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No, it’s not North Carolina. It’s not a sell-out. There’s no hype.
Three days after hosting one of the most anticipated games in recent memory, it’s time for the Aces to focus on the task at hand–the Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Game time is 7:05 CST Saturday at Roberts Stadium.
Evansville is coming off a 76-49 loss to North Carolina Wednesday in front of a sell-out crowd of 12,116 at Roberts Stadium. It was the first sell-out at Roberts since a November, 2004 exhibition game against the University of Southern Indiana. This is Maryland Eastern Shore’s fourth consecutive road game. The trip has included an 89-81 overtime win at Navy, a 64-53 loss at conference opponent Delaware State and an 81-39 loss Thursday at Old Dominion.
•One of the bright spots for Evansville Wednesday was the play of center Clint Hopf. The senior has averaged less than 15 minutes per game as he continues to recover from knee surgery, but Hopf played a season-high 20 minutes against the Tar Heels and hit four of six shots for eight points. Hopf was a starter last season until going down with torn ligaments in his left knee against Northern Iowa in February.
•Senior center Pieter van Tongeren also had a 4-for-6 shooting night against North Carolina, moving Piet into first place in the MVC in field goal accuracy. He has hit 21 of his 32 shots in seven games for 65.6 percent shooting.
•All 14 players have now seen action this season. Walk-ons Taylor Gray and Brandon Williams made their collegiate debuts in the final minute against North Carolina.
•Odd stat of the week: the Aces are 0-3 when they make more three-pointers than the opposition.
•This is the second time that Maryland Eastern Shore and Evansville have met. The first came in 1985-86 when the Aces won 68-46 under first-year head coach Jim Crews.
•Maryland Eastern Shore scored a season-low 39 points in Thursday’s 81-39 loss at Old Dominion. The Hawks hit 15 of 58 shots, and were outrebounded 64-28. ODU grabbed 28 offensive rebounds, matching Maryland Eastern Shore’s total for the game. Pre-season first-team all-MEAC guard Hillary Haley was held to 2-for-12 shooting and seven points.
•Next Saturday is ‘Take A Kid To The Game’ day, when the Aces host Middle Tennessee at 2:05. Vouchers are going out to local schools this week, and are also available at Carson Center. The vouchers allow one paying adult to bring up to four kids (13 and younger) to the game free of charge.
