 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After earning its third consecutive Missouri Valley Conference win on Saturday at Valparaiso, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team looks to continue its streak on Wednesday against Bradley. Tip is set for 7 p.m. CT with ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network having the coverage.
Last Time Out
– Eleven lead changes ensued before the Purple Aces fended off a late challenge to earn a 63-62 road win over Valpo on Saturday
– Up by two in the final seconds, UE sent Valpo to the line where the final free throw fell short giving Evansville the win
– Kenny Strawbridge Jr. led the Aces with 14 points and 2 steals while Yacine Toumi and Antonio Thomas posted 10 apiece
– Josh Hughes hit a pair of triples in the second half that put UE in front
Getting Back to Form
– As he continues his return from injury, Ben Humrichous has seen his workload increase in each game
– At Valpo, Humrichous played 24 minutes and tallied 8 points and 3 boards; in his first game back against UIC, his presence was immediately felt as he finished with 15 points, 5 boards and 4 assists after missing the 3 previous games and 8 out of 9
– He remains one of the most versatile players in the MVC and the stat rankings are indicative of that: scoring (11th | 15.1 PPG), FG% (8th | 52.9%), 3PT% (1st | 45.2%), blocks (7th | 1.20/game)
Clutch Triples
– Josh Hughes converted a pair of second-half triples that were pivotal in Saturday’s road win at Valparaiso
– He recorded nine points against the Beacons, rebounding from a scoreless game against UIC
– Evansville is 10-1 in games where Hughes converts at least 50% of his attempts
– He has been held scoreless in 2 of the last 4 outings
– Hughes recorded two blocks at VU and is tied for 5th in the MVC with 1.23/game
– In the home game against Missouri State, Hughes connected on seven 3-point attempts; he has a total of 12 triples in the other 22 games
Adding More Swipes
– Kenny Strawbridge Jr.’s defense has been off the charts over the last six games
– With 14 steals in that span, his average has risen to 1.77/game, second in the MVC
– Offensively, he led UE at Valpo with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and is third on the team with 9.6 PPG on the season
– His season mark of 21 points came in the win over UT Martin
Scouting the Opponent
– Winners of 11 out of their last 12 games, Bradley comes to town with a 17-6 record and a 9-3 mark in MVC contests
– The lone defeat during the recent streak for the Braves was a 95-86 overtime loss at Indiana State
– Since the loss on Jan. 27, BU beat UNI by a score of 85-69 before a 73-60 road win at Illinois State on 2/3
– Connor Hickman continues to pace Bradley with 14.7 points per game while shooting 48.6% from the field
– Malevy Leons is averaging 14.0 points while leading the team with 7.0 rebounds
