Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The final preseason tune-up for the University of Evansville men's basketball team took place on Saturday evening as the Aces took an 82-74 decision over Illinois-Springfield at the Ford Center.

Evansville was led by #D.J. Balentine#, who drained seven buckets while making it to the line on 14 occasions, hitting 11. Fellow sophomore Egidijus Mockevicius finished the night with 17 points and a game-high 9 boards.

An evenly played first half saw both teams hit 15 out of 30 attempts en route to a 38-35 UE lead at the break. The Purple Aces had the upper hand at the start, jumping out to a quick 6-2 lead as Balentine and Mockevicius knocked down back-to-back buckets.

The lead for Evansville reached as many as seven in the period when another Mockevicius bucket made it 26-19. That run capped off a 12-5 stretch as the Aces hit six out of nine shots over the course of a span of 4:24. The Prairie Stars never gave up, quickly closing the gap before taking the lead at 35-34 on a Wes Koral layup. That rally saw UIS drain 7 out of 8 attempts en route to the lead inside of four minutes remaining.

Evansville's defense clamped down over the final 3:56 as it would hold UIS scoreless, forcing five misses and three turnovers. Mockevicius put UE back on top with a pair of free throws before Blake Simmons hit a shot in the final minute to complete the first half scoring. Mockevicius and Balentine led all players with 11 points in the period.

After taking the lead at the end of the first half, the Aces slowly began to turn the tides in their favor. It did not come easy, though, as just over a minute into the period, Jacob Williams brought the Prairie Stars back within two as his free throws made it a 39-37 game.

Mockevicius posted four points in a row as part of a 12-5 stretch that saw UE take its largest lead of nine points with 14 minutes left in the game. Evansville knocked down four of its five attempts at one point to establish the advantage. UIS was 1-5 with two turnovers over that span, but did not let that damper their enthusiasm. Over the next 2+ minutes, they scored six in a row to make it a one possession game yet again at 51-48.

That is as close as it would be over the remainder of the day as the Aces were able to set the tempo moving forward. With just under seven minutes remaining, the lead hit double figures for the first time as Balentine hit a jumper. The advantage would reach as many as 12 points inside of five minutes left before the squads settled for the 82-74 final.

Both teams shot fairly well as UE finished the contest at 50.9% while UIS was just behind at 45.9%. The Aces finished with a slight 39-35 rebounding edge. Evansville failed to hit a shot from outside as all nine attempts fell short. Inside the arc, UE was strong, hitting 27 out of 44 shots.

Blake Simmons was the third UE player to reach double figures as he finished with 12 on 5-of-11 shooting. Duane Gibson and Adam Wing chipped in nine apiece. Simmons and Balentine posted a game-high six assists.

Leading the Prairie Stars was Jacob Williams, who finished the night with 18 points. Jamall Millison and Brandon Snowden had 10 apiece.

With the preseason completed, the Aces sights are now on the regular season as they open up next weekend against Martin Methodist. Tip is slated for 7:05 p.m. at the Ford Center.