Frederking recorded 26 points in the victory
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Sophomore Noah Frederking scored a career-high 26 points to lead the University of Evansville men’s basketball team to a 92-72 win over Kentucky Wesleyan in the home opener at the Ford Center on Thursday evening.
Frederking was 9-of-14 from the field and 3-6 from outside. Of his 26 points, 19 came in the first half. The outing comes after a 10-point effort on Saturday at Xavier.
“I just tried to come off the bench and give a little spark to our team. I made one and felt like I could keep shooting until I missed one, I was really feeling it,†Frederking said after the win. Coach just wants me to go in there and be aggressive.â€
K.J. Riley had a nice game, finishing with 16 points while John Hall recorded 13. Hall’s final tally set his career mark for the second game in a row; he registered 12 against the Musketeers. Riley has finished with at least 14 points in all three games so far.
For UE head coach Walter McCarty, it marked the first of what will be many wins with the Purple Aces. He was excited after the game, but as always, he gave all of the credit to his players.
“Noah came and played with a good pace. He is always looking to shoot, I am excited because he was very aggressive tonight,†McCarty said. “Jawaun (Newton), Shamar (Givance) and Noah were able to come in and make an impact and help turn the game. When they were on the bench to start, they were able to view the game and see what they could do to help us.â€
The Aces did not get the start to the night that they hoped for when Kentucky Wesleyan jumped out to a 15-10 lead in the opening five minutes. The Panthers hit three triples to take the early advantage.
“At the beginning, we were shooting without a purpose, I wanted us to get in the paint a little more. We have to start the games better, dictate a pace and get stops,†McCarty explained. “We cannot let teams get comfortable, because when they do, their shots go in. Defensively, we were much better, but still have a way to go.â€
John Hall echoed those comments.
“We have to start the games better and be ready to play,†he said. “We know what we have to do and we will be ready going forward.â€
A layup by Marty Hill cut into the deficit before the Aces were able to get in front at the 11:05 mark as Frederking connected on his second field goal of the night. The Aces never gave up the lead from there. UE pushed its advantage to four points, but the Panthers cut it to one as late as a 34-33 score with 7:29 remaining in the half.
It was Frederking being true from outside once again. His third trey of the game sent the Aces on an 8-0 stretch that pushed the lead to 42-33. Following a KWC basket, the Aces completed the half on a 15-4 run to go into the half with a 57-39 lead. Shea Feehan capped off the first-half scoring with the team’s 10th triple of the half with 21 seconds on the clock.
Kentucky Wesleyan hung tough in the second half, cutting the UE lead to 13 at the midway point of the period, but Evansville was able to fend off the challenge to finish with the 92-72 win. The Panthers saw Mohamed Abu Arisha lead the way with 16 points and 10 boards while Zavon Goodwin and Adam Goetz scored 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Both squads finished with 37 rebounds. Feehan was the top rebounder for the Aces, hauling in nine caroms. He had one in each of the first two games. Riley grabbed seven. Freshman Shamar Givance led the team with five assists while Frederking and Hall posted four apiece. Hall has dished out nine helpers over the last two games.
UE shot 49.3% for the night, including 58.1% (18/13) in the first 20 minutes of action. The Panthers were just below that mark for the game, finishing at 46.7%. Both teams had 17 assists while the Aces forced 21 turnovers while committing just seven as a team. Since turning it over 24 times in the opener at Illinois, UE has done extremely well in that department, committing just 16 over the last 80 minutes on the court.
Next up for the Aces is a visit by Texas Southern to the Ford Center. Tip is set for noon on Sunday.
