EVANSVILLE, Ind. – On New Year’s Day, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team travels to Carbondale, Ill. to take on Southern Illinois in a 1 p.m. game at the Banterra Center. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.
Last Time Out
– Evansville put together its top defensive performance of the year, holding Missouri State to just 40 points on 25.9% shooting in a 17-point win on Dec. 29
– Four Purple Aces reached double figures with Cam Haffner finishing with 13
– Josh Hughes added 11 points, 9 boards, and 4 steals in the winning effort while Tayshawn Comer and Tanner Cuff added 11 and 10 points, respectively
Back to Form
– In three games leading to the Dec. 29 win over Missouri State, Cam Haffner averaged just 4.3 points per game
– That all changed versus the Bears as he scored a game-high 13 points to improve his season average to 12.8 PPG, which is 2nd on the team and 16th in the MVC
– In four games between Nov. 22 and Dec. 7, Haffner averaged 19 points and 7 rebounds
Clutch Performance
– In the Dec. 29 win over Missouri State, Josh 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
– Entering the game, Hughes was mired in a 1-for-19 slump from 3-point range but rebounded to go 3-for-7 from outside
– Averaging 1.08 blocks per game, Hughes is 7th in the league
Top Rebounder
– With eight rebounds in the win over Missouri State, Tanner Cuff improved his season average to 6.5 per game, which paces the team and is 8th in the MVC
– Cuff added 10 points in the win to improve his season mark to 8.7 PPG
– He had the top game of his career against Chattanooga, scoring 18 while adding 5 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal
– His scoring mark bested his previous high of 16, which came last season vs. UIC
Scoutig the Opponent
– Southern Illinois begins the New Year with a 5-8 overall mark while dropping their first two MVC games
– On Sunday, the Salukis fell at UNI by a score of 78-67 and in their last home game, SIU fell to High Point, 94-81
– Ali Dibba leads the Salukis with his average of 15.4 points per game while shooting 50.7% from the field
– Kennard Davis Jr. holds an average of 13.8 PPG while Jarrett Hensley has averaged 11.1 PPG and a team-best 6.4 rebounds
– Playing five games in November, Elijah Elliott averaged 14.0 points but has not seen the floor since 11/22
