Game Notes  -  Live Stats

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – One of the true legends in University of Evansville athletics history – Jim Byers – will be honored as the Purple Aces men's basketball team takes on Southern Illinois on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Ford Center.
 
Jim Byers Day will be officially recognized prior to the game by Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke as he will present Byers with a proclamation.  He has served the department in several capacities over the last 50 years including time as the head football coach and athletics director.  A video presentation will also be played at halftime.
 
For the Aces and Salukis, it will be a battle for third place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.  Both enter the game with a 21-7 mark and sport identical 10-5 league marks. 
 
A 6-year streak came to an end as the Purple Aces grabbed their first road win at Drake since 2010, taking down the Bulldogs by a final of 80-74 on Wednesday evening in Des Moines.  UE led throughout as D.J. Balentine led everyone with 26 points and 7 assists, playing all 40 minutes.  Egidijus Mockevicius added 21 points of his own and recorded his 23rd double-double
of the season, hauling in 13 rebounds.  For the second game in a row, Blake Simmons scored 11 points as he knocked down 5 of his 6 shots while also dishing out 5 helpers.
 
Since breaking Colt Ryan's program scoring record on February 6, D.J. Balentine has continued to score at his usual pace.  With 26 points at Drake last time out, Balentine moved his career total to 2,341, which puts him in 10th place in the history of all NCAA Division I schools in the state of Indiana.  Balentine is tied with Bradley's Mitchell Anderson for 5th in MVC history.
 
Averaging 13.9 rebounds per game this season, senior Egidijus Mockevicius is closing in on Dale Wise's UE rebounding record.  In his career, which spanned from 1958 through 1961, Wise hauled in 1,197 boards; Mockevicius currently stands at 1,173 as the regular season winds down.
 
A 71-59 triumph over Bradley saw the Salukis improve to 21-7 and 10-5 in MVC play on Wednesday evening, marking their third victory in a row.  Anthony Beane is the leading scorer for SIU, standing with 19.9 points per game; he scored over 30 points in the two games prior to facing the Braves.  Sean O'Brien is also averaging double figures as he comes into Saturday's tilt with an average of 12.5 PPG.  Bola Olaniyan is the top threat down low for the Salukis, notching 8.4 rebounds per game.
 
The MVC TV Network will carry the game and it will be on Fox Sports Midwest in the area.
 

• 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.