Season #12 inside the Ford Center officially begins on Wednesday evening when the University of Evansville men’s basketball team faces Southeast Missouri State. Tip will be at 7 p.m. for Military Appreciation Night with the Purple Aces Sports Network and ESPN+ having the coverage.
Military Appreciation Night
– Wednesday will mark Military Appreciation Night with all active military and veterans receiving free admission to the game
– Veterans and active military members can purchase additional tickets for just $5
Last Time Out
– Evansville trailed by a 14-2 margin to open at Saint Louis but rallied to take a halftime lead of 39-37
– With 11:42 remaining, UE continued to lead by a 55-51 score before the Billikens stormed back with a 26-2 run to finish with an 83-65 victory on Saturday night
– Completing the game with 14 points and 10 rebounds, Yacine Toumi picked up his first collegiate double-double
– Antoine Smith Jr. added 11 points
– Yuri Collins of SLU had 13 assists in the game and was the first to record 10+ assists against the Aces since Ja Morant had 10 in 2018
Double-Double
– Yacine Toumi followed up a 15-point effort in the opener with the first double-double of his college career at Saint Louis
– Toumi finished with 14 points and 10 caroms against the Billikens
– He currently ranks inside the MVC’s top 15 in rebounding and minutes played
– His debut at Miami Ohio saw him score 15 points, including the first eight UE tallies of the game
– In seven games as a member of the Little Rock program in 2020-21, Toumi did not attempt a 3-pointer, but in the opener he was 2-for-4
New Career Mark
– As a freshman last year, Preston Phillips scored a career-high of 8 points on two occasions
– On Saturday, he eclipsed that by scoring 9 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting night at Saint Louis
– Phillips was also 1-for-1 from outside and added a block, steal and rebound
– Last season saw him pick up a great deal of experience as he played in 28 games while making 15 starts
Scouting the Opponent
– Southeast Missouri State heads to the Ford Center with a 2-0 record on the young season
– In their opener, the Redhawks picked up a 64-61 road victory at South Florida before defeating Lyon by a final of 83-46 in their home opener
– SEMO is led by Phillip Russell, who is averaging 17.0 points per game while leading the way with eight 3-points makes
– Chris Harris is averaging 11.5 points while Josh Earley checks in with 10.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game
– Kobe Clark is their leading threat on the boards with 12 per contest
