Game Notes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After earning a 53-48 win over Loyola on Saturday, the University of Evansville men's basketball team is back on the road for a game at Missouri State on Tuesday evening at 7:05 p.m.
 
Defense was the story on Saturday as the Aces improved to 2-4 in MVC play with a 53-48 win over Loyola at the Ford Center.  Evansville recorded a season-high 10 steals while holding the Ramblers to a season-low of 53 points.  D.J. Balentine led UE with 18 points; through 16 minutes of play, he registered just two tallies but was stellar from that point on.
 
Duane Gibson rebounded from a stomach to post one of his top all-around games at UE totaling 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.  Down by as many as 9 points in the first half, the Aces rallied to tie it up at the half before jumping out to a 10 point lead in the second half before hanging on for a 53-48 win.
 
After falling in its first three conference games this season, Evansville has rallied to win two of its last three with the one defeat being a heartbreaker at Illinois State.  Defense has been the key to the resurgence as the first three games saw UE give up 85 points, 54.7% shooting and 10.3 treys per game.
 
The last three games have seen those numbers swing back in UE's favor in a big way as the opposition is averaging 65.3 points, shooting 42.2% and connecting on an average of 6.7 treys. On offense, UE is actually shooting a lower percentage (44.3-42.1%) in the last three contests but the main disparity has been from outside as the Aces have hit 8.3 triples per game in the last three.
 
After posting just two points in the first 16 minutes of play versus the Ramblers, D.J. Balentine rebounded to finish the day with a team-high of 18.  For the season, Balentine continues to lead the Valley with 22.2 points per game and is 1.8 points ahead of his nearest competition; that tally also puts him 9th in the country.
 
In his second year of play in the MVC, Balentine has been one of the most improved players in the conference; in his first four league games as a freshman, Balentine totaled just four points; through six games this season, he is the scoring leader in conference play with 20.7 points.
 
Missouri State enters Tuesday's matchup with a 12-6 mark, but have struggled since losing top scorer Marcus Marshall as they stand at 2-4 in conference play.  Marshall averaged 14.3 points before a knee injury put him out indefinitely; Marshall was pivotal in the Bears win over UE in Springfield last season, tallying 14 points in a 62-61 win.
 
Behind him is Jamar Gulley, who sits at 14.1 points; he leads MSU with 29 steals and has also averaged an impressive 5.4 rebounds per contest.  The Bears are coming off of a 94-89 defeat at UNI on Saturday afternoon as both teams lit it up from the field in the second half.  UNI led by a 39-36 tally at the break before the squads combined for 108 points in the second frame.  MSU scored its most points in a loss this season while hitting 19-of-31 attempts in the second half; the Panthers were just a bit better, shooting 66.7% (16/24).  Averaging just 7.2 PPG this season, Ron Mvouika posted a career-high 28 points in the loss hitting 10 of his 13 shots overall and all 6 triples.
 
MSU leads Evansville in their overall series by a 31-27 margin, but UE has had the upper hand, taking five of the last six matchups including all three meetings in the 2011-12 campaign.  UE is just 1-8 in its last 9 trips to Springfield with the win coming in 2012 as UE took an 87-82 overtime win.  The last win for the Aces came on 1/2/13 in a 62-59 win; Troy Taylor was the star in that outing, posting an unbelievable 19 caroms.