Alcorn Falls to Evansville 82-59

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Despite another big night from senior Marquis Vance, the Alcorn State University men's basketball program dropped an 82-59 decision Monday night to Evansville at the Ford Center.
 
Vance, a Preseason All-Conference Second-Team selection, led the Braves (0-2) with 19 points, seven rebounds and a career-high three blocks. It came after he posted a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds in the season opener against Loyola-Chicago on Friday.
 
Also in double-figures for Alcorn were junior Reginal Johnson and freshman Maurice Howard. Johnson ended with 12 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Howard finished with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists.
 
The Braves outrebounded the Purple Aces (1-1) 34-33. Alcorn has not been outrebounded this season through two games.
 
Evansville garnered big contributions from Jaylon Brown and Duane Gibson who scored 21 and 19 points, respectively. Christian Brown aided the attack off the bench with 10 points.
 
The Purple Aces jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the game, but the Braves quickly knotted it up 5-5 after a jumper by Vance and a three-pointer by Howard. Still even 7-7, Alcorn took its first lead of the game after a three-pointer by Vance at the 16:29 mark.
 
The Braves were on top 13-10 when the Purple Aces went on a 10-0 run to go up 20-13, a lead which they would never surrender. Alcorn cut the deficit to 24-21 after a lay-up by Johnson with 7:36 remaining, but Evansville finished the half strong to take a 43-29 edge into the intermission.
 
Alcorn could not get the deficit down into single-digits in the second half as the Purple Aces shot 27-of-48 (.563) from the field in the contest.
 
The Braves will play their home opener Friday at 7 p.m. when they host Selma University. Alcorn is looking to win its home opener for the sixth consecutive year.
 
NOTES
- Vance is now up to 984 career points and is 16 away from 1,000.
 
- Vance notched his third consecutive double-figure scoring game dating back to last season and the 52nd of his career. Through two games, he's averaging team highs of 15.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per outing.
 
- Johnson registered his first double-digit scoring game this year and the 20th of his career.
 
- Howard tallied his first career double-figure scoring game.
 
- Vance swatted away three blocks for the first time in his career. Coming into the game, he had rejected two shots in 12 different games over the last three seasons.
 
- It marked the first time that Alcorn played Evansville since Jan. 3, 1989. It was just the third time the two programs faced off ever, and all have been at Evansville.
 
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