Game Notes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With two thrilling victories under their belts this week, the Purple Aces men's basketball team looks to make a perfect 5-for-5 this season as they face Anderson (Ind.) University on Saturday at the Ford Center.  Tip will be at 7:05 p.m.
 
The 2013-14 Aces continued their hot start to the season as they picked up a 100-92 win over Valparaiso on Wednesday evening.  The win gave UE its first 4-0 start since the 1986-87 season; that was also the last 5-0 start for the Purple Aces.
 
Evansville shot its way to a 27-point lead in the opening seconds of the second half, but the Crusaders utilized 12 3-pointers in the game to cut the deficit to six points before UE finished off with the 8-point win.  Five Aces finished in double figures against VU, the last time doing that was on 2/25/12 in the season finale against Missouri State.
 
The win over Valparaiso gave head coach Marty Simmons his fourth 4-game win streak as the UE coach.  A win over Anderson would mark five victories in a row. When was the last 5-game winning streak for the Aces? Well it would actually be part of a winning streak of nine games from Dec. 11, 1999 through Jan. 12, 2000.
 
Through four games, Evansville has been one of and when you look at it collectively, THE most efficient offensive team in the country.  With a shooting percentage standing at 56.3%, UE is atop the Valley and third in the nation; those same rankings apply from long range as UE is at an even 50%.  The national scoring average is 75.41 PPG, Evansville stands at 90.0.
 
While he did not have his fourth consecutive 29-point outing, D.J. Balentine one upped that total, setting a new career mark with 32 points against Valparaiso, he is tied for 3rd in the nation with 29.8 points per game.  Even with his unbelievable scoring average, Balentine has been choosy in the shots that he has taken; he is hitting 53.4% of his shots from the floor and has been even better from long range, hitting 60% of his threes, tied for third in the MVC.
 
Adam Wing has been a major contributor to the Aces, along with their accurate offensive performances.  Talk about taking good shots, the sophomore is shooting 70.4% (19-27) from the floor and 71.4% (5-7) beyond the arc; Wing has also connected on 13 out of 14 free throws.  He is the leading shooter in the MVC both overall and from 3-point range.  He has scored in double figures in three out of four games thus far, culminating with his 18-point effort versus Valparaiso.
 
Anderson competes at the NCAA Division III level and is located in Anderson, Ind.  Standing at 0-3 on the season, the Ravens have dropped road games at Case Western and Otterbein along with a home defeat to Calvin (72-58) on Tuesday evening.  Leading the Ravens offense is junior forward Max Mollaun, who has posted 18.3 points while shooting 54.3%.  Nate Gross also averaged double digits, standing at an even 11.0 while shooting 50%.
 
It has been a long time since the Purple Aces and Ravens have duked it out on the hardwood with the last meeting coming on Feb. 23, 1956, a 99-91 Anderson victory.  Evansville holds an overall record of 7-4 against Anderson, going 4-2 in home games and 3-1 on the road.