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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Taking back to the road on Wednesday, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team travels to Peoria, Ill. to face Bradley. Tip is set for 7 p.m. CT with ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network having the coverage.
Last Time Out
– Murray State led from start to finish on their way to an 81-59 win over the Purple Aces on Saturday at the Ford Center
– MSU led by 9 at the break and as many as 27 in the second half
– Gage Bobe and Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scored 12 apiece while Yacine Toumi and Antonio Thomas each finished the game with 10 points
Season-High
– Converting all four of his outside attempts against Murray State, Gage Bobe posted a season-high 12 points
– Entering the game, he missed 10 consecutive triples over a 6-game span
– His previous season mark of 9 points came at Missouri State with all nine points coming from the long ball
Defining Consistency
– Antonio Thomas has recorded 7 or more points in 11 of the last 14 games for the Purple Aces including 27 in the win over UNI, his top Division I scoring effort
– He recorded 27 points on 8-of-11 shooting and a 9-for-10 effort from long range
– At Bellarmine, Thomas made a run at a triple double, posting 9 points, 8 boards and 5 assists and finished in double figures with 10 points at Indiana State and 10 vs. Murray State
– Thomas is tied for 15th in the MVC with 1.20 steals per game and has jumped to a tie for 13th in the league with an 81.6% free throw shooting mark; he has hit 24 of his last 28 free throw tries
Make it Seven in a Row
– Recording 10 points against Murray State, Yacine Toumi reached double figures in scoring for the seventh-consecutive game
– Over that span, he has averaged 13.7 points and 8.0 rebounds
– Toumi’s playing time has gone up – he played 28 minutes or under in each of the first 12 games but has played over 30 minutes in each of the last three outings
– He has two double-doubles in the last four games, including a 19-point, 10-rebound performance at Indiana State
– Toumi was 9-for-13 from the field against the Sycamores and has converted 25 of his last 38 attempts over the last four games, an astonishing 65.8%
Scouting the Opponent
– Bradley holds a 10-5 overall record and have split their first four MVC games entering Wednesday’s contest
– After opening the season with six wins in a row, the Braves lost their next five before putting together a 4-game win streak
– Four Braves average double figures with Connor Hickman pacing the team with 14.8 points per game
– Malevy Leons is second with 13.3 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game
– Darius Hannah and Duke Deen hold averages of 11.8 and 11.3 PPG, respectively
– Bradley has won the last ten meetings against the Aces
