Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – #Jordan Jahr# led the University of Evansville with 13 points, including 3 three-pointers in the second half as the Purple Aces improved to 2-2 with a 49-44 win over Western Illinois on Saturday at the Ford Center
 
"I am really proud of my team, three games in three days against really good competition, for these guys to reach down the last few minutes like they did was outstanding,” Aces head coach Marty Simmons said.  “Our guys made special plays that helped us to win.”
 
Jahr hit four shots while tying Troy Taylor for the team high in rebounds wigh eight.  Ned Cox finished the night with 11 points while #D.J. Balentine#, fresh off of a 16-point outing against Yale, tallied seven.
 
In a slow start on the offensive side, the teams combined to miss their first seven shots before Terell Parks got WIU on the board over two minutes in.  Evansville’s drought continued until Lewis Jones scored on a floater on UE’s sixth shot of the game.
 
Parks continued to lead the Leathernecks, scoring eight early points as WIU began the game 7-of-13 en route to a 14-4 lead.  The Aces started the game 2-11 before embarking on a 7-0 stretch, led by a Balentine bucket to make it a 14-10 game in favor of the Leathernecks midway through the opening stanza.
 
Seven players found their way onto the scoresheet in the first 15 minutes as a Cox bucket brought UE within a pair at 18-16 before Jordan Jahr scored on the break to knot it up at 18-18.  With 3:32 left in the first half, Balentine continued to show his touch, giving Evansville its first advantage of the contest at 21-20.  As the half was running out, Parks notched his 16th point of the period as WIU went to halftime up 26-24.
 
Jahr connected on his first three-pointer of the season four minutes into the half to put Evansville back on top at 29-28, but with UE up 31-30, WIU went on a 9-2 run to take a six-point edge midway through the latter frame.  With their deficit standing at 42-34 and having missed eight shots in a row, Jaylon Moore injected life into UE, hitting an and-one before Jahr notched another three to make it a one-possession game at 42-40. 
 
Over that stretch, WIU turned the ball over seven-consecutive trips down the floor in a span where they went scoreless for 8:28.  They missed all five shots while turning it over eight times.  The Aces chipped away before Jahr's third trey of the game gave UE the lead for good with 2:39 left.  Balentine sealed the deal, making all four free throws in the final 29 seconds to make it a 49-44 final.
 
For just the second time in his career, Jahr registered back-to-back double-digit outings.  The first time was in his first two games at UE in his freshman campaign.  Parks led the Leathernecks with 21 points and 11 rebounds, both game highs.
 
WIU outshot UE by a .426-.354 margin while winning the rebounding battle, 37-29.
 
Evansville will have just two days to rest up before seeing action once against.  The Aces are set to take on Tennessee Tech at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening in Cookeville, Tenn.