 Kuhlman lifts UE to 65-61 win over UNI
Aces win second MVC game in a row
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Evan Kuhlman scored the first eight University of Evansville points before finishing with a career-high of 21 to lift the Purple Aces men’s basketball team to a 65-61 victory over UNI on Saturday afternoon inside the Ford Center.
Kuhlman gave Evansville (4-5, 2-1 MVC) an early 8-2 advantage. UNI (2-6, 1-2 MVC) came back to tie the game at 49-49 with just over seven minutes remaining in the game, but a 9-0 run by the Aces helped them to earn the victory. In his career effort, Kuhlman was 7-of-14 from the field while hitting four triples and all three free-throw attempts.
Joining Kuhlman in double figures was Samari Curtis. The sophomore added 14 points, including three from outside, on his way to 14 points. Jax Levitch paced the team with eight rebounds.
“I have to give a lot of credit to UNI – they are tough to play against – they move the ball and defend very well – it is very hard to generate offense on them and keep them under control defensively,†UE head coach Todd Lickliter said following the win. “We were able to persevere and that is a good sign. We had guys that fought hard and found a way to win.â€
Trae Berhow posted a triple-double for the Panthers, totaling 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Austin Phyfe also had a strong game, registering a double-double. He led UNI with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
It was the long ball that provided the Aces offense in the early going with UE hitting four of its first six attempts on the way to a 16-10 lead. Evan Kuhlman hit Evansville’s first three shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, with the Aces jumping out to an 8-2 lead. UNI closed within a tally at 11-10 as they hit five of their opening seven tries.
Noah Frederking pushed the lead back to four when he hit his first shot from downtown and Samari Curtis would connect on his first one as the team pushed its lead to 21-14 just past the midway point of the period. The next six points belonged to the Panthers, who cut their deficit to just a point once again with a Nate Heise layup that made it a 21-20 UE lead at the 7:13 mark.
Over the next two minutes, Evansville would extend its lead to a game-high eight points. Jawaun Newton hit back-to-back baskets before Frederking added his second try of the day. Two free throws by Shamar Givance capped off the run, which saw the Aces go up 30-22 with five minutes remaining. UNI was able to cut the gap in half in the final minutes as the Aces entered the halftime break with a 32-28 advantage. Kuhlman led all players with 10 points in the half.
The 3-point shot continued to be the Aces primary weapon as the first three field goals of the second half came from outside. Kuhlman added another 3-pointer along with an old-fashioned 3-point play that made it a 44-38 contest. Up by the same amount with 13 minutes remaining, the Aces went scoreless for a span of just over four minutes. The UE defense held strong, along just three Panther points before Newton converted a 3-point play that extended the lead to 49-43 with 8:45 on the clock.
Over the next 90 seconds, Northern Iowa reeled off six points to tie the game up for the first time since tipoff. The tying basket came from Austin Phyfe with 7:24 remaining. Facing their biggest challenge of the game, the Aces responded in a big way. A 9-0 rally saw the Aces take their largest advantage of the day. Kuhlman started it off with a three before Curtis forced a turnover and took the ball the distance for a 3-point play. It was Curtis capping off the run with a triple that gave Evansville a 58-49 advantage with 5:02 left.
As the minutes wound down, the Aces held strong. The Panthers got within a possession in the final minute, but two more Kuhlman free throws sealed the 65-61 win.
Today’s 21-point outing by Kuhlman passed his previous high of 17, which came at Drake last season. His top-scoring tally from this season prior to today was a 15-point game versus Eastern Illinois. UE shot 40% for the game with UNI finishing at 45.1%. The Panthers were 0-for-11 from 3-point range, ending a streak of 665 consecutive games hitting an outside shot. It was the first time Evansville held an opponent without a triple since Nov. 17, 2012, when Western Illinois failed to hit one.
Tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m., the teams will be back in action inside the Ford Center on ESPN+.
