Upset-minded Purples Aces set for rematch with Salukis todayZack CreglowDaily Egyptian
ST. LOUIS - There was a lot of pushing, scrappy defensive and hustle in the match-up of tenth-seeded Illinois State and No. 7 seed Evansville in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
There just wasn't much scoring.
Battling fiercely in an offensively challenged game, the Purples Aces edged the Redbirds 52-45 Thursday night at the Savvis Center in St. Louis. Evansville moves on to a second round match-up with SIU men's basketball team at 6 p.m. today.
"Obviously not the prettiest game," Evansville head coach Steve Merfield said of the game that tied the tournament record for fewest points scored in game.
The teams shot abysmally in the game, both of them shooting less than 40 percent from the floor. On offense, both teams appeared lost and when open shots presented themselves, neither could capitalize.
Evansville's Bradley Strickland and Shy Ely led all scorers in the game with 15 points.
The Purple Aces pulled away in the second, capitalizing on several three-pointers by guard Kyle Anslinger early the half. After the cushion, the Purple Aces never relented the lead.
In the first half, neither team could find the mark on offense. Often forced to chuck up awkward shots late in the shot clock because of offensive inefficiency, the teams combined to connect just 15-of-52 in the half.
Entering the second-round match-up with the No. 2 seed Salukis, the Purple Aces' confidence in high. The team has already proved it can compete with SIU, having beat them 64-59 on Feb. 21 in Evansville, Ind.
"It's win or go home for us," Merfield said. "Obviously, Southern is playing for more than that."
Indiana State 72, Drake 63Not many college basketball teams are held to just 10 points in a half. Conversely, not many teams can generate 62 points in a half.
Indiana State did both in the same game Thursday, rising past Drake 72-63 in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
"That was certainly 72 points the hard way," Indiana State head coach Royce
Waltman said.
The Sycamores came out lethargic in the first half, missing several wide open shots leading to a halftime shooting clip of 15 percent from the field.
"We played poorly and we missed lay-ups in the first half," Waltman said.
Though the Indiana State offense could only muster 10 points in the half, the defense held the Bulldogs to just 19 points to keep the game close.
In the second half, the Sycamores came out with a renewed sense of energy that was especially evident in leading scorer David Moss. After scoring only three points in the first half, Moss exploded for 21 in the second to finish with a game-high 24.
"Moss deserves a lot of credit for splitting our defense apart," Drake coach Tom Davis said.
The win moves Indiana State into the second round of the tournament where the team will play top-seeded Wichita State. Though the Shockers handled the Sycamores both times the teams met in the regular season, Sycamore forward Trent Wurtz said his team will be play with more urgency today.
"In the last 20 minutes, we got the jitters out of our system," Wurtz said. "We'll be ready to play all 40 minutes (against Wichita State)."
