Aces have 11 days until next contest
 MIUNCIE, Ind. – Three days after setting his career scoring mark against Campbell, Marvin Coleman II had another strong effort, scoring 17 points as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team fell by an 88-69 final to Ball State on Saturday inside Wortham Arena.
Coleman went 3-for-4 from outside while tying for the team lead with three assists and posting a team-best two steals. Kenny Strawbridge Jr. totaled 15 points and 8 rebounds while Antoine Smith Jr. drained four triples on his way to 14 points and 7 caroms. Preston Phillips tied his career scoring mark with 9 points while hauling in 9 boards.
“We knew we had to defend without fouling and it really set the tone. To give up 21 free throws in the first half, you tend to give up your aggression and we need to be more disciplined without fouling,†UE head coach David Ragland explained. “We told our guys to do a better job of playing hands free. Over the last week, we have been able to be more diligent with our time and get extra shots up. It has helped to get extra rest and treatment.â€
Jaylin Sellers paced the Cardinals with 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting while Payton Sparks picked up a double-double. He registered 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. As a team, BSU was 31-of-40 from the line.
Strawbridge hit a jumper that gave Evansville a 3-0 lead to open the game. Ball State responded with eight in a row as a pair of triples found the bottom of the net to give them an 8-3 lead. Yacine Toumi ended the run when he drove to the basket for a field goal before the Cardinals added to the advantage.
Two free throws put BSU up 17-10 at the 12-minute mark before Evansville used the long ball to get right back in it. Preston Phillips and Antoine Smith Jr. drained back-to-back triples to make it a 1-point game. Over the next six minutes, Ball State slowly took control. Their defense held UE to 0-of-9 shooting with two turnovers. On the offensive end, BSU scored 11 in a row to go up 28-16 with five minutes to go in the half.
Marvin Coleman II hit his second triple of the day to cut into the deficit before the Cardinals pushed the lead to 42-28 at the break as they shot 50% including a 4-of-7 showing from outside.
Things continued to go Ball State’s way in the second half as they scored eight of the first nine points before extending the lead to 22 when a triple made it 56-34 with just under 15 minutes remaining. Gabe Spinelli connected on the first 3-pointer of his career in the early moments of the period.
Evansville never gave up and shot its way back into contention. An 11-2 rally included a pair of 3-pointers from Smith along with five points from Coleman. His third triple of the afternoon made it a 58-45 game at the 11:45 mark. Ball State came back with five in a row and would see their lead grow even more.
Coleman knocked down two free throws following a BSU technical to temporarily stop the run, but the Cardinals continued to cruise. With under five minutes remaining, they went up by an 83-55 score. UE continued to battle back in the final minutes, getting as close as 16 (85-69) before the game finished with an 88-69 BSU victory.
Ball State shot 44.4% in the game while going 9-for-19 (47.4%) from outside. Evansville completed the day shooting 39.0% while going 9-of-18 from 3-point range.
With final exams set for this week, the Aces will have some time off before returning to the floor on December 21 with a home game against Bellarmine.
