EVANSVILLE, Ind. – On Tuesday, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team completes a 4-game homestand with a 7 p.m. game against UT Arlington at the Ford Center.
Last Time Out
– Trailing by as many as 22 points in the second half, the Purple Aces cut the deficit to two points in the final minute before dropping a 77-72 decision to MTSU on Nov. 12
– Five UE players scored in double figures with Connor Turnbull leading the way with 16 points while Bryce Quinet and Keishon Porter scored 14 apiece
Excellent Start
– Josh Hughes is putting together the top streak of his career through four games of his junior season
– Hughes leads the team with 13.0 points per game and has reached double figures in each contest
– His top performance came at #1 Purdue where he totaled 15 points and 11 boards on the way to his second career double-double
– Hughes is all over the MVC stat rankings including:
– Scoring T-17th 13.0 PPG
– Rebounding 7th 6.50 RPG
– FG% 11th 56.8%
– 3PT% 7th 41.2%
– 3PT FG/GM T-13th 1.75/game
– Offensive RBs T-3rd 3.00/game
3-for-4
– For the third time in four games, AJ Casey scored in double figures finishing with 12 points against MTSU
– Casey was on the floor for 36:42, the highest minutes tally of his career
– He is averaging 10.0 PPG on the season with his top effort coming at #1 Purdue
– Against the Boilermakers, Casey set career marks in points (14), FG (6), attempts (13), and rebounds (9)
Finding His Groove
– Connor Turnbull has improved his scoring output in each of his three games
– After scoring six against Calumet, he posted 12 versus Oakland City before setting his season mark with 16 against MTSU
– He was 6-for-9 from the field against the Blue Raiders while going 4-of-4 from the line
– Turnbull is second in the MVC with 2.00 blocks per game and had four in the victory over Oakland City
Scouting the Opponent
– UT Arlington makes its first-ever trip to Evansville with a 3-1 record following a 67-49 victory over Missouri State on Saturday
– The lone loss for UTA was a 74-56 decision at New Mexico
– Raysean Seamster is the top threat for the Mavericks as he leads the team in scoring (17.5 PPG), rebounding (7.3 RPG), FG (30), blocks (7), and steals (11)
– Casmir Chavis and Bahsil Laster both come into Tuesday’s game with an average of 10.8 PPG
– Cameron Jackson registered 15 rebounds in the win over Missouri State; he is second on the team with a season average of 7.0 per contest
