Evansville men’s basketball defeated the No. 1 team in the country a few weeks ago, and on Wednesday night (Dec. 4), it was Western Illinois who gave the Purple Aces a run. The Leathernecks took UE down to the wire — even sitting on top in the final minutes — before the home team claimed the 90-86 decision.
“I thought we played with a tremendous amount of toughness. Our guys competed from beginning to end, fought through some adverse situations, and gave us the chance to win in the end,” said head coach Billy Wright.
“What jumps out at me right away were the 17 turnovers and the 28 points from our own mistakes. With that many turnovers, it’s hard to beat anyone, let alone a quality program like Evansville, who just beat the No. 1 team in the country in Kentucky. We’re better than that, in terms of our turnovers and offensive efficiency. It comes down to us taking care of the basketball.”
Western and Evansville entered the contest evenly matched in nearly every statistical category, and it showed inside the Ford Center. The Leathernecks outrebounded their competitor, 34-27, were more accurate from the field (55.6 to 50.0 percent) and free throw line (78.6 to 71.4), but both managed 17 turnovers.
There wasn’t much distance separating the two on the scoreboard, and the final five minutes before halftime and the last five of the night characterized the entire game.
First half action saw Ben Pyle swish a 3-pointer to push the Leathernecks ahead, 30-26, and the scoring onslaught ensued. The two combined for 29 points, with three lead changes and two ties, in the final five minutes before halftime and Western held the Purple Aces cold in the last 2:30. While UE went 0-5 from the field, Western pieced together a 6-0 run, and the halftime score read: WIU 43, UE 39.
Coming out of the break, the Aces used the 3-ball to hop out to a 61-54 edge, but continuing in the theme of the night, the advantage was short-lived. C.J. Duff’s old-fashioned 3-point play evened the score at 70-all with 7:36 to go, and the Leathernecks held on for the next five minutes. They never trailed during the stretch and remained in the driver’s seat until a fastbreak layup, UE’s final go-ahead basket, with 2:37 left.
Kobe Webster recorded a team-high 19 points while Pyle added 18 with a game-high nine rebounds. Duff (14) and James Claar (10) also finished in double figures.
The Leathernecks will have a 12-day break to prepare and ace final exams before returning to Western Hall. Eastern Illinois visits Macomb on Monday (Dec. 16) at 7 p.m.
***Report Courtesy of Western Illinois University Athletics***
