EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A trip to Valparaiso will mark the final regular-season game for the University of Evansville men's basketball team when they face the Crusaders on Saturday at 1 p.m. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network presented by Learfield will have live coverage.
Game Notes - ESPN+ - Live Stats - Listen
Setting the Scene
- UE closes out the regular season against Valparaiso; Evansville's last win this season came against the Crusaders as UE picked up a 64-53 win on February 2 at the Ford Center
- K.J. Riley notched a double-double in the game with 10 points and 12 rebounds
- Evansville has won all three games over Valpo since the Crusaders joined the league prior to the 2017-18 season
- With Arch Madness less than a week away, UE is locked into the 10th spot and will take on the #7 seed at 8:35 p.m. on Thursday, March 7
- The Aces hope to put an end to a recent slide, falling in its last seven games and 11 out of 12 overall
Last Time Out
- In Wednesday's home finale, Evansville faced a 19-point deficit against Southern Illinois in the second half before getting within four points in the final minutes before SIU hung on for the 98-91 win
- Hot shooting was the difference with the Salukis finishing at 60.3% while the Aces finished at an even 50%; it was UE's first loss this season when shooting 50% or higher
- Six players hit double figures for the Aces, led by a 17-point game from Shea Feehan; K.J. Riley finished with 16
- Dainius Chatkevicius posted 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds; both of his double-doubles this season have come against SIU
Takeaways from SIU
- A total of 6,198 fans were in attendance for Senior Day, pushing the average attendance to 5,299 per game, the top mark since the Ford Center opened in 2011
- Despite falling in its last seven games, the Aces have been extremely competitive, especially in the second half; UE has outscored the opposition by 2.3 points in the final 20 minutes over the skid and has tied or outscored the opponent 5 times
- Evansville trailed SIU by 14 at the half; over the last seven games, the Aces have averaged a 13.1-point deficit at the end of the first half
- Over the final 10 minutes of the first half, opponents have outscored UE by a 165-96 tally in the last seven contests
Send Marty to Minneapolis
- Senior Marty Hill is one of 16 finalists for the Dark Horse Dunker Competition
- Four rounds of voting will take place with the winner participating in the dunk contest at the Final Four; Hill was victorious in the opening round and is now in the final eight
- This year's Final Four is in Hill's home town of Minneapolis
Finishing on a high note
- Dainius Chatkevicius' streak has continued as he has chipped in at least seven points in seven consecutive games
- It is the top streak of his career and included two of his best three games with the Aces
- Over the stretch, he has posted 9.6 points while hitting 23 out of 42 attempts
- His streak includes a career-high of 13 points at Southern Illinois
- Chatkevicius also recorded 10 rebounds at SIU on the way to his second career double-double
- On Senior Day, Chatkevicius added 11 points and 10 rebounds against SIU; both of his double-doubles this year have come against them
Scouting the Opponent
- Valparaiso enters the regular season finale with a 14-16 mark and stand at 7-10 in the Valley
- Battling injuries for most of the season, the Crusaders have dropped nine of their last 11 games including a 67-42 loss at Bradley on Wednesday
- They are led by Derrik Smits, who has notched 12.4 points per game and 5.8 rebounds; he has shot an efficient 59.9% on the season
- Javon Freeman is the only player to make all 30 starts; he checks in with 10.9 PPG
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