UE Ready For Third Game In Five Days To Open Season
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Wrapping up a stretch of three games in five days to open the regular season, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team travels to Nashville on Saturday for a 4 p.m. contest at Belmont. The game will be carried live on ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network.
Last Time OutÂ
– One of the best defensive efforts in five years saw the Purple Aces hold IUPUI to just 40 points on the way to a win in the home opener on Thursday
– It marked the first time since 2016 that the Aces held an opponent to 40 or below and was the 10th win in 11 Ford Center home openers
– Four players reached double figures, led by 16 points from Shamar Givance, 13 from Evan Kuhlman and 12-point efforts by Jawaun Newton and Blaise Beauchamp
– Givance also led UE with 7 rebounds and 3 steals
Scouting the Opponent
– Belmont comes into Saturday’s contest with an 0-1 mark following a 92-80 loss at Ohio U. on Tuesday
– Junior Ben Sheppard tied his career mark with 25 points in the opener while Nick Muszynski recorded 18
– Grayson Murphy totaled a team-high 10 rebounds while chipping in 8 points
– The Bruins are coming off of a stellar 26-4 record last season on the way to their 12th regular-season championship in 16 years and its seventh in nine seasons in the Ohio Valley Conference
– They return 97% of their offense from last season including Muszynski and Murphy, who were All-OVC honorees a season ago
11th Season at the Ford Center
– The Nov. 11 game against IUPUI tipped off the 11th season in the history of the Ford Center, which opened in 2011
– A 60-40 win over the Jaguars improved the Aces record to 10-1 in regular-season openers in the facility with the lone loss coming to Buffalo in 2012
– Evansville opened the arena on Nov. 12, 2011, taking down Butler in a thrilling 71-68 overtime victory…the Bulldogs were coming off of their second National Championship game appearance in a row
No Place Like Home
– Opening the 2021-22 season in Cincinnati was a homecoming for Evan Kuhlman, who grew up in nearby Liberty Township, Ohio
– Kuhlman did not disappoint the hometown supporters, tying for the team lead with 11 points while chipping in 6 rebounds
– He followed that up with 13 points and three more triples in the home opener against IUPUI and is currently UE’s top scorer with 12.0 points per game
– The start to the season continued a streak for Kuhlman that dates back to last season…he has now recorded double figures in each of the last eight games dating back to Feb. 17
A Defensive Clinic
– For the first time since Nov. 30, 2016, the Aces held an opponent to 40 points or fewer as the defense limited the Jaguars to 40 tallies on Nov. 11
– Prior to that, the last time Evansville did so was against Wabash in 2016…it was the first such effort against a Division I foe since 1/9/16 when the Aces held Bradley to just 35 points in a 67-35 home win
– The defense was able to hold each IUPUI scorer to single digits marking the first time an opponent has not had a double-figure scorer since Drake on Feb. 25, 2014
Consistent Start
– It was another nice offensive contest for Blaise Beauchamp, who scored 12 points while hitting three field goals and five free throws versus IUPUI
– That followed an 11-point night in the opener at Cincinnati
– In preseason action, Beauchamp averaged 12 PPG in two contests
– Through two games, Beauchamp has drained 9 of his 11 free throw tries while averaging 4.5 rebounds
