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UE opens Iowa trip on Saturday at Drake
Aces set for 2-game swing in Iowa
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Back-to-back road games in Iowa are on the docket for the University of Evansville men’s basketball team beginning on Saturday when UE faces Drake in Des Moines. Tip is set for 5 p.m. CT with ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network having the coverage.
Last Time Out
– Finishing the night shooting 50.9%, the Purple Aces earned a 78-75 victory against Valparaiso on Wednesday
– Four players reached double figures with Yacine Toumi and Chuck Bailey III scoring 13 apiece
– Kenny Strawbridge Jr. registered 11 points while Antonio Thomas scored 10
– Cam Haffner scored 5 points and had 3 assists; all five tallies came in a run that saw UE take a game-high 9-point lead in the second half
He’s Back
– After missing five games, Ben Humrichous made his return to the floor on Wednesday against the Beacons
– He saw just under 12 minutes of playing time and scored seven points
– Humrichous continues to rank among the top players in the MVC in multiple stats including: 3-point FG% (T-1 | 48.4%), blocks (4th | 1.31/gm), FG% (6th | 55.4%), 3-pt made (7th | 2.38/gm), 3- scoring (10th | 15.6 PPG)
Clutch Shots
– An efficient 5-for-7 shooting performance saw Chuck Bailey III record 13 points in the win over Valpo
– Twelve of those points came in the second half as two late triples put UE in front
– Bailey missed the game at Cincinnati and struggled in the ensuing two games before erupting for 18 against the Braves; he connected on 10 of his 13 free throw tries, both career highs
– He is third on the squad with a season average of 10.1 points per contest
Stat Sheet Consistency
– Yacine Toumi has been averaging close to a double-double over the last seven games, posting 11.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game over that time
– Toumi has record double figures in scoring in eight of the last 10 games
– He posted a career-best 12 boards versus Missouri State and is 8th in the MVC with a season mark of 6.8
– Toumi has averaged 12.3 points over the last 10 games (123 total pts) and recorded double-doubles against Tennessee Tech and Indiana State
Scouting the Opponent
– Drake paces the MVC with a 15-3 mark and a 6-1 start to league play
– The Bulldogs dealt Indiana State their lone conference loss on Jan. 10 and are coming off back-to-back road wins at Southern Illinois and Illinois State
– Tucker DeVries paces four double figure scorers for the Bulldogs with 20.6 points per game
– He is a 46.0% shooter from the field and has chipped in an average of 6.1 boards
– Atin Wright and Kevin Overton check in with averages of 14.7 and 12.4 PPG, respectively
– Darnell Brodie is averaging 10.9 points and a team-best 8.3 caroms
