Aces and Mustangs meet on Saturday afternoon
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the first time in 49 years, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team travels to the State of Texas as the Purple Aces face SMU on Saturday at 2 p.m. UE faces the Mustangs in Moody Coliseum with the broadcast set for ESPN+.
Last Time Out
– Trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half, Evansville got within one in the final 20 minutes before Southeast Missouri State finished with a 67-61 victory
– Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scored 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting while Yacine Toumi added 13 points and 7 boards
– Sekou Kalle and Marvin Coleman II hauled in 12 rebounds apiece
Back to Texas
– Evansville will play a game in Texas for the first time since December of 1973
– A 2-game road swing that year saw the Aces earn a 100-76 win over Lamar in Beaumont, Texas before traveling to El Paso the next day to face UTEP where the squad fell by a 60-57 final
Rebounding Stat
– It has been close to eight years since two Evansville players had 10+ rebounds in a game as Marvin Coleman II and Sekou Kalle accomplished the feat against SEMO
– The last time UE did so came on Dec. 28, 2014 when Egidijus Mockevicius and Mislav Brzoja each grabbed 10 boards versus Coppin State
Another 20-point Game
– With 22 points against SEMO, Kenny Strawbridge Jr. improved his season average to 17.7 points per game and is 7th in the MVC
– Knocking down 9 of his 17 attempts, Strawbridge scored 23 points to lead UE to a 78-74 win at Miami Ohio
– His debut was the best for Evansville since DeAndre Williams scored 26 against Ball State in his first game with the program in 2019
Double-Double Threat
– Every time he takes to the floor, Yacine Toumi has the chance to record a double-double
– Toumi is averaging 14.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game on the season and recorded the first double-double of his career at Saint Louis, posting 14 points and 10 rebounds
– He currently ranks inside the MVC’s top 18 in scoring, rebounding and minutes played
– His debut at Miami Ohio saw him score 15 points, including the first eight UE tallies of the game
Scouting the Opponent
– SMU comes into Saturday’s game with a 1-2 record with a win over Texas A&M-Commerce and losses to Dayton and New Mexico
– Zhuric Phelps has had an outstanding start to the season, checking in with an average of 18.7 points per game
– Zach Nutall is just behind with a mark of 15.0 PPG
– On the boards, it is Efe Odigie leading the Mustangs with 10.0 rebounds including 8.0/game on the defensive end
– Samuell Williamson is also a force on the boards, standing with 8.3 caroms per contest
