Balentine becomes UE scoring leader in win over Bears

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Balentine scored 18 points to set the UE mark

 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A 3-pointer in the second half made University of Evansville senior D.J. Balentine the all-time scoring leader for the Purple Aces as UE topped Missouri State by a final of 83-64 on Saturday afternoon at the Ford Center.

 

Needing 18 points for the mark, Balentine did just that.  All 18 of his points came in the second half and the clincher came with 2:49 remaining in the game as he posted the 2,280th point of his illustrious career.

 

“This is unbelievable, I am so grateful for this,” Balentine said.  “The embrace from my teammates after getting that basket was the best feeling ever.  I never thought it would feel like this and to do it in front of the home crowd is even better.”

Standing at 15 points, UE (19-6, 8-4 MVC) junior Jaylon Brown found Balentine open on the break and Balentine converted on the shot.

 

“I knew what I was doing in trying to get him the ball,” Brown said.  “I knew what he needed and was looking for him.”

 

Balentine knew from the start that the basket was good.

 

“As soon as JB got the ball, he gave me a look and that is when I knew he was going to pass it to me,” Balentine explained.  “I knew it was good when I let it go.”

 

Head coach Marty Simmons, who also coached previous record-holder Colt Ryan, was proud of his senior.

 

“This is an incredible accomplishment,” Simmons said.  “He is the first person to credit his teammates, who set the screens and pass him the ball, but at the end of the day, you have to put it in the bucket.”
“Everyone is so excited for him.  When he was a freshman, Colt talked to him and tried to give him advice on what he needed to do at this level,” Simmons continued.  “D.J. came to the program as someone who could score the basketball and was a pretty good scorer in high school, but may be even better in college.  That is what makes him so special.”

 

Balentine finished with a total of 18 points, but it was Brown leading the way with 19 points, tying his career high.  He was 6-of-11 from the floor and knocked down 3 of his 5 3-point attempts.  Egidijus Mockevicius posted his 20th double-double of the season, recording 11 points and 12 rebounds while Mislav Brzoja continued a nice stretch of play with 13 points and 6 boards.

 

Missouri State (10-14, 6-6 MVC) was led by Chris Kendrix, who scored a game-high 21 points and hauled in 7 rebounds.  He hit 11 of his 13 free throws.

 

Evansville scored the first three points of the game, forcing Missouri State to miss its first four shots.  The Aces continued to hold the lead at the midway point of the half and added to that lead with a 9-0 run.  Up 16-12, the Aces went on the run as Mislav Brzoja capped it off with a triple.

 

The Bears ended the run as Jarred Dixon connected on a floater.  MSU would later cut the Aces lead to seven at 34-27 in the final two minutes of the half before UE had a run of its own, scoring the final six points, including a Willie Wiley shot at the buzzer, to go into halftime up 40-27.  Wiley had a strong game, tying his career mark with 8 points.

 

A 3-pointer by Jaylon Brown opened up the second half and the Aces were able to cruise from there.  They led by as many as 24 points (80-56) in the final two minutes before taking the 83-64 win.

 

On Thursday, the Aces return to action at the Ford Center as they play host to Illinois State in an 8 pm game on CBS Sports Network.

 

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