Aces look to rebound on Wednesday
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville men’s basketball team held a 26-24 halftime lead, but an 11-0 run by Southern Illinois in the second half keyed a 65-53 win on Sunday at the Ford Center.
Ben Humrichous led the Purple Aces with 11 points and 7 rebounds while Antonio Thomas recorded 10 points on a 4-for-5 shooting effort. Tanner Cuff scored nine points. Troy D’Amico led SIU with 17 points.
Yacine Toumi found Antonio Thomas cutting to the basket for the first score of the game. UE hit its first three shots to take a 6-3 lead before five in a row from SIU saw them take their first lead at 8-6. Converting five shots in a row, the Salukis opened a 14-8 edge before Chuck Bailey III ended the stretch with a mid-range jumper.
After missing five in a row, the Salukis went on a drought, missing nine in a row as they did not record a field goal for over eight minutes. Evansville made its way back as Cam Haffner drained a 3-pointer to get UE within one at 14-13. At the 6:58 mark, Toumi put the Aces back in front at 17-15.
SIU regained a 24-21 edge inside the 3-minute mark before Evansville reeled off the final five tallies to take a 26-24 lead into the break. Antonio Thomas has the final five points for UE as they rallied back in front.
Back-and-forth action continued in the second half. Southern Illinois took a 29-28 edge in the first minute while Ben Humrichous countered with a 3-point play to put his team in front at 30-29. A turning point came with the score tied at 35-35 inside of 16 minutes remaining. SIU posted 11 in a row to take their largest advantage of the day.
Inside of the 12-minute mark, Humrichous ended the SIU run to get back within single digits. Tanner Cuff and Bailey each scored as part of an 11-2 run that made it a 48-46 game. Southern Illinois retook control as they pushed the lead back to double figures at 60-50 inside the final minutes. Gage Bobe hit a 3-pointer two minutes remaining to get his team within seven, but SIU was able to fend off the challenge to finish with the 65-53 win.
Hitting 21 out of 51 attempts, SIU shot 41.2% while holding the Aces to 37.5%. The Salukis also finished with a 34-32 rebounding advantage.
Tuesday night will mark Senior Night for UE as they host Indiana State in a 7 p.m. game.
