EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Non-conference play will be completed on Monday evening when the University of Evansville men's basketball team welcomes Belmont to the Ford Center for a 6 p.m. game.  ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.
 

Evansville vs. Belmont
Game Information	Monday, Dec. 21 | 6:00 p.m. | Ford Center
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Putting a Streak Together
- UE won its second game in a row on Dec. 15, earning a 66-63 overtime win over Southeast Missouri State
- That came on the heels of a 68-65 triumph over Eastern Illinois that ended a 22-game winless streak
- The primary improvement for the Purple Aces has been in its shooting - UE shot 36.6% through its first three games but has seen that rise to 43.6% in its last two
- Evansville recorded 35 assists to 44 turnovers in its losses but the 2-game win streak has seen that move to a positive ratio - 21-to-19
 
Last Time Out
- Trailing by six with just over two minutes on the clock, Evansville made a late push to force overtime before a 3-point play by Shamar Givance sealed a 66-63 win over SEMO on Dec. 15
- Givance scored a career-high 20 points in the win while Jawaun Newton added 15
- Noah Frederking hit a 3-pointer to help the Aces overcome the late deficit before a pair of Newton free throws sent the game to overtime
 
Enjoying the Home Cooking
- Since taking to the floor at the Ford Center, the Aces are a perfect 2-0
- This marks the 7th year in a row that UE has won its first two home games
 
Game Winner
- At halftime against SEMO, Shamar Givance had just one point and it looked like his double figure scoring streak could be in jeopardy
- His performance in the second half and overtime kept his early season streak alive and led the Purple Aces to their second win in a row
- Givance posted 13 points in the second half before hitting the game winner while scoring six of the Aces' 10 points in OT on the way to his first 20-point effort at UE
- The junior is tied for 7th in the MVC with 14.2 points per game and has reached double figures in all five contests after doing so just once last year
 
Presence Down Low
- Junior Iyen Enaruna gave the Aces a strong boost off the bench in the win over SEMO as he scored nine points and grabbed six boards
- His scoring output was the top tally in his debut season
- Of his six caroms, three came on the offensive glass; he is tied for the team lead with six offensive rebounds on the season
- In his first game at Louisville, Enaruna had a point and rebound in 10 minutes at Louisville but excelled against Prairie View A&M
- Enaruna hit both field goal tries on his way to five points and six rebounds versus the Panthers' at UT Martin, Enaruna added three more rebounds and two blocks
- He paces the team with five blocked shots
 
Scouting the Opponent
- Belmont heads to Evansville with a 7-1 record and already has two conference games in the books, sweeping a pair of games against Tennessee State
- The lone setback for the Bruins came on December 5 with a 96-83 loss to Samford
- Luke Smith paces Belmont with 18.0 points per game
- Smith does the majority of his work from outside with 2/3 of his field goal makes coming beyond the arc, where he is 32-of-66 (48.5%)
- Nick Muszynski has 16.8 points while JaCobi Wood and Grayson Murphy average 12.8 and 11.5, respectively
- Murphy leads the way with 9.5 rebounds per contest
 

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