WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Josh Hughes and AJ Casey combined for 29 points to lead the University of Evansville men's basketball team in Tuesday's season-opening 82-51 loss to #1 Purdue inside Mackey Arena.

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Box Score

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Hughes compiled a double-double, scoring 15 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Casey recorded 14 points and fell just one board shy of a double-double as he hauled in nine boards. Trent Hundley finished the night with nine points marking his highest total in his time at UE. Purdue was led by Fletcher Loyer's 30 points. He was 8-of-11 from the field including a 7-for-10 showing from outside. Jack Benter and Daniel Jacobsen scored 11 points apiece.
 
"I thought overall we competed. To finish with 20 offensive rebounds and turn the ball over just ten times against a team like Purdue was a huge positive for us," UE head coach David Ragland said. "We just did not hit our shots but we are still gelling as a team. I am proud of how we performed against a program with the stature of Purdue."
 
Throughout the majority of the first half the Purple Aces kept pace with the top-ranked Boilermakers. Josh Hughes opened the scoring with a 3-pointer on UE's opening possession before adding a dunk to make it a 5-1 game. At the 16:21 mark, Jack Benter's triple gave Purdue its first lead at 9-7.
 
Scoring six in a row, the Boilermakers extended the lead to 15-7 while AJ Casey's 3-point play got Evansville back within five at 15-10. With 11:46 remaining in the half, Hughes' seventh point of the night kept his squad within five tallies. A quick spurt by the Boilermakers extended their lead to eight points at the midway point of the half, but a tenacious UE squad battled back once again.
 
Bryce Quinet's layup was later followed by a Trent Hundley triple to cut the Purdue lead to just three – 20-17 – with 7:49 left in the period. Over the final minutes, Purdue took it to a new level outscoring the Aces by a 21-5 margin to take a 41-22 lead at the break. Fletcher Loyer completed the period with 18 points as Purdue cruised to the 21-point advantage at the half.  Hughes had seven in the first 20 minutes.
 
Out of the break, the Boilermakers scored the first 12 points to go up 53-22. Casey's second-chance layup with 14:45 on the clock marked UE's first points of the half. Evansville cut the gap to 28 points on multiple occasions while the advantage for Purdue reached as many as 38 points (78-40). Over the final four minutes, the Aces cut into the deficit as Trent Hundley scored five in a row with the final score finishing at 82-51.
 
Both squads wrapped up the evening with 40 rebounds with UE hauling in 20 offensive caroms. Purdue shot 47.5% from the field while UE finished at 30.0%. The Boilermakers finished the night with 22 assists against just seven turnovers. UE registered 13 assists while turning the ball over just ten times.
 
UE opens its home slate on Friday with an 11 a.m. game against Calumet College of St. Joseph.