Late rally pushed UE to win over Bellarmine

Late rally pushed UE to win over Bellarmine

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Trailing by a score of 51-50 with 6:28 remaining, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team finished the game on a 23-10 run to earn a 73-61 victory over Bellarmine on Wednesday evening inside the Ford Center.

Highlighting the late run by the Purple Aces was Kenny Strawbridge Jr.  He scored 13 of his 22 points in the final three minutes.  Making his effort even more impressive is that he was held scoreless in the first half before recording a game-high 22.  Yacine Toumi added his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Gage Bobe recorded one of his best games in an Aces uniform.  Hitting four 3-pointers, Bobe set his career mark with 12 points while adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

“We went over their (Bellarmine’s) pace in practice and I thought early in the game, we really had to adjust to it.  Once we got more accustomed to it in the second half, we were really able to play our game,” Aces head coach David Ragland said.  “With a nice layoff since our last game, we looked rested and ready.  I am proud of how we were able to perform for the entire 40 minutes.”

“I am proud of the guys for sticking together and responding the right way.  Their team is similar to schools in our conference.  They make you work to get offensive opportunities and good shots and they make you defend.  Our entire league is well-coached and Bellarmine fits right in there with their staff.”

Three-pointers from the Knights would be the story of the first half with nine finding the bottom of the net.  Yacine Toumi got UE on the board while Sekou Kalle had a dunk to give the Aces an early 4-3 lead.  Bellarmine quickly added two more triples to make it a 9-4 game.

With the half reaching its midway point, the Knights took their largest lead to that point at 20-9.  Gage Bobe, who matched his career scoring high in the opening 20 minutes with nine points, converted consecutive triples with Toumi adding a dunk to get Evansville within three – 23-20.  Each time UE would close the gap, Bellarmine had an answer and they would head to the break with a 39-30 lead.   BU shot 58.3% in the period while going 9-for-16 from long range.

Kenny Strawbridge Jr. was held scoreless in the opening stanza but six early points in the second half as the Aces stormed back.  Trailing 42-32, Evansville went on a 13-1 run to take a 45-43 lead five minutes into the period.  Consecutive baskets by Strawbridge were followed by a Marvin Coleman II triple.

Another Strawbridge bucket was followed by the fourth triple of the game from Bobe, which put UE in front at 44-43.  The Knights responded to take a 47-45 edge with 9:54 remaining before Kalle and Strawbridge picked up baskets to give Evansville a 49-47 lead.  Four minutes later, it was the Knights taking a short-lived lead with Toumi knocking down two free throws with 5:51 showing on the clock to give UE a 52-51 lead.

Preston Phillips connected on two free throws with 3:26 on the clock and continued what would be a game-changing run.  Following his free throws, Evansville hit four shots in a row to go up 65-53 with 1:28 left.  The late run was the difference as the Aces finished the night with the 73-61 decision in front of 4,603 fans.

“The crowd was great tonight and we felt like we had to play well,” Gage Bobe said after the win.  “This was a huge win for us to get some momentum.”

UE shot 43.6% for the game while holding Bellarmine to 42.2%.  Following their 58.3% showing in the opening stanza, the Knights were held to 23.8% (5-for-21) in the final 20 minutes.

Missouri Valley Conference play resumes on December 29 with a trip to Indiana State.