Over the next couple of months, you may see several individuals walking through all of our buildings on campus, looking above ceilings and measuring lighting. UE is partnering with the Building Technologies Division of Siemens Industry Inc. to conduct a campus-wide energy audit of its facilities for the purpose of identifying and potentially performing infrastructure improvements to optimize the school’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. These potential improvements would be paid for using energy and operational savings that will result from making these important upgrades. Other important outcomes will include more comfortable learning and working environments for students, faculty and staff, improved indoor air quality and overall building conditions, lower energy costs and natural resources consumption, and a reduced carbon footprint. Updates on this noteworthy project will be provided as our relationship with Siemens evolves. 

In the spirit of the Christmas season, Administrative Services including Copy Services, Mail Services and Receiving will be closed for an extended holiday luncheon on Monday, Dec. 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

The December Pcard cycle which began November 24, ends on December 21, at midnight. As of December 23, cardholders may schedule and run the December Cycle report. December transactions may be reconciled in SDG2 until January 6. On January 6, the general ledger Pcard file will be uploaded and cardholders will be locked out of (unable to make changes) posted transactions for the December Cycle. 

For the second time this season, the Purple Aces make their way to California as a game on Sunday at Fresno State is on tap. Game time is 3 p.m. CT.

Fans can tune into Sunday’s 3 p.m. CT game on the Mountain West Network, which is a free video service offered through the Mountain West website. Sunday’s contest is the resumption of the MVC/Mountain West Challenge, which UE also took part in from 2010 through 2012, falling in games against Air Force, TCU and Colorado State.

A free throw in the second half marked the 2,000th point in the legendary career of D.J. Balentine; he finished with 26 points in the victory over Norfolk State on his way to the mark. He became the 4th player in program history, the 16th in the MVC record books and 32nd player among all of the Division I schools in the State of Indiana to do so. Colt Ryan reached 2,000 in a home overtime win against Drake in 2013 while Marcus Wilson hit the mark in an MVC Tournament win over Bradley in 1999.

A career night against Norfolk State saw Jaylon Brown score 17 points, eclipsing his previous high of 15, which came against San Francisco last year. Through 11 games, Brown has scored 8 or more points on nine occasions; last season, he scored at least 8 points just ten times in 36 games. His career effort versus the Spartans featured a 7-of-11 shooting performance along with four assists. For the season, he is averaging 10.0 points per game and tied for 7th in the Valley, shooting 54.3%.

Fresno State has gotten off to a strong 8-3 start this season following a home win over Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday. The Bulldogs losses, all on the road, have come to Oregon, Cal Poly and Arizona. As a team, FSU is outrebounding the opposition by an average of 6.2 per game. Marvelle Harris leads the way, averaging 18.5 points per game while leading the squad with 22 steals and 52 assists. Torren Jones has recorded 11.3 points while Cezar Guerrero stands at an even 10 PPG. Harris was the leader in the win over Cal State Bakersfield, scoring 20 points while posting 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Last year, the Aces and Bulldogs met up in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida as UE took a 58-52 win. Mislav Brzoja scored 17 points while D.J. Balentine had 13.
 

Senior D.J. Balentine became just the fourth player in University of Evansville men's basketball history to score 2,000 points as the Purple Aces defeated Norfolk State by a final of 84-70 on Thursday night at the Ford Center.

"It’s a heck of an accomplishment for D.J., it is something to be proud of. He deserves all of the credit for the work he has put in," head coach Marty Simmons said. "D.J. has had a knack of being able to put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways."

A pair of free throws with 9:22 remaining gave the Kokomo, Ind. product 20 points in the game and 2K for his career. He is just the 16th player in MVC history and 32nd among all Division I schools in Indiana to hit the mark.

"We came out and had a strong start in the second half. Coach says that the first four minutes of the half are the most important and we were able to do that tonight," Balentine said. "It was exciting to hit the milestone tonight, I knew I was close when I got fouled and was able to hit both free throws."

Balentine led the way with 26 points as the Aces (9-2) shot 60% on the night. Jaylon Brown had a career-high 17 points, hitting 7 out of 11 shots. He also had four assists. Egidijus Mockevicius recorded his 9th double-double of the year with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Mislav Brzoja finished the evening with ten.

Both offenses were cranking in the first half as the Spartans shot 53.6% and Evansville finished at 60%. With UE holding an early 6-4 lead, Jonathan Wade gave NSU its first edge of the day at 7-6. Evansville took the lead right back as triples by Balentine and Harris Brown gave the Aces their largest lead at 14-9.

Norfolk State punched right back, hitting four out of five shots to take a 20-18 lead. They would later lead by six at 37-31 on a Jeff Short layup in the final two minutes. A Mockevicius dunk, coupled with a Jaylon Brown triple at the buzzer, cut the gap to one at the break, 37-36.

On the first play of the second half, Adam Wing hit a layup to give UE its first lead since the 8:53 mark of the opening period. That was the start of a 7-0 run as Balentine hit another triple to open up a 43-37 lead.

The run continued as the lead would reach double figures for the first time at 55-45 on an and-one by Willie Wiley. After the Spartans got within five, D.J. Balentine scored the 2,000th point of his career on a free throw. Those points spurred a run that saw the Aces go up 70-56. From there, UE would lead by as many as 17 points before picking up the 84-70 victory.

Jeff Short was the leading scorer for Norfolk State (4-7) as he notched 22 points. As a team, NSU shot 52% from the field while hitting six triples.

Evansville will play at Fresno State on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT/1 p.m. PT. Fans can watch live on the Mountain West Network, which is a free stream through themwc.com or listen live on 91.5 FM WUEV.

Under 100 tickets remain for the University of Evansville men’s basketball game against Wichita State that is set for January 31.

With the sales going this well, the upper bowl will be open for the game. To ensure a great seat, you can still purchase MVC Mini Plans. You can purchase tickets to five games for as low as $55. In that package, you get a ticket to the Wichita State, Loyola and Southern Illinois games along with two other conference contests of your choice.

For more information or to purchase your tickets, call 812-488-ACES or visit the Carson Center or Ford Center ticket offices.

 The University of Evansville men’s soccer team has announced its annual camp schedule, which will begin with an ID camp on Jan. 9 and continue with spring break and summer offerings later in the year.

The ID camp, which is open to boys from grades 9-12, is designed for players that aspire to compete at the collegiate level. The camp will offer game environments where campers can be evaluated by the college coaches in attendance.

Spring Break Camp, which is open for grades K-6, will run from March 21-24, and summer camps will begin with Advanced Day Camp on May 30 and Summer Day Camp on June 6.

Both the Spring Break and Summer Day Camp are open for both boys and girls, but the Advanced Day Camp will be open for boys only.

For more information regarding any of the UE Men’s Soccer camps, visit www.acessoccercamp.com or call 812.488.2294.