Game time set for 1 p.m. Saturday

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Following a 2-game road swing through Iowa, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team returns to the Ford Center on Saturday to face Illinois State.  Tip is set for 1 p.m. CT with ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network having the coverage.

Last Time Out

– From start to finish, the Purple Aces were right in the thick of the battle in Tuesday’s road game at UNI

– After the Panthers opened on a 7-0 run, UE rallied to hold a 31-28 halftime lead

– The Panthers used a 10-0 run in the second half to retake control as they fended off a late challenge to take the 70-63 win

– Yacine Toumi tied his career scoring mark with 20 points while adding 6 boards

– Chuck Bailey III added 14 points while Tanner Cuff fell one short of his career mark, registering 13

Tying His Mark

– For the third time in his UE career, Yacine Toumi scored a career-best 20 points on Tuesday at UNI

– He was 9-of-16 from the field and posted 6 boards and 3 assists

– Toumi has been on a roll over the last nine games, averaging close to a double-double with 12.7 points and 7.6 rebounds

– He has recorded double figures in scoring in 10 of the last 12 games

– Toumi posted a career-best 12 boards versus Missouri State and is 8th in the MVC with a season mark of 6.6

Trending Upward

– Going into the road game at UNI, Tanner Cuff was averaging 5.0 points per game in the six prior outings

– Converting 5 of his 11 attempts, Cuff scored 13 points against the Panthers, just one short of his UE career-high

– Tanner Cuff continues to post one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the MVC, ranking 3rd at 2.30

– After scoring a total of five points against Indiana State and Murray State, Cuff recorded 9 tallies at Bradley and in the home victory over Valparaiso

– Cuff put together is top performance of the season against UT Martin, recording a career-high 14 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists

Back on Track

– Entering Tuesday’s game at UNI, Chuck Bailey III averaged 8.0 points in the previous 6 contests

– He rebounded to score 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting versus the Panthers

– His efficiency has improved over the last 3 games as he is shooting 52.2% (12-of-23)

– Bailey made the first start of his career at Drake and recorded four of UE’s opening six points while grabbing four boards

– An efficient 5-for-7 shooting game saw him post 13 points in the win over Valpo

Turning the Corner

– Tuesday’s game at UNI may prove to be a turning point for Cam Haffner

– With UE staging a second-half comeback, Haffner converted back-to-back triples and finished the day with 6 points, 3 assists, 2 steals and a season-high 7 boards

– He played a pivotal role in the Valpo win, posting 5 points and 3 assists to help his team extend its lead

Scouting the Opponent

– Wins at Missouri State and at home versus Belmont have seen Illinois State even its record at 10-10 while improving to 4-5 in the MVC

– On Tuesday, the Redbirds picked up a 77-67 home triumph over the Bruins

– Prior to their 2-game win streak, ISU had dropped six games in a row

– Three Illinois State players average double figures led by Darius Burford’s 13.4 points per game

– Myles Foster is second with 10.9 PPG and paces the Redbirds with 7.3 rebounds

– Dalton Banks checks in with an average of 10.0 points and leads the team with 73 assists

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball fell short of Western Illinois University, 73-68, in Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles fall to 5-16 overall and 2-6 in OVC play, while the Leathernecks are 13-7 overall, 6-1 OVC.
 
The Eagles started fast, building a 9-2 lead in the first three minutes. USI hit four of its first five shots with sophomore guard Jack Campion (Milton, Wisconsin) dropping in two of the four shots.
 
WIU closed the gap to two, 11-9 and 13-11, with seven minutes gone in the half. The Eagles and the Leathernecks would trade buckets overt the next 10 minutes, with USI lead leading by as many as five points three times.
 
After the Leathernecks regained the lead 34-32, USI took back the advantage, 35-34, on a three-pointer by sophomore guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois). WIU would get the final three points of the half and ran into the locker room with a 37-35 lead into the break.
 
WIU extended its halftime margin to nine points, 54-45, with 13:10 to play in the game after hitting seven-of-11 to begin the second half. USI’ offense was cool in the first seven minutes, dropping in two of its first nine shots.

The Eagles started to climb back into the game with a 5-0 run and a strong defense that held the Leathernecks scoreless for five minutes to make the score, 56-50. USI continued to chip away at the deficit, closing to three points, 61-58, on a pair of free throws by junior guard Jeremiah Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) with 4:36 remaining.
 
USI reduced the deficit to two points three times (62-60, 66-64, 68-66) in the final minutes, but could not get by WIU in the 73-68 decision.
 
USI had three players in double-digits, led by Hernandez with game-high 26 points. The 26 points were Hernandez’s third-straight game with 20 or more points.
 
Smith followed with 12 points and barely missed his ninth double-double with a team-high nine rebounds. Campion rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points.
 
Next Up For USI:
USI returns to the road next for a pair of OVC games in Tennessee. The Eagles open the road trip February 1 with a visit to Tennessee Tech University and conclude the trip February 3 with an appointment with Tennessee State University.
 
TTU (7-13, 2-5 OVC) started its week with a 68-59 loss at Eastern Illinois University and conclude its road swing with visit to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Saturday. Golden Eagles took the first game with USI earlier this month 73-59 at Screaming Eagles Arena and leads the all-time series, 3-0.
 
TSU (11-9, 4-3 OVC) has one game this week, a visit to EIU Saturday in Charleston, Illinois. USI took a 2-1 lead in the all-time series earlier this month, defeating the Tigers, 69-67, at Screaming Eagles Arena.