UE shows great improvement on the road
Trailing by as many as 18 points, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team staged a furious rally, getting within two points in the final minute before Valparaiso hung on for a 67-65 win on Sunday afternoon at the ARC.
Valparaiso (11-10, 4-4 MVC) held a 31-13 lead in the first half before the Purple Aces (9-12, 0-8 MVC) cut the gap to 13 at the half. UE continued to rally, getting within two with 1:08 remaining before the Crusaders fended off the challenge for the win.
“I think we made a couple of adjustments that were helpful. As I have told the guys, none of it is magical, they have to execute and make it happen,†UE head coach Todd Lickliter explained after his second game leading the program. “Tonight, they just kept fighting and trying to figure it out. There is a lot to be said for that.â€
Sam Cunliffe tied for the game high with 16 points. He was 3-for-6 from outside and set his season mark with eight rebounds. Jawaun Newton set his career scoring high with 12 points. He connected on four of his five field goal attempts along with both 3-point tries. K.J. Riley matched Newton’s final tally of 12 while Artur Labinowicz finished with 11. Riley and Shamar Givance tied for the game’s top assist total with four apiece.
In the first half, it was Jawaun Newton leading the way with nine points while playing a pivotal role in UE overcoming an 18-point deficit. The Crusaders jumped out to an 11-4 lead while their defense held the Aces to a 2-of-12 shooting start to open the game. With Valpo up 16-8, Noah Frederking ended Evansville’s 0-5 start from outside, connecting on a triple that made it a 16-11 game.
That is when the Crusaders used a 13-0 run to open up their largest lead of the game at 29-11. UE was held off the board for a period of 6:17 while missing four shots and turning it over four times. A layup by K.J. Riley put an end to the stretch and got the Aces pointed back in the right direction.
Following a basket that pushed the Valparaiso lead to 31-13, the Aces reeled off nine points in a row with Newton providing most of the offense. Sam Cunliffe got the team rolling with his second field goal of the game before Newton knocked down a triple, two free throws and a layup to bring Evansville back within nine at 31-22 inside of three minutes remaining. UE’s run came over the span of just 2:08. Valparaiso regrouped and hit a big triple at the buzzer with Ryan Fazekas connecting from downtown to send the Crusaders to the locker room with a 36-23 lead. They shot 50% in the opening stanza.
Valpo pushed its lead back to 15 in the first two minutes of the second half before Evansville made another rally. Cunliffe drilled his first long ball before John Hall and Riley picked up scores to get back within 10 points at 42-32 with 15 minutes on the clock.
Frederking added two more triples over the next segment, but at the midway point of the half, the Crusader lead stood at 54-43. After chipping away just a bit at a time, the Aces got even closer. An and-one by John Hall was followed by a 3-pointer from Artur Labinowicz that cut the deficit to 54-49 at the 8:36 mark.
Over the next three minutes, Valpo kept Evansville scoreless while extending the lead to nine. Riley moved into double figures with a basket that ended the drought, but the VU lead remained at nine with 3:05 on the clock. A resilient effort by UE continued thanks to timely outside shooting from Sam Cunliffe. Following an Evan Kuhlman free throw, Cunliffe recorded two triples that cut the gap to a pair – 63-61 – with 68 ticks left.
Evansville’s defense buckled down over the stretch, forcing a pair of missed shots and a turnover. The Aces had a chance to get even closer after Valparaiso missed the front end of a one-and-one. Riley drove to the basket, but his shot was blocked and the Crusaders turned into a pair of free throw makes at the other end. UE made every effort to complete the comeback, but Valparaiso finished with the 67-65 win.
Mileek McMillan’s 6-of-9 shooting day saw him match the game high of 16 points with Javon Freeman-Liberty and Daniel Sackey checking in with 12 points each.
Several positives can be taken from the contest, beginning with the rebounding. UE completed the game with a 36-31 edge on the boards while grabbing 11 on the offensive end – one off of its season-high. The Aces also finished the game shooting 40% for the first time since January 4. In two games under Coach Lickliter, the opposition has failed to shoot over 37% in the final 20 minutes.
