Men's Basketball Take on Evansville on Sunday

This Weekends Action:

Wednesday, February 17 – Evansville, Indiana (Ford Center)
UNI vs Evansville – 3 p.m. | ESPN3 | Audio | Stats |

Full Game Notes

THE PANTHERS

• The Panthers move to 11-15 on the season at 6-7 in the MVC after defeating the Redbirds of Illinois State in the McLeod Center on Wednesday.

• The Panthers take on the Purple Aces (10-16, 4-9 MVC) of Evansville on Sunday.

• Head Coach Ben Jacobson is 261-165 all-time, 18-9 against the Purple Aces and 5-7 on the road against Evansville.

• Coach Jacobson is one win away from passing Gregg Marshall for 5th all-time in wins for Valley coaches. Jacobson passed Marshall in MVC coaching victories on Feb 2.

• UNI has made at least one 3-pointer in 620 straight games – the longest active streak in the Missouri Valley Conference.

• The Panthers made a season-high 16 three-pointers against Illinois State. Sophomore Trae Berhow led the way making five of his eight three-point attempts. Berhow ended with a team-high 20 points while leading the Panthers with 6 rebounds.

• Freshman AJ Green leads the Panthers in scoring in his first year with the team. Green averages 15.0 points per game, ranking 8th in the MVC.

• The Panthers lead the MVC in made three-pointers with 117, (9.0 per game).

• Four Panthers rank in the top 20 in made three-pointers per game in the MVC. AJ Green ranks 7th (2.1), Spencer Haldeman ranks 9th (1.8), Trae Berhow ranks 14th (1.6), and Wyatt Lohaus ranks 16th (1.5).

• The Panthers average only 10.6 turnovers in Valley play, ranking third with a 1.54 turnover margin.

• Three Panthers rank in the top 10 in three-pointers per game. AJ Green ranks 7th (2.0), Spencer Haldeman ranks 8th (2.0) and Trae Berhow ranks 9th (1.8). Senior Wyatt Lohaus comes in at 17th making 1.5 per game.

THE PURPLE ACES

• Evansville is 10-16 overall and 4-9 in the MVC this season. Although they rank at the bottom of the conference the Purple Aces rank third in scoring offense, averaging 66.8 points per game in league play.

• While the Panthers strength is in their three-point shooting, the Aces strength comes in their three-point defense, holding Valley opponents to a .361 field goal percentage from beyond the arc.

• Sunday's match-up will be between the two leading three-point shooting teams in the MVC. The Panthers lead the league with 9.0 three points made per game while Evansville is second in the league with 8.4 made three-pointers per game.

• K.J. Riley, Marty Hill, John Hall are the only Aces to start all 26 games this season.

• K.J. Riley is the most versatile player on the roster for the Aces, leading the Aces in scoring, averaging 13.7 points per game and in assists with 78. Riley is second on the team with 124 total rebounds including 20 offensive rebounds.

• Marty Hill is the only other player on the roster to average over 10 points per game, averaging 11.3 points per game. Hill has made 44 three-pointers this season and 28 in Valley competition.

• The Aces are led by first-year head coach Walter McCarty. McCarty has been on the staff of the Boston Celtics since 2013, working with head coach Brad Stevens. From 2007-2010, he was an assistant under Rick Pitino at the University of Louisville and spent the 2010-11 campaign working on Jim O'Brien's staff with the Indiana Pacers.

• A native of Evansville, McCarty was a standout at Harrison High School before attending the University of Kentucky in 1993. He played a pivotal role in the 1996 National Championship team that went 34-2, averaging 11.3 points per game.

• Upon his graduation from UK, McCarty was selected by the New York Knicks with the 19th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. In a professional career that spanned 10 seasons, McCarty spent time with the Knicks, Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers.

THE STREAK

UNI has made at least one 3-Pointer in 620 straight games – the longest active streak in the Missouri Valley Conference. The last time UNI failed to make a 3-point basket came Feb. 3, 2000, vs. Southern Illinois in a 72-58 Panther victory in the UNI-Dome. UNI went 0-for-4 from 3-point land vs. the Salukis in that contest.

MOVING UP

Now in his 13th season with the Panthers, head coach Ben Jacobson has been moving up the MVC's all-time coaching victories list. Coach Jake currently ranks T5 with 261 victories and is currently tied with Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall. Coach Jacobson passed Marshall in MVC only coaching wins on Feb 2 with his 135th conference win.

MVC GAMES THIS WEEKEND

Sat, Feb 16
Valparaiso vs Drake
Southern Illinois vs Indiana State
Bradley vs Illinois State

Sun, Feb 17
UNI vs Evansville
Missouri State vs Loyola

MVC STANDINGS

                                            MVC     Overall
School                                 W-L W-L
Loyola                                  9-4 16-10
Drake 8-5 19-7
Missouri State 8-5 14-12
Illinois State 7-6 14-12
Bradley 6-7 14-12
Southern Illinois 6-7 13-13
Valparaiso 6-7 13-13
UNI 6-7 11-15
Indiana State 5-8 13-12
Evansville                            4-9 10-16

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Trae Berhow

AJ Green

Spencer Haldeman

Wyatt Lohaus

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