Box Score (PDF)  -  Photo Gallery

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Seniors D.J. Balentine and Egidijus Mockevicius put the team on their back, recording 22 points apiece to help the University of Evansville men's basketball team rally from an 8-point halftime deficit to defeat Indiana State by a 70-62 final in the Missouri Valley Conference opener at the Ford Center.
 
Balentine, who was limited to five first-half points, hit back-to-back threes in an 8-0 run in the second half that paced UE (12-2, 1-0 MVC) to the victory.  He also moved into third place on the all-time UE scoring list.  His career total now stands at 2,070, moving past Marcus Wilson's total of 2,053.  Mockevicius finished with his 12^th double-double in 14 games, notching 22 points and 16 boards.  The winning effort came in front of 7,801 fans on the first "West Side Night with the Aces" that also raised awareness of Logan's Promise.
 
"It was hard, Indiana State just makes it hard every time," head coach Marty Simmons said.  "We competed much harder in the second half.  Winnings games in the Valley is very hard, but I like the way our guys hung in there and battled."
 
Echoing those sentiments was Balentine, who also hauled in a career-high nine rebounds.
 
"This conference is so touch and to come back from a halftime deficit was huge," the Kokomo, Ind. native said.  "It is so big to start 1-0 in the Valley."
 
That 1-0 start did not come easy as the Purple Aces went into the halftime break trailing 36-28.  Both teams shot over 40% from the field, but UE struggled from the free throw line, hitting just seven out of 20 in the opening stanza.  Brenton Scott posted 11 points in the half as his two triples made the difference at the break.
 
With the Aces up 11-8, Niels Bunschoten nailed a trey before a Scott layup put ISU on top at 13-11.  The Sycamores (6-7, 0-1 MVC) never gave up the lead over the remainder of the half as a 10-1 run saw them head to the break with the lead.
 
After regrouping in the locker room, Evansville came out with a renewed energy in the second half, posting the first nine points to take a 37-36 lead.  Mockevicius had four points in the run while Adam Wing hit his second 3-pointer of the night and Blake Simmons added a bucket of his own.  The feisty ISU team did not relent as they battled back to go up 41-38 on a Devnote Brown shot.
 
The game-changing run came with just over five minutes remaining.  Trailing 47-46, the Aces reeled off eight points in a row and never trailed again.  Balentine had back-to-back treys in the run and the Aces would lead by as many as 12 before settling for the 70-62 win.
 
"We just tried to play our game, it was a tough one to grind out," Mockevicius said.
 
Behind Mockevicius' 16 boards, the Aces finished with a 48-41 edge in rebounding.  Balentine also set his career mark with nine.  Adam Wing and Jaylon Brown registered 8 points apiece and combined to hit six out of their nine shots.  As a team, UE shot 44.9% while holding the Sycamores to 33.8%.  The defense of UE also held ISU to 26.5% shooting (9/34) in the second half.
 
A two-game road trip is up next for the Aces as they begin with a trip to Springfield, Mo. for a 3 p.m. matchup at Missouri State.  On January 6, Evansville visits Wichita State.
 

• INFO: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville men's basketball, log on to the sport page on GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics_MBB.

 

• DONATE: For information on giving to UE Athletics or its individual athletics programs, visit the DONATE tab on the top of GoPurpleAces.com. 

 

• TICKETS: To purchase tickets for University of Evansville athletics events, log on to GoPurpleAces.com and click on the TICKETS tab on top of the page.