NASHVILLE, Tenn. – AJ Casey scored a game-high 21 points on Wednesday to lead the University of Evansville men's basketball team in a 98-64 setback at Belmont inside Curb Event Center.

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Box Score

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Casey was 10-of-16 from the field while adding seven rebounds and five assists, both team-bests. Leif Moeller recorded 11 points while Alex Hemenway completed the night with 10. Four Bruins reached double figures with Tyler Lundblade leading the way with 15. Sam Orme scored 14.
 
"Belmont is such a balanced team, everyone on the floor is a threat. You need to guard them all. They are an excellent 3-point shooting team and showed that tonight," Purple Aces head coach David Ragland said. "Give them credit – they played extremely well tonight."
 
Trailing 3-0, AJ Casey got the Aces on the board. Josh Hughes added a dunk that made it a 6-4 game at the 16:11 mark. Belmont utilized its outside shooting to take their first double digit lead of the game at 16-4. The Bruins converted four of their first five 3-point tries.
 
Bryce Quinet knocked down a triple to cut into the deficit while Alex Hemenway added a trey to cut the gap to 19-10 with 13:05 remaining in the half. Over the next three minutes, Belmont outscored the Aces by an 11-3 margin to take their largest lead at 30-13. UE took its turn from long range with Hughes and Trent Hundley dialing it up from downtown to get back within 11 just past the midway point of the half.
 
Over the remainder of the period, the Bruin lead remained within 10-15 points. With 2:33 left, a basket by Quinet made it a 35-25 game while Belmont regained momentum in the final moments, knocking down their 10^th triple of the night in the final minute to take a 44-29 halftime advantage. The Bruins shot 55.6% in the half while UE finished at 42.9%.
 
After Casey knocked down the first basket of the second half, the 3-point shooting of the Bruins saw them open a 53-33 lead three minutes into the period. They added five more to go up 58-33 shortly after. Hitting five consecutive field goals, the Bruins completed an 11-0 run. Inside of the 15-minute mark, Hemenway's second triple ended the stretch.
 
With 11:57 remaining, Belmont's lead reached 31 points at 69-38. The Bruins hit eight out of nine attempts to open the lead. UE got back on track offensively, hitting five out of seven tries, but the Bruins still held a 75-47 advantage inside of 10 minutes left. Over the final 10 minutes, the lead for Belmont reached as many as 36 before the wrapped up the game with a 98-64 decision.
 
For the game, the Bruins shot 57.4% overall and 56.8% from long range. UE shot 45.6% from the field. Belmont outrebounded the Aces by a 34-24 tally. The Aces return home for its final two games of the regular season. UE welcomes Valparaiso on Saturday before taking on Southern Illinois Sunday. Both games begin at 3 p.m. at the Ford Center.