EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 2025-26 regular season comes to a close this weekend when the University of Evansville men's basketball team welcomes Valparaiso and Southern Illinois on Saturday and Sunday; both games begin at 3 p.m. ESPN+ and Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast. Following Saturday's game, seniors Alex Hemenway and Trent Hundley will be recognized.
Last Time Out
- Belmont hit 21 3-pointers and led by as many as 36 points in a 98-64 win over the Purple Aces on Wednesday in Nashville
- AJ Casey registered game highs in points (21), rebounds (7), and assists (5)
- Leif Moeller scored 11 points while Alex Hemenway finished with 10 tallies
Still Going Strong
- AJ Casey scored 21 points at Belmont and 19 at Murray State to get back on track after scoring a total of 13 points in the two prior games
- Casey scored a career-high 28 points in the win over Illinois State marking the highest tally for a UE player this season
- He continues to rank among the MVC's best in multiple categories including: scoring (14th-12.24 PPG), rebounds (9th-5.52 RPG), shooting % (7th-50.7%), steals (7th-1.28/game), and offensive boards (T8th-2.00/gm)
Series Notes
- On Feb. 6, the Beacons halted a 4-game skid against the Aces with a 70-63 overtime win at The ARC
- Before UE's 4-game streak, Valpo won five meetings in a row
- The last seven meetings between the schools have been decided by 12 points or fewer
Finishing Strong
- Josh Hughes is averaging 11.5 PPG over the last four contests including a 16-point game at Murray State
- The performance against the Racers matched his season scoring high
- Over his last 13 games, Hughes is averaging 10.0 PPG while shooting 49.5%
- He opened the season averaging 13.2 PPG through the first six games while scoring at least 12 points in each contest
Scouting the Opponent
- Valparaiso enters the final weekend of the regular season with a chance to finish as high as third in the MVC
- The Beacons are 17-13 overall and 11-8 in the Valley while winning six of their last seven games
- In their home finale on Wednesday, Valpo hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds to earn a 74-71 victory over Drake
- Owen Dease leads a trio of double figure scorers with 13.0 points per game
- JT Pettigrew is averaging 11.9 points and a team-high 6.6 caroms while Rakim Chaney checks in with 10.3 PPG
- Dease was the top performer for the Beacons in the first game against UE, posting 18 points
