EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The opening stretch of Missouri Valley Conference play wraps up on Saturday when the University of Evansville men's basketball team plays host to Indiana State in a 1 p.m. game at the Ford Center.

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Game Notes - ESPN3 - Live Audio - Live Stats

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Setting the Scene                     
- The Aces have won three of the last four home games against the Sycamores
- Evansville enters Saturday's game with an 8-1 mark in nine home games; UE has excelled at home in recent years, going 10-1 to start the 2017-18 season, 9-1 in its first ten games in 2016-17 and 11-0 to start the 2015-16 campaign
 
Last Time Out                           
- Putting together what was arguably its best game of the year, the Purple Aces defeated Loyola by a 67-48 final on Tuesday night at the Ford Center
- UE had its best shooting night of the season, finishing at 52.9%; it was the first time UE finished at 50% or higher this season
- K.J. Riley had 15 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds while Marty Hill and Shea Feehan scored 13 points apiece
- The defense held Loyola to just 37.3% shooting and a 6-to-17 assist/turnover ratio
- Trailing 6-5, UE went on a 13-0 run and led by double figures for the duration

Takeaways from Loyola                       
- Evansville was 8-of-19 (42.1%) from outside; it was the first time UE shot 40% from 3-point range since finishing at 47.1% (8/17) at Ball State
- Through three MVC games, UE is allowing the opposition to shoot just 19.6% from long range
- In the three game prior to the Loyola contest, Noah Frederking attempted just one shot; he was 2-3 from outside versus the Ramblers with six points
- Dainius Chatkevicius attempted and made his first three in the contest
 
Putting it together                      
- Marty Hill is gaining confidence each and every time out and chipped in 13 more points on a 5-of-7 night from the floor against Loyola
- Hill has been on fire from outside, hitting 13 of his last 23 attempts from long range; in the last two home games, he is 8-of-11 from outside
- In the home win over Drake, Hill scored 24 points while hitting five out of seven 3-pointers in 39 minutes of work
 
Winning with Defense               
- After holding Loyola to 37.3% shooting, the Aces have rocketed to the top of the Valley standings in shooting defense; opponents are shooting just 41.5% against UE
- Over its last seven games, Evansville has held each opponent to 40.3% shooting or lower
- The 3-point defense for the Aces is 2nd in the league, giving up just 30.9% of its outside shots; MVC opponents are shooting just 19.6% against UE from outside
 
Scouting the Opponent
- Indiana State makes its way south on Route 41 with a 9-6 mark and have gone 1-2 to begin Valley play
- The Sycamores opened with a loss at Loyola before earning a 65-60 win over Bradley
- Last time out, they were defeated by Missouri State, 72-57
- Jordan Barnes and Tyreke Key anchor the ISU offense, averaging 18.2 and 16.1 points per game
- Barnes excels from the line, shooting 88.9% while Key is shooting 54.8% from the field and 52.8% from outside
 

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