Evansville Purple Aces @ Illinois State Redbirds
Phil Fayne leads Illinois State over Evansville 58-48
NORMAL, Ill. -- Phil Fayne scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half to help Illinois State pull away and beat Evansville 58-46 on Saturday.
Fayne's layup with 3:51 to play put him over 1,000 points in his career. Milik Yarbrough added 13 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for Illinois State (8-7, 1-1 Missouri Valley Conference). Zach Copeland chipped in with 11 points and Keyshawn Evans added nine points on three 3-pointers.
Marty Hill and Evan Kuhlman scored 14 points apiece to lead Evansville (7-8, 1-1), which shot just 32 percent from the floor and was 7 of 26 (27 percent) from long range.
Evans' 3-pointer with 11 minutes left in the first half gave the Redbirds the lead for good. Kuhlman's 3 pulled the Purple Aces to 35-34 midway through the second half, but the Redbirds answered with a 15-5 run and held a double-digit lead in the last four minutes.
Game Information
Normal, IL
Referee:David Stevens
Referee:Patrick Boeh
Referee:K.B. Burdett
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 |




