UE opens final week of regular season
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Shamar Givance tied for the game high with 21 points on Saturday when the University of Evansville men’s basketball team fell to Valparaiso by a final of 72-56 at the Ford Center.
Givance was the only double-digit scorer for the Purple Aces (6-10, 2-13 MVC), hitting 8 of his 13 attempts on his way to the 21-point game. Evan Kuhlman scored nine points while leading the team in rebounds (7) and steals (4). Kobe King was one of four double figure scorers for the Beacons (12-15, 5-10 MVC), tying Givance for the game’s top scoring tally with 21. Kevion Taylor added 16 while Ben Krikke and Sheldon Edwards scored 12 and 11, respectively.
“Today was frustrating more than anything. We got some pretty good looks but did not have enough consistency. We want to win and there is no question but there are things that we encounter that make that hard,†head coach Todd Lickliter said. “We got some good production from some of our guys while we have been shorthanded. Blaise (Beauchamp) has stepped up over the last few games and Emmette (Page) played some good minutes today.â€
Valparaiso started the game 3-for-3 from the field to take the early edge. The Beacons opened the game with four in a row before Evan Kuhlman took a feed from Shamar Givance and connected from downtown. Valpo extended the lead to 8-5 before the Aces took their first lead at 9-8 on a pair of Blake Sisley free throws at the 13:08 mark.
On the ensuing Valpo possession, a triple put the lead right back in their hands and they would lead by as many as 19 in the first half. After a Preston Ruedinger triple gave the Beacons a 21-14 lead, the second 3-point play of the day by Givance made it a 21-17 game. That is when the tides turned with Valparaiso going on an 18-3 run to take their largest lead at 39-20 with 2:34 left in the opening half. Emmette Page came in to hit a triple and cut the deficit to 39-23 at the break.
Evansville chipped away at the Valparaiso lead in the second half. With 11:08 left in the contest, Noah Frederking hit his first triple to get the game back within 10 points at 47-37. Two minutes later, the Aces got even closer when a basket from Givance cut the VU lead to single figures (50-41) for the first time in the final half. While UE would get back within nine on another occasion, Valpo kept the lead between ten and 15 points for the remainder of the game to finish with the 72-56 win.
Hitting 13 out of 19 second-half attempts, Valpo finished the game shooting 60.0% with UE completing the day at 42.0%. The Beacons also finished with a 34-19 edge on the boards. The teams will meet again on Monday for a 7 p.m. game in Valparaiso.
