Aces lead wire-to-wire in 70-54 road win

 CHARLESTON, Ill. – Shamar Givance recorded a career-high 26 points while the University of Evansville men’s basketball team led from start to finish in a 70-54 road win at Eastern Illinois on Sunday inside Lantz Arena.

Givance posted a 10-of-13 day from the field and converted three of his four outside tries.  His stat line also included 5 assists, 5 steals and 5 rebounds.  Just four days after recording the first double-double of his UE (3-6) career, Jawaun Newton made it two in a row, finishing with 13 points while setting a new career mark with 12 caroms.

“I thought we played some pretty good basketball today.  We moved the ball so well and our guys made shots,” UE head men’s basketball coach Todd Lickliter said after the win.  “We did what we needed to do with getting the lead and extending it.”

Blaise Beauchamp tied his top UE mark with 12 points while Antoine Smith Jr. scored 10, his third double figure outing in the last four games.  Eastern Illinois (1-6) was led by Sammy Friday IV, who led the Panthers with 12 points and 8 rebounds.

Hitting 12 of its first 18 attempts from the field while starting 8-for-10 from outside, the Purple Aces took a 32-10 lead to begin the game.  Shamar Givance hit a pair of early triples to wrap up an 8-0 run to open the game.  After a Panther layup made it 11-5 at the 16:14 mark, Evansville responded with a 12-0 run.  Jawaun Newton and Antoine Smith Jr. hit triples during the stretch as the first half hit the midway point.

After Noah Frederking connected from downtown, Blaise Beauchamp drained back-to-back triples to push the lead to 32-10 with 7:38 left in the half.  Facing its largest deficit, Eastern Illinois clamped down on the defensive end, holding the Aces scoreless for over four minutes while scoring seven in a row to get within 15.  Beauchamp, who matched his career scoring mark in the first 20 minutes with 12 points, ended the drought with a basket.  EIU continued to rally, getting as close as 12 points (36-24) before UE registered the final score of the half to enter the break with a 38-24 advantage.

EIU connected on a triple in the opening minute of the second half to make it a 39-27 game before Evansville got back on track to take its largest advantage of the day.  Following a Panther miss, Antoine Smith Jr. hit a pair of free throws that were the first of 11 points in a row for UE.  Newton picked up seven in a row during the rally.  With 10:21 remaining, it was Givance getting the job done on both ends of the floor, hitting a driving layup before forcing a turnover and converting another basket that put the Aces up 56-31.

From there, the Aces held strong to take the 70-54 win, its first on the road since an 84-72 win at Southern Illinois on Dec. 28, 2020.  Evansville shot 41.5% for the game with EIU finishing at 38.0%.  A big difference in the game came from long distance with the Aces hitting 11 triples and EIU finishing 3-of-10.

Wednesday will see the Aces back inside the Ford Center for the Missouri Valley Conference opener against Southern Illinois.  Game time is 6 p.m.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball opens the 2021-22 Great Lakes Valley Conference season by hosting the University of Indianapolis Monday at Screaming Eagles Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., following the USI Women’s Basketball game at 5:30 p.m.

Game coverage information for USI Men’s Basketball, including live stats, video, and audio broadcasts, is available on GoUSIEagles.com. The games also can be heard on ESPN 97.7FM and 95.7FM The Spin.

Following the GLVC opener, USI finishes the first week of league play on the road by visiting the University of Illinois Springfield for a 7:30 p.m. match-up.

USI Men’s Basketball vs. UIndy, Illinois Springfield Quick Notes:

Eagles bounces back with OT win. USI bounced back from a loss at Cedarville University last week with a thrilling 85-80 overtime win at Kentucky Wesleyan College in the “Battle for the Bridge”. Senior guard Mateo Rivera (Indianapolis, Indiana) led USI with 16 points off the bench and was followed by junior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) dropped in 15 points.

Henry is Mr. Second Half. Sophomore guard Tyler Henry (Bronx, New York) is averaging 17.5 points per game in the last two contests, 16.0 points per game in the second half.

Swope hits for season high at KWC. Freshman guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana) dropped in a season-high 11 points, all in the second half, in the win at KWC. Swope also hit the game-tying bucket to send the contest to overtime.

Rivera moving into the top 30 in scoring. Senior guard Mateo Rivera moved into 31^st all-time in scoring with 958 career points in the win over KWC. Rivera is three points behind number 30 Lawrence Thomas (961); seven points behind number 29 Andre Jackson (965); eight behind number 28; and nine points behind number 27 and a tie with Scott Taylor and Ryan Kelley (967).

Eagles ranked 17^th in top 25. USI is ranked 17^th in the second D2SIDA Top 25 poll released November 23. The Eagles also received votes for the NABC Division II Top 25 in the first poll that was released last week.

USI vs. UIndy. The Eagles hold a 59-25 all-time series lead over the Greyhounds of the University of Indianapolis, dating back to the 1972-73 season. USI won last season’s match-up 80-75 at Screaming Eagles Arena and five of the last five match-ups.

UIndy in 2021-22. UIndy is 3-2 to start the 2021-22 campaign after completing a sweep in the UIndy Thanksgiving Classic Tuesday and Wednesday. The Greyhounds posted a 90-41 win over Ohio Valley University Tuesday and a 91-85 win versus Northwood University Wednesday afternoon.

USI vs. Illinois Springfield. USI has a 14-4 all-time series lead over the University of Illinois Springfield, including the last four and eight of the last 10 games. The Eagles won the only meeting in 2020-21, 88-69, in Springfield, while the second scheduled contest was cancelled due to COVID.

Illinois Springfield in 2021-22. The Prairie Stars are 2-3 in the first month of November, winning two of their last three before the start of GLVC play. Prior to Thanksgiving, Illinois Springfield lost to Northwood University, 79-71, and defeated Ohio Valley University, 94-57, in the UIndy Thanksgiving Classic. The Stars host McKendree University Monday before entertaining USI on Thursday.