Aces set for final two home games
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Ben Humrichous scored 20 while Kenny Strawbridge Jr. added 14 on Wednesday as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team dropped an 88-79 game to UIC inside Credit Union 1 Arena.
Humrichous was 7-of-12 from the field and connected on all four free throw tries. He added six assists, six rebounds and two steals. Strawbridge added four assists and two steals. Chuck Bailey III recorded 13 points as he converted six of his nine attempts. Hitting all four 3-point tries, Gage Bobe tallied 12 points. UIC was led by Isaiah Rivera’s 25 points.
Gage Bobe got things started with a three before Ben Humrichous connected from outside to put UE on top by a score of 8-5. UE slowly added to its lead as Cam Haffner posted a pair of field goals to help the Aces take their largest lead of the half at 17-9 at the 13:35 mark.
UIC rallied back with seven in a row before Haffner put an end to it with a triple that was made possible by a Humrichous offensive board. The Flames rallied to tie it up at 20-20 before Evansville regained control. Inside the 5-minute mark, Bobe knocked down his second triple to solidify a 31-25 lead. Chuck Bailey III converted a 3-point play just over a minute later to reestablish a 6-point advantage at 36-30.
Over the final 3:26 of the period, UIC made its way back, scoring the final six points to tie the game at halftime. Their defense clamped down, holding UE to 0-for-3 while forcing four turnovers in the final moments of the period.
On its first possession of the second half, UIC took its first lead of the evening at 38-36. Kenny Strawbridge Jr. quickly put the Purple Aces back in front, countering with a triple on the other side of the floor. Strawbridge recorded UE’s first nine points of the half to give his team a 45-43 edge. Multiple lead changes ensued before Evansville was able to take a 2-possession edge.
With the Aces down 54-53, Humrichous hit two free throws to put his team back on top. His layup with 8:05 remaining pushed the lead to five at 61-56. Evansville remained up five when a turnaround jumper by Humrichous made it a 63-58 score. The Flames used the next two minutes to go on an 12-4 run to retake a 70-67 lead with 4:37 remaining. UIC converted four triples in less than two minutes.
UIC’s run continued as they extended the lead to a game-high nine points (78-69) with less than two minutes left. During their run, the Flames hit eight out of ten field goal tries. Entering the final minute, Bobe nailed his fourth triple in as many attempts to chop the deficit to six. That would be as close as UE would get in the final seconds as the Flames clinched the 88-79 win.
Both teams shot exceptionally well with UE finishing at 52.5% while the Flames shot 51.9%. UIC picked up a 30-27 rebounding nod. Evansville will be back inside the Ford Center to welcome Southern Illinois on Sunday at 1 p.m.
