Aces looking to move above .500

Home play continues for the University of Evansville men’s basketball team as the Purple Aces will play host to Albion on Saturday afternoon in a 1 p.m. game at the Ford Center.  Albion is a Division III school from Albion, Michigan; they are located just over 50 miles west of Detroit.

“We have to really be prepared to play anybody, right now it does not matter if it is Albion, Wyoming or Ball State, we have to play at a certain standard,” Aces head coach Walter McCarty said.  “It is about how we play and how we are approaching the game.”

“Albion has a lot of guards that are aggressive and can get into the paint.  They shoot the ball really well from behind the arc; I think people will be really surprised with just how well they can shoot,” he added.

Last Time Out

– UE led in the first half by as many as 15 points against Wyoming, but the Cowboys came back to take the lead in the second half before the Aces held on for the 86-78 win

– The defense for Evansville forced UW to miss its first seven shots of the game

– Evansville pushed its lead to 24-9 before heading to the break leading 33-24

– Wyoming hit 59.4% of its shots in the second half and rallied back to take a 61-60 lead; the lead changed hands eight times in the final minutes

– Shamar Givance knocked down a huge triple with 1:30 left that gave the Aces a two possession lead for good

– John Hall’s first double-double keyed the win; he had a career-high 21 points and added 11 boards

– Justin James led Wyoming with 34 points; it was the highest total by an opponent in Ford Center history

Takeaways from Wyoming

– Hall’s 21-point effort marked the third time in six games this year that he has reset his career scoring mark

– Givance’s 12-point game was his top mark

– After allowing 16 rebounds in the loss at Ball State, the Aces gave up just four to the Cowboys

– UE’s 27 3-point attempts was the most for the team inside the Ford Center

– Dainius Chatkevicius scored 10 points in nine minutes before fouling out

– A total of 4,709 fans were in attendance; it is the first time the Aces have had at least 4,400 fans in its first three home games in the history of the Ford Center

– Noah Frederking scored 17 points to lead the UE bench; Evansville’s bench outscored its Wyoming counterparts, 44-16

King of the Hill

– The hot streak continued for Noah Frederking as he scored 17 points against Wyoming; he connected on six out of nine attempts

– Over his last four games, Frederking is averaging 15.5 points per game

– In the Nov. 15 win over Kentucky Wesleyan, Frederking set his career scoring mark with 26; in the first half alone, he matched his previous high of 19 points; he drained 9 of his 14 attempts

– His previous career high of 19 came last season against Midway

– Frederking has hit 12 of his last 24 3-point attempts

– He is also doing well inside the arc, hitting 13 out of 19 attempts on the season

Third Time is the Charm

– Resetting his career scoring mark has become a habit for John Hall, who did so for the third time this season against Wyoming

– Hall finished with a career-high 21 points while adding 11 rebounds against the Cowboys en route to his first double-double

– He is the #4 rebounder in the MVC with 7.5 per game; he is averaging 10 boards in his last three games

As a redshirt freshman last season, Hall scored 7 or more points just four times; so far this year – he is a perfect 6-for-6

– Prior to the Wyoming game, Hall’s top effort of 13 points came against Kentucky Wesleyan, that came just a few days after posting 12 at Xavier

– He had a career-high 12 rebounds against Texas Southern

– Hall attempted a total of six triples a season ago, he has already taken 22 treys in the first six games

– Inside the arc, Hall has drained 11 of his last 14 tries

Scouting the Opponent

– Albion comes to Evansville for its first-ever game against the Aces with a 4-1 record

– The Britons are led by Jamezell Davis, who is averaging 16.8 points per game

– Davis is a 51.7% shooter overall and leads the team with 11 3-point makes

– Caden Ebeling and Milton Barnes check in with 11.2 and 10.0 points, respectively

– Last time out, the Britons defeated Heidelberg, 97-85; Davis scored 31 points in the triumph

The University of Evansville Indoor Track team begins it’s second season since returning to competition at the UIndy Opener meet in Indianapolis, Saturday, beginning at 11 am Eastern time.  Head Coach Don Walters returns a squad that achieved several successes in their first season back a year ago. Among the schools participating in the meet include host team Indianapolis, Bellarmine, Transylvania,DePauw, Wabash, Earlham, Trine and Indiana University-East.

On the men’s side, the Aces have several team record breakers, including sophomore runner Aaron Straight (200 Meter), senior thrower Ryan Freeman (Shotput, 35 lb. Throw) and sophomore pole vaulter Ian Alberts. On the women’s side, coming off their their first season of existence, feature several top returning athletes, including sophomore runners Anna Lowry, Nikki Hutchcraft and Lauren Meyer, as well as senior runners Sienna Crews and Tess Hupe. In the field, sophomore thrower Brittany Corley and sophomore jumper Lizzy Watson return, as well.