Aces and Bruins meet up at 4 p.m. in Nashville
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Regular season play comes to a close on Sunday when the University of Evansville men’s basketball team will be in Nashville to face Belmont at the Curb Event Center. Tip is set for 4 p.m. CT with ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network on the call.
Season Win Notes          Â
– For the first time in five seasons, the Purple Aces have won double digit games, earning win #10 of 2023 with an 82-51 victory over Tennessee Tech on Dec. 20
– With the win, UE clinched its first 10-win season since earning 11 victories in 2018-19; the 10th win also doubled the win total from the entirety of last season
– UE earned its 12th win of the season on Jan. 27 against Illinois State; it is the first time UE has won 12 games since 2017-18
– When UE racked up its 11th win on Jan. 17, the program won as many games this season as the last two years combined
– Victories over Chattanooga and SEMO in the Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Classic saw the Purple Aces improve to 6-0 on the season
– It is the first time UE has won its first six games since the 1964-65 undefeated national championship team
Last Time Out
– Shooting 50.8% on the night, Indiana State picked up an 85-67 win over UE in Wednesday’s home finale
– Seniors Gage Bobe, Kenny Strawbridge Jr., Antonio Thomas and Yacine Toumi were recognized during Senior Night festivities
– Strawbridge led UE with 14 points while Bobe and Tanner Cuff scored 10 apiece
– Toumi recorded 9 points and a team-high 8 boards
Finishing on a High Note
– As the regular season comes to a close, Gage Bobe is playing his best basketball of the season and finished with 10 points on Senior Night
-Â He hit 3 of his 5 outside attempts against the Sycamores and has hit a triple in 7 consecutive games, shooting 56.5% (13-of-23)
– At UIC, he was a perfect 4-for-4 from long range on his way to 12 points; it tied his season mark of 12, which came at home against Murray State where he was also 4-for-4 from outside
Double Digits
– Tanner Cuff scored 10 points in the home finale and has now picked up 9+ points in 7 of the last 11 games while averaging 9.1 PPG (100 points) over that span
– In the home win over UIC, he recorded a career-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting
– Over the last 13 games, Cuff has 21 assists and 11 turnovers; the 6 games prior saw him post 6 assists and 10 turnovers
Finishing Strong
– Wednesday’s home finale saw Yacine Toumi finish with a solid 9 points and 8 rebounds
– In the two prior games, he averaged 5.0 points and 4.5 caroms
– After scoring 20 points three times at UE, Toumi reset his high with 22 points against UIC on 8-of-10 shooting
– His season shooting mark of 55.2% ranks 6th in the MVC
