Game Notes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In its final road non-conference game of the season, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team will travel to Oxford, Ohio to take on Miami University at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday at Millett Hall.
 
In a back-and-forth game against Tennessee Tech, the Aces came out on the wrong end of a 72-70 decision.  The Golden Eagles scored the first ten points of the game, but the Aces fought back to get within a point at the half.  UE led by as many as nine points in the second half before a late three-pointer proved to be the winner for TTU.
 
Over the last two games, Evansville has been stellar from the line, hitting 53 out of 58 free throw attempts.  The Aces backed up a 26-28 performance against North Carolina A&T with a 27-30 outing against Tennessee Tech.  Colt Ryan has been perfect over the last two games, hitting all 16 attempts while Kenneth Harris is 24-of-25 over the previous two contests.
 
Harris surpassed his previous career high with a 23-point effort against the Golden Eagles.  His prior high was 21 against Oakland City last season.  Harris was 5-10 from the floor and 13-14 from the free throw line.  He also lead all players with 10 rebounds, marking his second double-double of the season and fourth of his career.
 
The Aces finished with a dominant 36-24 rebounding advantage against Tennessee Tech.  Kenneth Harris had ten while Colt Ryan grabbed seven boards.  It marked the second time this season UE won the battle of the boards and was the first time since the MVC Tournament against Indiana State last year that UE had a double-digit edge on the boards.  Against the Sycamores, UE had a 38-27 rebounding lead.

Miami snapped a four-game skid on Saturday, taking a 66-61 home victory over Belmont.  The win helped the RedHawks improve their mark to 3-5 on the season.  Julian Mavunga leads MU and the Mid-American Conference in scoring with 20.6 points per game.  He is also the MAC leader in rebounding, grabbing an average of 10.6 boards per game.  Miami is solid on the defensive side of the ball, allowing just 62.4 points per contest. 

Two years ago, Miami ended a five-game winless streak against Evansville, taking am 82-58 win.  The RedHawks outscored the Aces, 42-27, in the first half and cruised to the win in the second.  Julian Havunga, currently a senior on the MU squad, led all players with 18 points and ten rebounds.  James Haarsma led UE with 12 points while Denver Holmes, then a sophomore, chipped in 11.
 
Following the Christmas break, UE will return home on December 29 to open up MVC play against Southern Illinois.