Evansville Purple Aces @ Illinois State Redbirds
Evansville beats Illinois State 66-55
NORMAL, Ill. -- D.J. Balentine scored 25 points -- his 11th game of 20 or more this season -- and Egidijus Mockevicius collared 20 rebounds to surpass the legendary Jerry Sloan on the school's all-time list as Evansville defeated Illinois State 66-55 Friday night.
Balentine shot 7 of 17 from the floor and was a perfect 10-for-10 at the foul line. Mockevicius added 13 points, Adam Wing 11 and Jaylon Brown 10 as the Purple Aces (16-3, 5-1 Missouri Valley) shot 50-percent (22-44).
Mockevicius, a 6-foot-10 senior from Vilnius, Lithuania, tied Sloan for second place on the school's all-time list with his 17th rebound of the game, and went on to grab three more. Sloan, a legendary NBA player and coach, collected 1,053 rebounds between 1963-65.
Illinois State (9-10, 3-3) was led by 12 points each from De'Vaughn Akoon-Purcell and Paris Lee. The Redbirds shot 31 percent (23 of 75) despite grabbing 20 offensive rebounds.
Game Information
Normal, IL
Referee:Gerry Pollard
Referee:Kipp Kissinger
Referee:David Hall
2025-26 Standings
| Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-4 | - | 26-6 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 3 | 21-13 |
| Illinois State | 12-8 | 4 | 23-13 |
| Murray State | 12-8 | 4 | 20-13 |
| UIC | 12-8 | 4 | 19-16 |
| Northern Iowa | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Valparaiso | 11-9 | 5 | 18-15 |
| Southern Illinois | 10-10 | 6 | 16-16 |
| Drake | 6-14 | 10 | 14-20 |
| Indiana State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |
| Evansville | 3-17 | 13 | 7-25 |
Men's College Basketball News

Dusty May could set a new precedent for college coaches making an NBA jump
8m

Iowa State to offer alcohol sales at football, basketball games
1h

Who's next at Michigan? Potential candidates to replace Dusty May, their priorities
1h

