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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Over the final 17:43 of the game, the University of Evansville basketball team outscored Alabama State by a 34-8 tally on its way to an 81-63 victory on Sunday at the Ford Center.
 
With the win, the Purple Aces improve to 9-2 overall and have recorded nine wins prior to Christmas for the first time in program history.
 
Head coach Marty Simmons switched to a zone defense, which vaulted the Aces to the 34-8 stretch in the second half.  He explained the decision.
 
"We got off to a slow start in the second half.  I thought we played with intensity at the beginning of the game, but as the half went on, we had some slippage," Simmons said.  "They knocked us on our heels, so we changed defenses to see if we could change tempo.  Our guys did a good job of communicating.  They ran several sets on that zone that we had not prepared for.  Overall, I thought it took some of their aggression away from them."
 
"It was a big thing for us on the defensive end, but I thought offensively, we played much better over the remainder of the game," he continued.
 
Leading the way for UE with a career-high 25 points was Egidijus Mockevicius.  He connected on 9 of his 13 shots, was 7/8 from the free throw line and led everyone with 12 rebounds.  It surpassed his previous high of 20, which came earlier this season against Wright State.  Mockevicius has recorded seven double-doubles this season and has notched 14 in his last 21 games.
 
D.J. Balentine also made some history.  For the seventh game in a row, he has scored 20 points or more.  He became the first Evansville player to do so since Marty Simmons in the final games of his career in in 1988.  Earlier that season, Simmons had a streak of nine-consecutive 20-point outings in a monstrous season for the Purple Aces.  Balentine had 20 tallies on Sunday while notching a game-high 7 assists.
 
Rounding out UE's double digit scorers was Blake Simmons, who finished with 11 points, which included two 3-pointers.
 
Four Hornets (3-5) were in double figures, led by Jamel Waters and Luther Page, who had 13 apiece.  Maurice Strong and DeMarcus Robinson each finished the day with ten.
 
Both teams had their offenses going in the first half.  Evansville had the early advantage, jumping out to a 12-point lead just over 13 minutes into the contest.  Steve Rogers gave Alabama State an early 3-0 lead on the opening possession, but three minutes in, a Mockevicius layup gave the Aces the lead for most of the first period.
 
A 14/26 start from the field saw UE take a comfortable 34-22 lead with 6:32 remaining in the first half.  That is where the Hornets made their run.  After starting the game 4-of-13 from the field, ASU finished the half hitting 14 of their final 17 attempts as they took a 49-47 lead at the half.  That stretch saw ASU finish the period shooting 60% as Page led the way with ten.
 
The momentum carrier into the early moments of the second half as the Hornets reeled off the first six points to take their largest lead of eight points at 55-47 with 17:43 left.  Coach Simmons called a timeout at that point and that is where the tide turned.  The Hornets scored just eight points over the remainder of the contest while hitting just three of their final 19 shots.
 
An 11-2 run saw the Aces take the lead for good with 13:29 remaining.  Simmons and Mockevicius each had four in the run while Duane Gibson chipped in the final three to give UE a 58-57 lead.  They would not relinquish that advantage over the remainder of the game as their largest lead was the final of 18 points.
 
For the seventh time in 11 games, UE has shot 50% of better.  The Aces are a perfect 7-0 when doing so.  Alabama State finished the day at 41.8%.  UE also finished with a 35-31 rebounding advantage. 
 
Evansville will have seven days until its next home contest as the Aces host Coppin State on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 1:05 p.m.  For tickets, call 812-488-ACES or purchase at the Carson Center Ticket Office or at the Ford Center.