Box Score (PDF)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – A back-and-forth contest at the McLeod Center saw UNI hang on for a 57-54 victory over the University of Evansville men's basketball team on Wednesday evening.
 
Leading the way for the Aces (18-6, 7-4 MVC) was Egidijus Mockevicius, who notched 14 points and 13 rebounds.  Adam Wing also finished in double figures, posting 10 points on a 4-of-6 shooting night.
 
UNI (13-11, 5-6 MVC) saw Wes Washpun lead the way with 14 points while Matt Bohanon had 13 and Jeremy Morgan registered 12.  Evansville outrebounded the Panthers by a 33-29 margin and also had a shooting edge of 41.2%-39.1%.  The difference came from the line as UE was 8-of-14 while UNI converted on 15 of their 17 attempts.
 
UNI jumped out to a 5-0 advantage as Jeremy Morgan hit the first triple of the day.  Blake Simmons got UE on the board with a layup on a nice out of bounds play before Adam Wing nailed UE's first 3-pointer of the day to make it a 7-5 game at the first media time out.
 
A bucket by D.J. Balentine got UE within one at 9-8 before Wing gave the Aces their first lead of the day at 10-9 on the ensuing possession.  The Panthers responded with a quick 5-0 run to go back up by four at 14-10 and would extend that to as many as 11.  Inside of the 4-minute mark, a layup by Wyatt Lohaus gave UNI a 29-18 advantage. 
 
Evansville came back in the final minutes, getting with five as Egidijus Mockevicius scored four quick points before Christian Benzon capped the stretch off with a three.  With second seconds remaining, Klint Carlson halted the Aces' momentum, knocking down a triple to send UNI to the break leading 32-24. 
 
UE scored the first three points out of the break to get within five before an Adam Wing triple got UE within a pair at 34-32 less than four minutes into the half.  After a Mockevicius free throw, Blake Simmons drove through the lane and hit a shot to put UE back on top at 35-34.  The lead reached as many as four at 44-40 midway through the second half as the Aces hit five shots in a row. 
 
UNI came back to retake a 53-50 lead, which they held with two minutes remaining before Jaylon Brown knocked down a pair of free throws to get the Aces within just one.  After forcing a turnover, D.J. Balentine found Mislav Brzoja for a fast break layup to put the Aces back on top at 54-53.  With 27 seconds left, Wes Washpun posted his 14^th point of the game on a layup to help UNI retake the lead.  That proved to be the game winner as the Aces were unable to convert on their last attempt.
 
It will be an early start on Saturday as the Purple Aces welcome Missouri State to the Ford Center for an 11 a.m. game.
 

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