Game Notes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In the second stop of a 3-game road trip, the University of Evansville men's basketball team heads to Athens, Ohio to take on Ohio University in a 2 p.m. ET game on Saturday.
 
For the first time this season, the Purple Aces were dealt a loss as Indiana pulled away for a 77-46 win at Assembly Hall on Tuesday.  After missing their first 11 shot, the Aces hit 16 of their final 44 of the night.  The defense played well, allowing IU to shoot just 40.7% from the floor, but the offense finished the night at 29.1%.
 
Even with its 29.1% shooting performance at IU, Evansville continues to be near the top in the national statistical rankings.  With a shooting percentage standing at 51.8%, that total is tied for the MVC lead and also tied for 20th in the nation; those rankings are even better from long range as the Aces are No. 15 in the country, hitting 45.1% of its treys.
 
Despite a 5-of-17 shooting night at IU, D.J. Balentine still ranks amongst the national scoring leaders.  With 29 points or more in the first five games, Balentine currently stands at 27.0 PPG, tied for fifth in the nation. 
 
Duane Gibson made the best of a tough situation at Indiana on Tuesday, finishing with 10 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.  The reigning MVC Newcomer of the Week continues to lead UE in assists (36), rebounds (4.7/gm) and is second with four steals.  Gibson has a nice scoring touch from the point guard position, posting double digits in four out of six games this year.
 
The host school for all games in the Ohio Classic was of course Ohio University; the Bobcats have won all three games of their tournament thus far, taking down Valparaiso, Heidelberg and, most recently, Mercer.  Junior college transfer Maurice Ndour, a native of Senegal, is the top scorer for OU and No. 8 in the Mid-American Conference with 15.5 PPG; he is also their top rebounder and third in the conference with 8.3/game.
 
Last time out, Ndour took it to Mercer to the tune of 23 points and 11 rebounds on 11-of-12 shooting.  Senior guard Nick Kellogg has averaged an even 15 points per contest and is their leading foul shooter at 90.5%.  Ohio is a defensive minded team that ranks near the top of the MAC in several categories including: shooting defense (2nd-.381), blocked shots (2nd-5.3/gm) and rebounds (4th-36.8/gm).  The Bobcats are not afraid to take long-range shots as they have attempted 116 treys as opposed to 71by the Purple Aces.
 
Both schools have defended their home floors in the four games of the series, which dates back to 1941.  Evansville is 0-2 in Athens and 2-0 at home; the last meeting, which took place on 11/26/90, saw the Bobcats take a 75-68 win.