UE opens Iowa trip on Saturday at Drake
Aces and Bulldogs tip at 5 p.m.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A 2-game road swing through Iowa begins on Saturday when the University of Evansville men’s basketball team faces Drake in a 5 p.m. game at the Knapp Center. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.
Last Time Out
– Evansville led for over 32 minutes on Wednesday as the defense limited Illinois State to a season-low 51 points in a 69-51 victory at the Ford Center
– Four Aces reached double figures with Tayshawn Comer scoring a game-high 19 points
– The defense for UE held ISU to 34.6% shooting in the contest
Defensive Clinic
– UE held Illinois State to a season-low 51 points on Jan. 8; prior to that, the low scoring mark for the Redbirds was 64
– In the first 12 games that saw UE go 3-9, opponents were averaging 74.3 PPG while shooting 44.8% from the field and 34.1% from outside
– Over the last four contests, UE is holding the opposition to 52.5 PPG, 33.0% shooting and 24.5% from 3-point range
Pacing the Valley
– Connor Turnbull has posted a block in 9 of the last 10 games and has taken the MVC lead with his season average of 1.50 per game
– Turnbull tied his single game mark with six blocks against WKU
– Against Illinois State, Turnbull set career highs in rebounds (10), assists (4) and minutes (31:04) while adding 8 points
– He had his first double digit scoring game of the season, finishing with 10 against Indiana State
Trending Upward
– In a 5-game stretch in December, Josh Hughes did not score over 7 points, but in the last four games, he has reached double figures on three occasions
– Hughes approached a double-double versus Illinois State, totaling 10 points and 9 boards
– In the Dec. 29 win over Missouri State, Hughes reached double figures for the first time since Nov. 24 totaling 11 points while tying his career mark with 9 boards and picking up his top tally of 4 steals
Scouting the Opponent
– Drake is coming off a huge 64-57 road win at Bradley that improved its record to 13-2 overall and 3-2 in the Valley
– The Bulldogs had a perfect 12-0 non-conference showing with wins over Miami (Fla.), Vanderbilt, Florida Gulf Coast, and Kansas State
– Leading the way for the Bulldogs is Bennett Stirtz, who is averaging 17.3 points per game
– He also paces the team with 93 assists, 37 steals, and an average of 38.1 minutes per game
– Mitch Mascari holds an average of 11.5 PPG while Daniel Abreu has posted 11.2 PPG
– Cam Manyawu is the top rebounder for the Bulldogs with 6.2 per game
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