Game set for 4 p.m. at the Ford Center
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the first time since the 2015 CIT Championship run, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team and UT Martin will meet up in the Ford Center with tip set for 4 p.m. CT on Saturday. ESPN3 and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the coverage.
Last Time Out
– Prior to its longest break of the season, the Purple Aces took on Southeast Missouri State on December 8 in Cape Girardeau
– A late rally came up just short with UE dropping a 75-73 contest to the Redhawks
– Jawaun Newton, Shamar Givance and Noah Frederking recorded 15 points apiece while Blaise Beauchamp added 11 points off the bench
– Givance had another outstanding all-around performance, adding 7 assists and 6 rebounds
– UE had its lowest number of turnovers (5) since finishing with five against MIssouri State on 2/4/17
Player of the Week
– Ranking in the top five in assists and steals while earning a top ten ranking in points, Shamar Givance is the only player in the MVC who can make that claim
– He currently ranks 4th in the league with 1.5 steals per gtame and 5th with 3.8 assists per contests…his 15.0 PPG is 10th
– On Dec. 6, Givance was named the MVC Player of the Week for the second time in his career after scoring a career-high 31 points against Southern Illinois before adding 15 points and 7 rebounds against Tennessee Tech
– Over the last four games, Givance has recorded 21.8 PPG…since scoring 7 points in the opener at Cincinnati, Givance has recorded an average of 15.7 PPG while scoring at least 11 points in all but one game
On a Roll
– Sitting at 14.0 points per game on the season, Jawaun Newton has been even better over his last seven contests, averaging 16.6 PPG including a career-high of 30 points versus Rice
– His rebounding numbers are the best in his career with his average improving each season from 2.2 (FR), 2.8 (SO), 4.4 (JR) and 6.0 as a senior in 2021-22…over the last 5 games, Newton’s average has been even higher, checking in at 7.6/game
– He set his career mark with 12 at Eastern Illinois while his season average ranks 7th in the league
– On the offensive end, Newton opened the Gulf Coast Showcase with a career-high of 30 points, marking the Aces first such effort since 2019
Momentum off the Bench
– Blaise Beauchamp has given the Aces valuable minutes off the bench and his confidence seems to be growing with each game
– Beauchamp scored 11 points while knocking down three triples at SEMO, marking his fourth double-digit game of the season
– He has been selective with his attempts from outside, draining five of the last 11 over the last three contests
– His top scoring mark came against IUPUI where he registered 12 points while he opened the season with 11 at Cincinnati
– Beauchamp matched his high with 12 points at EIU
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Big Improvement
– While UE stands at 124 assists against 136 turnovers on the season, the team has been improving as of late
– Evansville began the season with 75 assists vs. 99 turnovers in the opening seven games of the year, but in the last five outings, UE has seen that move in a positive direction with 49 helpers versus 37 turnovers
Scouting the Opponent
– Following a 79-68 win over UNC Asheville on Tuesday evening, UT Martin enters Saturdays game with a 4-7 record
– K.J. Simon hit 13 of his 22 attempts versus UNCA to finish with 30 points
– Simon paces the Skyhawks with a season scoring average of 17.9 points per game
– Just behind him is K.K. Curry, who has 12.9 PPG while ranking second on the team with 6.3 rebounds
– Bernie Andre recorded 14 points in Tuesday’s victory while Chris Nix recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds
