NCAA Game Summary - Evansville vs. Drake

St, Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - D.J. Balentine poured in 30 points on 9- of-19 shooting as the Evansville Purple Aces knocked off the Drake Bulldogs 69-61 in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Scottrade Center.

Egidijus Mockevicius nearly recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocks for the ninth-seed Purple Aces (14-18), who will contend with top-seed Wichita State in the next round.

Richard Carter paced the eighth-seed Bulldogs (15-16) with 26 points and seven assists. Jordan Daniels chipped in 11 points.

Evansville came out of the gates well, shooting 56 percent from the floor in the opening frame. With Drake only netting 45.8 percent in the period, the Purple Aces were able to take a 39-28 lead into the locker room.

After the break, Evansville came back to earth, totaling only seven field goals on 43.8 percent shooting in the period. However, they sank 16-of-20 at the free-throw line to hold off the Bulldogs, who had five 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes, but only seven attempts at the charity stripe.

Drake lost despite a 27-6 scoring edge from 3-point range. Evansville had the advantage on the glass (30-21).