Game Notes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With a week-long break behind them, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team will back at the Ford Center on Saturday afternoon to face Alabama State on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
 
Last weekend, UE fell by an 82-70 final to Murray State; four Aces finished in double figures led by a 16-point outing by Ned Cox.  Cox got off to a blazing start against the Racers, connecting on his first seven shots while scoring 16 points; all of his tallies came in the first seven minutes of the game.  He finished the day 7-of-11 while leading UE with his 16 points.
 
With his average of 15 PPG in the games against Miami and Murray State, freshman #D.J. Balentine# garnered MVC Newcomer of the Week honors on Dec. 10; it was the first honor for a UE player this season.  Since scoring nine points in UE’s first two games, Balentine has averaged 14.3 points per contest; he has three-straight double-digit outings, averaging 18.7 points over the span.
 
In four games since returning from a hip pointer, Colt Ryan has been an offensive force, posting 16 points per game, leading UE in scoring twice (Alabama A&M and Miami OH).  Ryan has been a pivotal part of Evansville’s offense; in games where Ryan has been in the game for more than ten minutes, the team has averaged 71.4 points while the four games where he has seen seven or fewer minutes of action, the Aces have posted an average of 56.8 tallies.
 
Evansville ranks near the top of the nation in several statistical categories thanks to its unselfish play.  With an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.46, UE is at the top of the Valley and 12th in the nation.  The Aces have been credited with an assist on 64% of its baskets in 2012, that total is first in the MVC and 18th in the MVC.  Three-point shooting has been another area that UE has been extremely successful in, hitting 38.5% of its treys; that is third in the conference, but 39th in the country.
 
Alabama State picked up its first win of the season on Thursday evening, taking down Troy by a 74-67 final; the win improved their record to 1-7. Joshua Freelove leads ASU with 13.9 points per game while Shawntez Patterson averaged 11.3; four players hit double figures in the win over the Trojans as Patterson, Phillip Crawford and Stephawn Brown had 12 apiece while Denzell McDaniel had 10.
 
The Aces and Hornets squared off last year with UE taking a 62-55 win, all five ASU starters from that game are no longer on the team.  The Hornets go very deep as 17 players have scored for them this season; 12 players have averaged 3 or more points.  ASU is hitting just 49.6% of its free throws, that total is 347th out of the 347 Division 1 schools in the country.
 
On Tuesday, the Aces will wrap up its four-game homestand against Oakland City.  Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.  Next Saturday, Evansville will finish up its pre-Christmas slate as they travel to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to face Butler.