Aces hang tough with Bruins
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Giving one of the top teams in the Missouri Valley Conference everything it could handle, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team put up a strong fight on Wednesday evening before dropping a 73-64 decision against Belmont inside the Ford Center.
Marvin Coleman II and Yacine Toumi recorded 15 points apiece. Both connected on six field goals with Toumi tying for the team lead with nine boards. Antoine Smith Jr. recorded 14 points while hauling in a career-best nine rebounds. Ben Sheppard paced Belmont with 23 points and 10 caroms, both game highs.
“Our staff has put an emphasis on getting off to a better start and we were able to do that tonight. Having seven assists and one turnover led to a 9-point lead,†UE head coach David Ragland said. “One thing to work on is that 6-8 minute stretch where teams respond and punch back. We did a nice job of playing a good 32 minutes, but we need to make it 40 minutes. I think we gave ourselves a chance to win and a chance to teach.â€
Hitting their first three attempts, Belmont scored the first five points on their way to an 8-3 lead. Antoine Smith Jr. got the Aces on the board with a 3-point play. The early run by the Bruins saw them open the night 5-of-6 from the field and 3-for-3 from outside as they took a 13-8 lead.
Evansville countered in a big way as a pair of 3-pointers by Yacine Toumi highlighted a 14-0 run that saw the Purple Aces take a 22-13 lead. Smith finished the run with two triples of his own as UE connected on five field goals in a row. Trailing by a score of 24-16, the Bruins posted eight in a row to tie it up midway through the period. UE’s offense missed nine shots in a row while turning it over three times over a span of 5:32.
Toumi and Marvin Coleman II converted baskets that put the Aces back in front at 28-24 but Belmont completed the period on a 12-4 run to hold a 36-32 advantage at halftime. Smith had 14 points and 6 rebounds in the first 20 minutes while Ben Sheppard paced Belmont with 16 points at the break.
Gage Bobe hit a jumper for the first points of the second half before Belmont scored the next seven to go up 43-34. The Aces remained within striking distance when a putback by Toumi made it a 58-51 as the game entered its final nine minutes. Belmont responded with consecutive triples that solidified a 64-51 lead.
Coleman kept the Aces in the thick of it, posting consecutive 3-point plays to keep the deficit around 10 points but the Bruins continued to hold strong and took the game by a final score of 73-64. Belmont finished the game shooting 49.1% while the Aces shot 39.7%. The Bruins outrebounded UE by a 38-33 tally.
On Saturday, the Aces return to the road for a 6 p.m. game at Valparaiso.
