Box Score (PDF)

FULLERTON, Calif. – D.J. Balentine scored 18 points while Egidijus Mockevicius chipped in 11, but Ben Bentil countered with a game-high 24 points as Providence opened up the Wooden Legacy with a 74-64 win over the University of Evansville men's basketball team at Titan Gym.
 
"We got off to a good start and knocked our shots down, but foul trouble caught up with us," Aces head coach Marty Simmons said.  "We had to adjust to their physicality and were able to make our way back after we did that."
 
Balentine hit 7 of his 18 attempts for Evansville (3-1) while Mockevicius led the way with 9 rebounds.  Mislav Brzoja finished the night with 11 points and a game-high six assists.
 
Aside from Bentil's performance, Kris Dunn total 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals for the Friars (5-0).  Providence finished the night with a 36-30 edge on the boards while Evansville outshot them by a 50.9%-40.4% margin.
 
After Ben Bentil knocked down a triple on the opening possession of the game, the Aces roared back.  D.J. Balentine knocked down back-to-back triples to put UE on the board.  Following a Mockevicius dunk, Jaylon Brown forced a turnover and took it coast-to-coast and gave UE a 10-3 lead and finished off a 10-0 run in the first four minutes.
 
Mislav Brzoja hit a jumper to match the Aces' largest lead of seven points at 18-11 before Providence rallied back.  A 23-8 run saw the Friars take their largest lead at 34-26 inside of four minutes remaining in the opening stanza.  After UE scored three in a row, Providence reeled off the next six points over a matter of seconds in the final minute.
 
Balentine knocked down his third triple and 13^th point of the half to help UE go to the half trailing by a 40-32 margin.  As a team, the Purple Aces shot 63.6% in the half, but 10 turnovers helped the Friars hold the advantage.
 
Out of the break, Providence scored the first 11 points of the half in the first six minutes.  With 14:09 left in the game, Jaylon Brown hit a pair of free throws to put UE on the board in the second half and make it a 51-34 game.  After forcing a Friar turnover, Mislav Brzoja was able to knock down a shot on the ensuing possession, ending a 0-for-10 stretch to begin the period. 
 
Evansville made its way back into the game as an Adam Wing trey midway through the half brought the Aces back within 11 at 54-43.  UE had a chance to get even closer, but a missed free throw gave the ball back to the Friars where the converted on a triple to go back up by 14.  The lead remained around that margin as the minutes counted down before the Friars took the 74-64 win.
 
On Friday, Evansville will play either Santa Clara or Arizona at 6 p.m.  The game will be carried live on ESPN3.
 
 

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