NORMAL, Ill. – Down to just six healthy players by the end of the game, the University of Evansville men's basketball team fell to Illinois State by a score of 72-53 on Sunday inside CEFCU Arena.

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Box Score

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Kenny Strawbridge Jr. and Gabe Spinelli led the way with 12 and 10 points, respectively.  Strawbridge tied Preston Phillips for UE's top tally of six rebounds.  Seneca Knight was the top scorer in the contest, scoring 26 points on a 9-of-17 shooting effort.  He was 5-of-8 from long range.
 
"Our guys played extremely hard all the way through the game.  We went cold for 3-4 minutes in the second half and Seneca Knight was hitting just about everything and that was the difference," UE head coach David Ragland said.  "I thought we did a good job of making Illinois State take tough shots and to their credit – they hit them."
 
Gage Bobe and Preston Phillips hit 3-pointers in a 2-for-2 start from the field to put UE in front at 6-0.  On the defensive end, UE was just as effective, forcing turnovers in each of the first four possessions.  Yacine Toumi connected on the third triple of the game to solidify a 9-4 Evansville lead at the 15:32 mark.
 
Following the quick start, the offense connected on one of its next nine shot attempts.  During that time, Illinois state scored six in a row to take its first lead at 10-9.  Kenny Strawbridge Jr. ended the drought with 11:48 remaining in the half to put the Aces back in front.  UE continued its solid play, retaking a 5-point lead with 5:16 remaining in the half when Marvin Coleman II forced a turnover before converting on the offensive end to give the Aces a 22-17 advantage.
 
Illinois State bounced back in the final minutes of the period, outscoring the Aces by a 14-6 margin to hold a 31-28 lead at the break.  Seneca Knight led all players with 13 points in the first half.
 
Up by a 38-35 score in the opening moments of the second half, the Redbirds posted six in a row to take their largest lead of the game at nine points.  Chris Moncrief made a pinpoint pass to Preston Phillips to open a 4-0 stretch to make it a 2-possession game at 44-39.  The Redbirds slowly took control, utilizing an 18-8 run to open a 15-point lead at 62-47 inside the final minutes.
 
ISU took a 21-point lead in the last minute before a late basket by Spinelli made it a final of 72-53.  The Redbirds shot 52.9% on the day while recording a 36-21 rebounding advantage.  Evansville shot 37.5% in the finale.  With the scores from the MVC on Sunday, the Aces are slated to face Indiana State in the Arch Madness opener at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.