Game Notes - Live Stats - Ticket Information
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville men's basketball team will look for a championship on Thursday evening as the Purple Aces welcome Northern Arizona to the Ford Center for the CollegeInsider.com Tournament Championship at 6 p.m.
Tickets will be available until game-time at several venues. The Carson Center Ticket Office will be open tomorrow from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. while tickets may be purchased through Ticketmaster at any time. The Ford Center Box Office will also be open on Thursday until game time. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for those under the age of 17.
For the first time in the Division I era, the Purple Aces will be playing for a postseason championship as UE defeated UT Martin by a final of 79-66 to earn a berth in the CIT Championship game on Thursday. Evansville shot over 50% for the fourth time in as many CIT games, checking in at 57.1% in the victory.
Up 12 at the half, the Aces reeled off the first 14 points of the second stanza and never looked back. Scoring at least 22 points in all four CIT games thus far has been D.J. Balentine; he added another 28 tallies on a 10/16 shooting night. Adam Wing began the day 7-7 from the field on his way to 16 points while Blake Simmons dished out a career-best 7 assists while chipping in 13 points. Duane Gibson led all players with 8 assists in the game as UE was credited with 23 assists on 32 made buckets.
Another stellar run through the CIT has seen the Aces advance all the way to the championship after falling a game short two seasons ago. In 2013, the Purple Aces had a stellar run through the CIT, winning three games before falling to East Carolina in the semifinals. It marked the first time the program had won multiple postseason games since the 1971 NCAA Tournament. The win at EIU on March 23 was the second time in 44 years that the team won more than one game in a postseason tournament.
So many things are contributing to the special run by the Aces in the CIT. During the regular season, the Aces shot 36.1% from long range; through its four postseason game, UE has improved that number to 45.9%. One main difference has been the inside shooting; the Aces are hitting 57.1% of their 2-point attempts while the opposition has hit just 43.1%. The 30-second shot clock has resulted in UE pushing the ball much more, culminating in double figures fast break points in two of the last three games; in the first 32 games of the year, the Aces had 10 or more fast break points just twice. Quick starts have also been very helpful - UE has shot 58% or better in the first half of three out of the four games thus far in the CIT.
It has been over a month since Jaylon Moore had his official "Senior Day" at the Ford Center - as it turns out, he had four more games with the last coming on April 2 in the CIT Championship. Moore is finishing up his career on a nice run, averaging 10 points in his last two games. Moore has improved by leaps and bounds every single year with the school. He has started six games this season while shooting an unbelievable 75.3%. Moore currently stands at 428 points and has had a strong season, posting 13 points on two occasions; his top game with the program came last season in the home game against Indiana State where he scored 14 points.
Northern Arizona enters the CIT Championship game with an overall record of 23-14; after beginning the season at 5-9, the Lumberjacks have gone 18-5. Their last game was a 68-61 triumph over NJIT at home in the semifinals. Three NAU players average double figures, led by Quinton Upshur, who has recorded 14.6 points per game, he was NAU's top scorer versus NJIT with 23 points. Kris Yanku has averaged 13.7 PPG while Aaseem Dixon has registered 13.0. The top rebounder for NAU is Jordyn Martin; in the victory against NJIT, he posted a game-high of 17.
