MSU picks up fifth win in last six games

 SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A scrappy game by the University of Evansville men’s basketball team saw them challenge Missouri State all evening before the Bears were able to take the game by a 72-58 final inside JQH Arena.

“To come out the way we did in the second half was great to see.  Our guys chipped away and were able to take the lead in a tough road environment,” UE head men’s basketball coach Todd Lickliter exclaimed after the contest.  “We have been executing much better over the last few games and look to continue to build on our positives.”

Jawaun Newton finished with 18 points for the Purple Aces (5-15, 1-8 MVC) while Shamar Givance recorded 17.  Preston Phillips set a new personal high with 12 rebounds.  His mark ties Newton for the most by a UE player this season.  Gaige Prim scored 23 points to lead the Bears (16-7, 7-3 MVC) while Isiaih Mosley registered 14.  Donovan Clay had a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 13 caroms.

Defense was the name of the game in the first half with the Aces holding the Bears to 31% from the field while their offense finished at 33.3%.  MSU scored the opening four points of the night before a nice finish by Antoine Smith Jr. got UE on the board.  The Bears extended their lead to 10-2 through the opening seven minutes while the UE offense hit one of its first seven attempts.

Evan Kuhlman converted a 3-point play to get the Aces within five before Blake Sisley made it a 1-point game (12-11) at the 10:31 mark.  Missouri State quickly rebounded and took their largest lead at 26-17 with the half entering the final three minutes.  In the final possession of the period, Shamar Givance found Jawaun Newton cutting to the basket for a score that made it a 28-21 game in favor of the Bears at the break.

It took just a minute into the second half for the Bears to take the first double figure lead at 31-21, but a momentum changer occurred on the other end when Preston Phillips took it to the basket for a dunk.  A Newton triple was followed by a Givance 3-point play that made it 33-29 game in favor of MSU.  Isiaih Mosley scored five in a for the Bears to push the lead back to nine, but Evansville fought right back.  Smith drained a triple to get UE within one at 38-37.

On the next offensive possession, it was Blaise Beauchamp knocking down a 3-pointer to give UE its first lead of the night.  Following a miss by MSU, Givance took it the distance of the floor to cap off a 14-0 run and give the Aces a 42-38 lead with 12:08 remaining.  Consecutive baskets by Gaige Prim put the lead back in the Bears hands at 45-44.  Newton connected on a 3-point play to tie it back up at 47, but the Bears responded with 13 in a row to go up by a 60-47 margin inside of the 6-minute mark.

From that point, the Bears held strong as they would finish the night with the 72-58 win.  MSU shot 39.7% for the night while the Aces shot 39.3%.

QUINCY, Ill.—University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball shot a season-best 50.8 percent (33-65) from the field as the Screaming Eagles rolled past host Quincy University, 87-59, in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest Saturday afternoon.

The Screaming Eagles (14-3, 8-1 GLVC), who shot 59.2 percent (29-49) from the field throughout the first three periods of the game, hit five of their first six three-point field goal attempts as they jumped out to a 19-8 lead midway through the first period.

USI, which led by 13 at the end of the first quarter, went on a 12-2 run late in the second quarter to build a commanding 24-point lead before settling on a 49-29 halftime advantage.

The Eagles erased all doubts of the game’s outcome in the third period as they shot a blistering 71.4 percent (10-14) from the field to take a 34-point advantage into the final 10 minutes of play. USI led by as much as 37 in the fourth quarter before settling on the 28-point victory.

Junior guard Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) was 5-of-6 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range as she finished with a game-high tying 14 points. Sophomore forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) matched Blackwell with 14 points and five rebounds, while freshman guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) added 11 points off the bench.

USI also got eight points from junior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) as well as seven points apiece from junior forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri) and junior guard Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Missouri). Robbe led the Eagles with seven rebounds.

Quincy (6-15, 2-11 GLVC) was led by junior guard Beth Matas Martin, who finished with 14 points.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Vincennes University men’s and women’s Track and Field teams both entered this week ranked No. 21 in the country in this week’s polls.

The Trailblazer teams defended these rankings well at Friday’s Tiger Paw Classic in Louisville hosted by Campbellsville University and Georgetown College.

VU’s men’s team dominated the 1000 meter race, with the blue and gold coming away with three of the top four finishers.

Freshman Mathew Keitany (Kenya) took home first place in the event, finishing with a time of 2:31.46.

Sophomores Manamanya Opiew (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Trenton Faulkner (Vincennes, Ind.) also placed in the top five, with Opiew placing second at 2:34.04 and Faulkner coming in fourth at 2:35.81.

The trio also teamed up with freshman Ernest Momodu (Indianapolis, Ind.) to take a dominate first-place finish in the 4×800 meter relay. Finishing with a time of 8:16.46, 33 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.

Sophomore Kyle Stewart (Evansville, Ind.) placed second in the long jump, after a jump of 7.10 meters.

Freshman Nicholas Stanislaus (Grenada) also reached the podium in the long jump event, placing seventh at 6.64 meters.

Freshman Armin Beham (Austria) held his own in the throwing pit, placing third in the shot put at 14.08 meters and fourth in the weight throw at 14.62 meters.

Sophomore Mason Harmes (Borden, Ind.) placed sixth in the shot put as well, finishing with a longest throw of 12.36 meters.

Freshman Jaien Webster (Anderson, Ind.) placed fifth in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.54 seconds.

Sophomore Matthew Frazier reached the podium in the pole vault, reaching a height of 3.85 meters and placing sixth.

Sophomore Ian Boit rounded out the VU men’s podium finishers by taking home eighth in the 3000 meter race, finishing with a time of 9:13.77.

“The 1000 meter was our best event of the day,” VU Track and Field Head Coach Marty Rogier said. “Mathew qualified for Nationals and Manamanya just missed qualifying by 0.3 seconds. Ernest Momodu also won his heat in the 1000 also.”