Aces to play on Wednesday evening

The University of Evansville men’s basketball team returns to action on Wednesday evening, traveling to Cedar Falls, Iowa to take on UNI in a 7 p.m. game.  Live coverage of the game will be on “The Valley on ESPN3” along with 91.5 WUEV.

In a close game for the duration of the contest, Loyola defeated the Purple Aces by a final of 67-61 on Saturday in Chicago on Saturday afternoon.  Duane Gibson had his best game in three seasons, posting 21 points in the game; he also had 9 rebounds while seeing the floor for a career-high 37 minutes.  UE put a smaller lineup on the floor to begin the contest, starting four guards.  Jaylon Brown and Ryan Taylor totaled 16 and 10 points, respectively in the game.

Duane Gibson had one of his best college games in his 4th season with the Purple Aces, tallying 21 points at Loyola.  Averaging 5.7 points per game over the course of his career, Gibson has enjoyed playing the Ramblers as he averages 15.0 points against them.  Gibson hit 8 out of 12 attempts and all five free throws while grabbing nine rebounds; he also played a career-high 37 minutes.  He has started 17 games this year and currently stands with an average of 5.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

After starting conference play with an 0-5 mark, UNI has fought back to win its last three games, including a double over time home win over Loyola and a 58-57 win at SIU on Saturday.  The Panthers sit at 8-11 overall and 3-5 in league play as Jeremy Morgan has led the way with 16.3 points per game.  Morgan, the Preseason MVC Player of the Year, also leads UNI with 6.4 rebounds per game, 56 assists, 40 steals and 26 blocked shots.

A 70-58 win on New Year’s Day saw the Aces tie the all-time series against UNI at 25-25.  The Aces are 7-15 on the road in Cedar Falls and have lost their last three trips to the McLeod Center after winning there in 2012 and 2013.

University of Southern Indiana Men’s Track & Field junior Bastian Grau (Höchstadt, Germany) was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week for the second consecutive week.

Competing against top talent at the Gladstein Invitational hosted by Indiana University, Grau notched an NCAA provisional mark in the fast section of the mile. His time of 4 minutes, 8.38 seconds was good enough for a sixth-place finish, about nine seconds behind the top finisher.

Grau’s mark in the event represents the fastest time in the GLVC this season. It is also ranked the second best at the NCAA Division II level, while being 56th across all levels.

Last week, Grau earned the award after a win in the 800-meter and a second-place showing in the 3,000-meters at the Robert H. Johnson Little Giant Open.

It is the second GLVC weekly honor of Grau’s career. Former USI All-American Johnnie Guy earned the award three straight weeks during the 205-16 track & field season.

The Screaming Eagles returns to action this weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana competing in the Tom Hathaway Distance Classic January 27-28.

The 12th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team begins a two-game road swing Thursday when it visits Saint Joseph’s College (9-10, 3-6 GLVC) for a 7:30 p.m. contest in Rensselaer, Indiana. USI (18-1, 8-1 GLVC) ends the road trip Saturday at 2:15 p.m. (CST) with a visit to the University of Indianapolis (10-7, 7-2 GLVC).

Game coverage for this week’s games, including live stats, video streams, and audio broadcasts, is available at GoUSIEagles.com. The games also can be heard on WEOA 98.5FM/1400AM and 95.7FM The Spin.

The Screaming Eagles start the week tied for first in the GLVC East Division with 10th-ranked Bellarmine University with 8-1 conference marks. USI and Bellarmine are a game ahead of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and UIndy, each with 7-2 league records.

Following the Eagles’ road trip, USI returns to the friendly surroundings of the Physical Activities Center February 2 when it begins Homecoming Week by hosting Missouri University of Science & Technology for a 7:30 p.m. tip. The Eagles finish the weekend with their Homecoming game February 4 at 3:15 p.m. when they host Drury University.

USI Men’s Basketball vs. Week 13 Quick Notes:

• USI moved up in national rankings.The University of Southern Indiana fell in the NCAA Division rankings for the first time in a month, dropping to 12th in the NABC Division II Top 25 and eighth in the D2SIDA Media Top 25. USI also is ranked 10th in the NCAA Division II and seventh in the HeroSports.com power rankings.
• USI last week.USI went 2-1 last week, losing to 15th-ranked Bellarmine University, but defeating 22nd-ranked University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Lewis University. USI was led for the week by senior guard Jeril Taylor with 19.7 points per game, and sophomore guard Alex Stein with 17.7 points per game.
• A tie for first in the East.USI and 10th-ranked Bellarmine University are tied for first in the GLVC East Division (Bellarmine currently has the tie-breaker) with 8-1 conference marks.
• Tale of two seasons.Last year during the latest five-game stretch, the Eagles were 1-4 and in the midst of a four-game losing streak. USI reversed that stretch this year by winning four of five versus Truman State University, Quincy University, Bellarmine University, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and Lewis University.
• Lighting up the scoreboard.USI is lighting up the scoreboard this year, averaging a GLVC-best 93.4 points per game. The highest scoring average by an Eagles’ team was 1993-94 when the squad averaged 101.7 points per game and reached 100-or-more points 18 times. The last time a USI squad averaged 90-or-more points a game was in 2001-02 (90.3 points per game).
• USI season leaders.Senior guard Jeril Taylor leads USI with 20.8 points per game, 21.6 in GLVC games, while sophomore guard Alex Stein is posting 17.7 points per contest, 16.7 in the league. Junior forward Julius Rajala rounds out the double-digit scorers with 11.9 points per outing.
• Holding the boards.The Eagles are holding the line on the glass, outrebounding opponents 14 of the last 15 games.
• Crashing the boards.Senior guards Jeril Taylor and Cortez Macklin lead the Eagles in rebounding with 8.0 and 5.2 rebounds per contest, respectively. Macklin, who is averaging three rebounds per contest more than last year, averaged 6.0 rebounds per contest last week.
• USI vs. Saint Joseph’s.USI leads the all-time series, 54-20, and has a 18-10 advantage in Rensselaer, Indiana. The Eagles won last year’s meeting, 98-81, and have taken the last 12 match-ups with the Pumas. Senior guard Bobo Drummond led the Eagles in the 98-81win with his third-straight 22 point game.
• USI vs. UIndy.USI leads the all-time series, 54-21, and has a 16-13 advantage at the University of Indianapolis. The Greyhounds, who have won three of the last four match-ups with USI, defeated the Eagles last season at the PAC, 82-78, with sophomore guard Alex Stein leading USI with 18 points.

NABC Top 25 Poll 

1. Northwest Missouri State (12)
   2. Fairmont State, W.Va. (4)
   3. West Liberty, W.Va.
   4. California Baptist
   5. Shippensburg, Pa.
   6. Indiana, Pa.
   7. Hawai’i Pacific
   8. Queens, N.C.
   9. Wheeling Jesuit, W.Va.
   10. Bellarmine, Ky.
   11. Kutztown, Pa.
   12. Southern Indiana
   13. Barry, Fla.
   14. Tarleton State, Texas
   15. Western Washington
   16. Fort Lewis, Colo.
   17. Kentucky Wesleyan
   18. Arkansas-Monticello
   19. Alabama-Huntsville
   20. West Texas A&M
   21. MSU Moorhead, Minn.
   22. Colorado School of Mines
   23. Chico State, Calif.
   24. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn.
   25. Wisconsin-Parkside

   D2SIDA Top 25 Poll 
   1. Northwest Missouri (14)
   2. Fairmont State
   3. California Baptist
   4. Shippensburg
   5. Queens
   6. Bellarmine
   7. West Liberty
     8. Southern Indiana
   9. Tarleton State
   10. Barry
   11. Western Washington
   12. Arkansas -Monticello
   13. Lincoln Memorial
   14. Wheeling Jesuit
   15. UT-Permian Basin
   16. MSU-Moorhead
   17. Ferris State
   18. West Texas A&M
   19. Hawai’i Pacific
   20. Ch. ico State
   21. Valdosta State
   22. St. Thomas Aquinas
   23. Indiana (PA)
   24. Augusta (Ga.)
   25. Wisconsin-Parkside