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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – An efficient effort saw the University of Evansville basketball team commit just three turnovers as the Purple Aces earned a 73-66 victory over Missouri State on Tuesday night at the Ford Center.
 
Evansville's (17-8, 7-6 MVC) three turnovers was the lowest in head coach Marty Simmons' tenure as head coach.
 
"Our guys have continued to work hard and get better.  Give credit to Missouri State, half of their team is out with injuries and they came out and played really hard," Simmons said.  "Jaylon (Moore) and David (Howard) played well on the inside and, overall, we had great play from everybody.  To turn it over just three times is outstanding."
 
D.J. Balentine led UE with 20 points as he hit seven shots and three triples.  Adam Wing had his best game of the season on a night when his father Greg performed an awesome rendition of the National Anthem on the trumpet.  Wing scored 17 while hitting 7 of his 8 free throw attempts.  David Howard and Jaylon Brown registered nine points apiece.  For Howard, it marked his best MVC game this season.  Brown tied Blake Simmons for the game-high with five assists.
 
Missouri State's (9-16, 3-10 MVC) Camyn Boone led all players with 21 points.  He was 9-of-14 from the field and had seven rebounds.  Gavin Thurman fell just short of a double-double, posting 12 points and 9 boards.
 
Evansville looked to be off to a stellar start as the Aces hit their first three shots of the night.  Adam Wing helped the Aces reel off the first four points of the game before their lead extended to 6-2 on Wing's second make of the game.  Gavin Thurman opened up by hitting his two shots before Camyn Boone hit an old-fashioned 3-point play to tie the score up for the first time at 8-8.  Five D.J. Balentine points in a row saw the Aces regroup and take a 15-10 advantage at the 12-minute mark.
 
The feisty Missouri State team hung around and made their way in front with eight minutes remaining in the half, going up 20-19 on another Boone bucket.  An and-one from David Howard knotted the score back up at 22-22, but the Bears roared back with four in a row, taking their largest lead of the day with four minutes left.
 
A Jaylon Brown triple got the Aces right back into it as the teams went to halftime tied at 30-30.  Balentine and Wing had seven apiece at the break while the top scorers in the game were the Bears' Thurman and Boone, who registered 10 apiece.
 
Out of the break, the Aces hit 8 of their first 11 shots, but still trailed the Bears by one nine minutes into the period.  Just over a minute into the period, Jaylon Moore gave UE its first lead since the 8:11 mark of the first half at 34-32.  The squads swapped the lead a few times before Howard took over, posting five in a row as the Aces took a 48-44 lead.
 
MSU continued its battle as Chris Kendrix knocked down a pair of free throws to put the lead back in the Bears' hands at 49-48 at the 12:10 mark.  They continued to hold that lead until Moore tied it up with a free throw and seconds later, Balentine found Wing for a layup to put the Aces back in front at 53-51 with 9:12 remaining.
 
UE's game-changing run continued as Blake Simmons and Moore connected on buckets once again to mark a 9-0 stretch to give the Aces their largest lead of the game at 59-51.  Missouri State ended a scoreless stretch of nearly five minutes as Austin Ruder knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the lead to six.  The Bears were 0-4 with four turnovers as UE retook the lead.
 
Inside of four minutes remaining, Balentine was at it again as another 3-point play for the Aces gave them their largest lead of nine points at 66-57.  Evansville missed a pair of buckets around the net as the Bears attempted a comeback.  Boone connected down low with 1:23 left ending an 0-for-6 stretch and was the first MSU field goal since the 11:35 mark.  It cut the gap to 66-60.  On the ensuing possession, Loomis Gerring hit another Bear bucket to close within four.
 
Shawn Roundtree made it three makes in a row for the Bears as they cut the UE lead to three, but the Aces were a perfect 6-6 in the final seconds from the free throw line to clinch the win.  
 
A trip to Carbondale, Ill. awaits the Purple Aces as they travel to face Southern Illinois on Saturday.  Tip is set for 3:05 p.m. at SIU Arena.  Seven days from today, UE will face Drake at the Ford Center.