Game Notes
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After a week off for the holidays, the University of Evansville men's basketball team will be back at the Ford Center on Saturday as the squad plays host to Grambling at 1:05 p.m.
A strong second-half performance, led by an 8-0 run, helped Butler defeat Evansville on Dec. 21 by a final of 68-59. The Bulldogs were stout on the boards, finishing with a 49-31 advantage overall and 16-6 on the offensive glass. D.J. Balentine led all players with 26 points while Egidijus Mockevicius posted a career-high 15 rebounds. Evansville was extremely unselfish in the game, earning assists on 16 out of 22 made baskets.
Sophomore D.J. Balentine's average of 23.1 points per game leads the MVC and ranks tenth in the nation. The Kokomo, Ind. product has been putting his time in, leading the Valley with 37.2 minutes per game while being on the floor for 198 out of the last 200 minutes; for the season,
Balentine has been on the floor for 92.9% of UE's minutes this season, 11th in the nation.
Comprised of six freshmen and four sophomores along with junior Jaylon Moore, the Purple Aces rank as the fourth youngest team in America. According to statsheet.com, Evansville is fourth behind Kentucky, Howard and James Madison. The Aces post the third-best RPI of the six youngest teams behind only Kansas (#3) and Kentucky (#23).
Though his streak of double-digit scoring games came to an end against Butler, Egidijus Mockevicius made a great impact on the boards, moving into a tie atop the MVC with 7.2 per game. Mockevicius a career-high 15 rebounds with four coming on the offensive end; he tallied nearly half of UE's rebounds as they finished with 31 versus the Bulldogs. In the last six games, the sophomore has totaled 57 rebounds, an average of 9.5/game; that rivals a 6-game streak Troy Taylor had last season where he had 61 in that stretch, highlighted by 19 in a home win over Missouri State.
Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between Grambling State and Evansville. The Tigers ended a 32-game losing streak on Dec. 16 with an 83-75 victory over Central Baptist College. A'Torri Shine led Grambling with 27 points in the victory and is their leading scorer for the season with 18.6 PPG; he is third on the squad with 4.9 rebounds per game.
Terry Rose is the second of four GSU players to average double figures as he checks in with 14.5 points; Antwan Scott (14.3) and Remond Brown (11.5) round out their top four offensive weapons. Last time out against Lyon College, Grambling lost a heartbreaker; up by double figures in the second half, Lyon made its way back into the game, hitting a 3-pointer with six seconds remaining to take a 55-54 win on Dec. 21.
