EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville redshirt sophomore Mislav Brzoja became the ninth player in program history to earn Missouri Valley Conference All-Bench Team honors as the league announced the awards on Wednesday.
 
Brzoja played in 26 games in his inaugural season with the Purple Aces, missing four contests due to injury.  He made seven starts while coming off the bench on 19 occasions.  Brzoja was third on the team as he averaged 8.1 points per game and ranked second on the squad with 4.5 rebounds per contest.
 
His career at UE started off in impressive fashion as he became the first player since Kenneth Harris in 2010 to record a double-double in his first game at Evansville.  He posted 21 points and 11 boards in his regular season debut versus Earlham.
 
He had another stellar outing in the opener of the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida as he led the Aces to a win over Fresno State.  Brzoja tallied 17 points while knocking down 12 of his 13 free throw attempts.
 
As non-conference play wrapped up, the native of Croatia made his way into the starting lineup, making seven starts in a row before suffering an injury at home against Wichita State.  His efforts helped the Aces earn a road win at Missouri State as he posted 18 points and hit 7-of-8 free throws in the win.
 
Evansville's last player to earn All-Bench accolades was D.J. Balentine.  Balentine did so in his freshman season, earning the award in 2013.