the field, Smith has converted 31 of his last 51 attempts – 60.8%
– From outside, Smith hit 3 of first 10 attempts but has drained 16 of his last 30…for the season
Scouting the Opponent
– Through their first 11 games of the season, UNI stands with a mark of 4-7 and 0-1 in MVC play following a close 71-69 loss in the conference opener in December
– The last two scheduled games for UNI have been cancelled due to COVID including the Diamond Head Classic vs. Hawaii and a home game against Wartburg
– AJ Green holds the team lead with 16.9 points per game…that total puts him in third place in the MVC…his average of 3.0 triples per game is also third in the conference
– Noah Carter checks in with 11.5 points while Nate Heise averages 10.9 points and a tema-high 5.1 rebounds per contest
