NCAA Game Summary - Drake at Evansville

Evansville, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - DJ Balentine scored a game-high 23 points and handed out seven assists as the Evansville Purple Aces claimed a 61-48 win over the Drake Bulldogs in a Missouri Valley Conference clash at the Ford Center.

Also scoring in double figures for the Purple Aces (12-18, 5-12 MVC), as they snapped a three-game slide, was Blake Simmons with 13 points. Egidijus Mockevicius accounted for a game-high 10 rebounds and four blocked shots for the hosts as well.

The Bulldogs (14-15, 5-12) failed to have a single player score in double figures, with Karl Madison and Daddy Ugbede posting seven points apiece in the unit's second consecutive setback.

Drake led by as many as seven in the first half, thanks to 48.0 percent shooting from the floor, which included 4-of-11 behind the 3-point line, but at the break the advantage was just four points, 30-26.

In the second half the offense for the Bulldogs completely fell apart, the team converting a total of just six field goals. Drake came up empty on six tries beyond the arc in the frame, but at the same time allowed the home team to knock down 50 percent from the floor and 4-of-6 on the perimeter, en route to the 13-point decision.

Evansville, which led by as many as 15, owned a 35-27 advantage on the glass.