MVC Arch Madness Website - Game Notes - Live Stats - Live Video
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – It is once again Arch Madness time for the University of Evansville men's basketball team as the Purple Aces make the quick trek west on Interstate 64 to open up the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Friday afternoon.
For the fourth year in a row, the Senior Day opponent for the Purple Aces is also the first foe in St. Louis as UE will take on Illinois State at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Last season, the Aces had a rematch against Drake while two years ago pitted the Aces against Indiana State. In 2012, UE faced Missouri State in back-to-back contests.
Evansville was victorious in two of those three games and fell by just a point to the Sycamores in their MVC Tournament meeting. Prior to 2012, UE faced its Senior Day opponent in its first Arch Madness game on just one occasion, beating Indiana State in 2004 after falling to the Sycamores in the home finale.
Fans are reminded that the annual pre-game Arch Madness Party for Aces supporters will take place at Joe Buck's in downtown St. Louis beginning at noon. Rally towels are available while supplies last and fans can also enter to win door prizes. Game on Thursday through Saturday will be broadcast on the MVC TV Network while Sunday's championship game will be carried on CBS.
Illinois State hit a bucket with under two seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime before knocking down another late shot in the extra session to take a 69-67 win on Saturday at the Ford Center. The Aces were led by D.J. Balentine's 22 points in the game while Adam Wing hit 11 out of 12 free throws and finished with 15 points. Rebounding played a pivotal role in the contest as ISU outrebounded UE by a final tally of 49-31.
This season will mark the fourth meeting between Evansville and Indiana State in Arch Madness. Illinois State has won two of those three meetings, most recently taking a 78-68 win in 2009; Evansville's win came in 2006 as the Aces won by a final of 52-45. The third meeting was in 2001, an 81-77 Redbird win.
With 19.0 points per game, D.J. Balentine led the Valley in scoring for the second season in a row en route to his second-consecutive berth on the All-Conference First Team. He became just the 12th player since 1956 to lead the league in scoring in consecutive seasons joining the likes of Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson.
He continues to rank amongst the national scoring leaders and checks in tied for 30th in the country, averaging 19.0 points per game. Balentine has recorded double figures in all but three of UE's 30 games in 2014-15 and his scoring streak that dates back to the beginning of last season has seen him score 10 or more in 58 out of 63 games.
Also earning a spot on the First Team was fellow junior Egidijus Mockevicius. He set the UE Division I double-double mark with 17 on the season.
Mockevicius has done it all on each side of the floor; he is the #12 shooter in the nation at 59.0% while ranking in a tie for 19th with 9.9 rebounds per game and 4th with 7.68 defensive caroms per contest.
Illinois State clinched the 4th seed in the MVC Tournament with a 69-67 OT win at UE on Saturday. The Redbirds enter Arch Madness with a 19-11 overall mark and were 11-7 in the league.
Daighon Knight is the top scorer for the Redbirds at 13.9 PPG while DeVaughn Purcell checks in at 13.0. Purcell was the hero for the Redbirds in the regular season finale, posting 16 points and 9 rebounds against the Aces. Third on the squad is one of the premier big men in the nation as sophomore Reggie Lynch has notched 9.4 points while blocking an unbelievable 76 shots on the season.
