Shamar Givance had 19 points as Evansville ran past Valparaiso 70-52 on Sunday, playing for the first time in two weeks. The Purple Aces were coming off a pause for COVID-19 exposure while Valparaiso had played a double-overtime game on Thursday. Samari Curtis and Jawaun Newton added 17 points each for the Purple Aces.
UE welcomes Illinois State By Bethany Miller | January 8, 2021 at 2:12 PM CST - Updated January 8 at 2:12 PM
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) -Standing at 3-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play for the first time in three years, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team looks to continue its recent success this weekend when Illinois State comes to the Ford Center for a 2-game series.
The Aces and Redbirds face off on Saturday, January 9 and Sunday the 10th with both games starting at 1 p.m. Saturday’s game will be on the MVC TV Network with Fox Sports Midwest carrying the game locally. ESPN3 will have Sunday’s broadcast while the Purple Aces Radio Network will carry each and every game live.
University of Evansville sophomore Samari Curtis was recognized as the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week in an announcement by the league on Tuesday.
Curtis continued to grow in his role with the Purple Aces and it has culminated in a team-high 14.8 points per game through the opening four Valley contests. In 25.6 minutes per game, Curtis has shot 46.3% overall, 40.7% from 3-point range and 83.3% at the line. He added 3.8 rebounds along with four assists, three steals and two blocks.
Following a 7-point game in the MVC opener, Curtis erupted for a career-high 29 points in the finale at SIU as he led the Aces to an 84-72 win. The victory ended a 19-game conference losing streak. Curtis was 9-of-13 from the field, drained six out of eight from outside and was a perfect 5-5 at the line. Over his career mark of 30 minutes played, Curtis added four rebounds. With Evansville coming back home to face preseason league favorite UNI, Curtis continued his solid play,
Evan Kuhlman had a career-high 21 points as Evansville beat Northern Iowa 65-61 on Saturday. Samari Curtis had 14 points for Evansville (4-5, 2-1 Missouri Valley Conference). Shamar Givance added six assists.