Game Notes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – On the final leg of its longest road trip of the season, the University of Evansville men's basketball team travels to Murray State for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday.
 
Fans can listen to the game on 91.5 FM WUEV or online at www.WUEV.org.  Fans can also watch the game on the OVC Digital Network at http://www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com/showcase/.
 
With an 81-59 loss at Ohio U. on Saturday, the Purple Aces fell to 5-2 on the season with the final leg of a 3-game road trip coming up as the Aces travel to Murray State on Wednesday night.  In Saturday's loss to the Bobcats, two stats pop out, the Aces gave up 10 3-pointers while hitting just three while they allowed OU to take 62 shots while attempting just 53.

Egidijus Mockevicius posted his top scoring game with 19 points at OU; he was 7-9 from the floor and 5-9 from the line; his total was a team-high, marking the first time this season that D.J. Balentine was not UE's top scorer.  Completing his stat line was 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal.  With 1.5 blocks per game, Mockevicius ranks second in the MVC; as a freshman, he recorded a total of 64 blocks.  His effort of nine blocks at OU moved him into the top ten in the Valley with 5.2 per game.
 
One astounding stat so far this year is the fact that opponents have attempted 155 3-pointers with 36.1% finding the bottom of the net.  By comparison, Evansville has attempted just 85 treys with 35 being true (41.2%).  The opposition has depended on the long shot for 29% of its offense against Evansville; the 3-point shot comprises just 18.3% of UE's offensive attack.
 
D.J. Balentine continues to rank as one of the top scorers in the NCAA as his 25.3 points per game is fifth best in the country and tops in the MVC.  The Kokomo, Ind. product has registered double figures in each of the seven games to open the season; the last player to open the season on a run like that was Shy Ely, who tallied double digits in the first 13 games of the 2008-09 season.  The ranks do not stop there as he leads the MVC playing 35.4 minutes per game; his 92.1% efforts from the free throw line are also the best in the conference.
 
One of the keys to Evansville's success in 2013 has been its ability to get to the line.  In seven games, UE has managed to hit 157 out of 207 free throws; by comparison, the opponents have taken just 139 with 99 making it through the net.  When you look at the big picture, the free throw makes up 29.4% of UE's offense and just 19.6% for the opponents.
 
For the 34th time overall, the Aces and Racers will square off on the hardwood.  After posting a 31-2 mark in 2011-12, MSU went 21-10 last season, but lost two of their top players in Isaiah
Canaan and Ed Daniel; both tallied 21 points in the win over UE last year.  With their top scoring threats gone, Murray State has seen a balanced attack from one returning starter, a returning letterwinner, two JUCO transfers and a true freshman.
 
Gordon State College (Ga.) transfer Jarvis Williams is the No. 8 scorer in the Ohio Valley Conference at 14.1 PPG and is second in rebounds with 10.4/game.  Frosh Cameron Payne is second on the squad with 13.4 PPG, as an MSU commit, Payne was ranked as the #41 freshman point guard in the nation by ESPN.com.  Sophomore Jeffery Moss posts 12 points after averaging 4.4 last season as a reserve; Dexter Fields is the lone returning starter, making 30 starts last year.
 
Located just over 130 miles apart, Evansville and Murray State have squared off 33 times with the Racers coming out on top in 23 of those games.  MSU has posted wins in the last four games, including an 82-70 win at the Ford Center last season and a 72-47 win in Murray on Feb. 19, 2011.  Evansville is just 3-12 all-time on the road against the Racers with the last win (87-80) coming in 1991.