UE faces UIC at 1 p.m. Saturday
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Meeting up for the first time as members of the Missouri Valley Conference, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team makes the trek to Chicago on Saturday to take on UIC. Tip is set for 1 p.m. CT with the Purple Aces Radio Network and ESPN+ having the coverage.
Setting the Scene
– This will mark just the seventh meeting between the programs with the Flames taking five of the first six games in the series
– Four of the Purple Aces’ five losses to UIC have come by four points or less
– The teams last met on Nov. 23, 2011 with UIC taking a 79-75 victory; Ned Cox led UE in the game with 24 points
Last Time Out
– Evansville jumped out to a 12-2 lead to open the night but it was Indiana State rebounding for an 83-65 win on Wednesday inside the Ford Center
– Following the quick start by the Aces, the Sycamores took a double digit lead in the first half; UE rallied with a 13-0 run in the final minutes of the half to trail by a 37-36 score at the break
– Indiana State pulled away in the second half for the 18-point victory
– Yacine Toumi recorded a career-high 19 points while Kenny Strawbridge Jr. had 17
Another Career Mark
– Hitting 8 out of 16 attempts in Wednesday’s game against Indiana State, Yacine Toumi registered a career-high 19 points
– Toumi is averaging 14.5 points over his last four games while shooting 48.0% (24/50)
– His 19-point game passes his previous high of 18, which came twice this season (Campbell and Valpo)
– On the boards, Toumi ranks 15th in the MVC with an average of 5.8 per game
– He has grabbed at least five rebounds in 11 of the last 12 contests while raising his season average from 5.1 to 5.8 per game
– His top tally of 11 came in the win over Bellarmine
Back on Track
– Over his last two games, Kenny Strawbridge Jr. has shot 61.1% while tallying 17 points against Indiana State
– In the nine games before, he converted just 36.0% of his attempts (41/114)
– He was 7-for-10 from the field versus Indiana State and has chipped in at least 8 points in 23 out of 24 games
– He continues to lead the Aces while sitting 10th in the MVC with his season average of 14.9 points per game
– Finishing with a game-high 22 points at Indiana State, he reached the 20-point mark for the 7th time this season
Scouting the Opponent
– For the first time since 2011, the Aces and Flames will meet up on the hardwood
– UIC enters Saturday’s game with a 9-15 overall mark while sitting at 1-12 through their opening 13 games in the MVC
– Jace Carter paces three double digit scorers with 16.2 points per game
– Carter leads the squad with 43 steals while ranking second with 6.4 rebounds/contest
– Tre Anderson is averaging 12.5 PPG while Toby Okani averages 12.0 points and a team-high 7.0 caroms per game
