SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The 2005-06 basketball season seems like it was just yesterday.  At that time, University of Evansville head coach Walter McCarty was on the floor playing for the Los Angeles Clippers while Missouri State head coach Dana Ford was a senior on the Illinois State squad.
 
Tonight, the pair will meet up for the first time as the Aces face Missouri State in a 7 p.m. game inside JQH Arena in Springfield.  Evansville is looking to pick up a huge conference road win against a team they have enjoyed success against as of late.  UE has won seven of the last nine games against MSU. 
 
Missouri State is riding some momentum coming into the game as they won their last two games – both on the road – as they defeated Indiana State and Bradley.  Tulio Da Silva leads the Bears with 16.2 points per game.  Da Silva is in his first season at MSU after transferring from South Florida.  In its last home game, MSU fell by an 82-66 final against Valparaiso.
 
Evansville is coming off of its second overtime contest in four MVC games this season, falling by a 72-66 final to Indiana State on Saturday at the Ford Center.  Shea Feehan led the way with 12 points; over his last two games, the grad transfer has posted 12.5 PPG following a 13-point outing against Loyola.
 
In the win over the Ramblers last week, UE shot 52.9% from the field, its top effort of the season.  While the Aces finished at 35% against the Sycamores, there were notable efforts in the game.  John Hall was 4-for-9 from the field on his way to nine points.  Evan Kuhlman continued his surge with nine points.  The sophomore has now posted nine or more points in three of the last four games, averaging 8.75 points per game over that span.
 
Kuhlman did his damage from the line, going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.  He took just seven free throws in the first 16 games of the season, so the aggressiveness is definitely a positive sign for head coach Walter McCarty and his staff.
 
UE is set to tip off in less than an hour with coverage on ESPN+.
 

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