Purple Aces Earn a Big Win Over Top 25 Ranked UNI

Down as many as 16 points in the first half, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team outscored UNI by a 32-19 margin in the second half to earn a 52-49 win over the 23rd-ranked Panthers on Thursday evening at the Ford Center.

With the victory, head coach Marty Simmons earned his fifth victory over a ranked opponent and saw the Purple Aces improve to 11-2 overall and 1-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference

“We had better execution in the second half. They are a great team, but our guys were gritty,” Simmons said. “I think the most impressive thing for us as a staff is that our guys did not quit. They hung in there.”

D.J. Balentine led the Aces with 17 points while knocking down seven shots. He was proud of the way his team performed against a formidable opponent.

“We are very excited. Northern Iowa is a great team and to win like this is a great feeling,” Balentine said. “We also know that we will play them again soon and they will be even more prepared. This is a huge confidence booster. We are 1-0 in the conference and know we need to keep improving and continue to get better.”

Egidijus Mockevicius chalked up another double-double, which was his ninth of the season. He posted a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with 12 points. Duane Gibson finished with seven points. Jaylon Brown notched six tallies, four of which came in the final seconds from the free throw line.

Things seemed to be going Northern Iowa’s (11-2, 0-1 MVC) was early on as the Panthers led for the majority of the first half. Evansville hit just two of its opening 11 attempts of the game. The Panthers started the game 3-of-9 from the floor to take an 8-5 lead. A low-scoring affair ensued as UNI held an 11-10 lead midway through the opening frame.

That is where the Panthers made the first significant run of the game, posting the next 13 points to go up 24-10. UNI hit six shots in a row, led by Wes Washpun, who had three of those buckets. Their lead reached as many as 16 at 28-12 with 3:50 remaining. The Aces finished the half on an 8-2 stretch to go into halftime trailing by ten, 30-20.

Out of the break, the Aces continued their rally. Balentine knocked down the first two shots of the half as UE got within six in the opening two minutes. As fast as UE came back, the Panthers made a run of their own, posting the next four to go back up by double figures at 34-24.

Evansville’s game-changing run came at that point as the Aces scored nine in a row to cut the gap to just one point at 34-33. Blake Simmons started it off with a dunk before Balentine posted back-to-back buckets. Down 36-35 midway through the latter half, the Aces did their best to get over the hump, but could not get that one basket at that time.

The score remained 36-35 until Nate Buss hit a pair of free throws with 7:30 left. That spurted a UNI run that saw a pair of Seth Tuttle free throws give UNI a 6-point edge inside of the 6-minute mark. With time running out, the Aces made a rally, notching the next five as Mislav Brzoja hit the only triple of the night for UE.

With an even four minutes on the clock, the Aces finally got the possession to put them over the top as Balentine hit both free throws to give UE a 44-43 lead. Tuttle countered with a basket on the other end to put the lead back in UNI’s hands before Mockevicius hit two free throws to give Evansville a 46-45 lead with 1:43 left. From that point on, the Aces would not give up that advantage. A Balentine layup gave the Aces their largest lead at 48-45 with 15 ticks remaining before four Jaylon Brown free throws sealed the 52-49 win.

Defense was the key for UE in the second half. After allowing UNI to shot 54.2% in the opening stanza, the defense gave up just six second-half buckets. UNI made three out of 11 attempts in the final 12:16 while turning it over twice.

Tuttle was the top player for UNI, posting 18 points on a 7-of-13 effort. He also drained two triples. Washpun notched 11 on the night to go along with a team-best eight rebounds.

MVC play continues on Sunday as the Aces trek up Route 41 to Terre Haute to face Indiana State. ESPN3 will carry the broadcast once again, beginning at 12:30 p.m. CT from the Hulman Center. UE returns home on January 7 to take on Loyola. The Ramblers are 11-2 in their first 13 outings.

From University of Evansville Sports Information Director Bob Pristash