NORMAL, IL. (WFIE) - Trailing by 18 in the first half, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team staged a furious rally to take a lead in the second half before Illinois State fended off the challenge to take a 62-53 win on Sunday inside CEFCU Arena.

Leading the way for UE was Tanner Cuff. Converting six of his nine field goal attempts, he scored 15 points while adding four assists and two boards. Connor Turnbull scored 14 points while grabbing seven boards and Gabriel Pozzato checked in with 13 points and nine caroms.

Illinois State recorded the first basket of the game while Tayshawn Comer quickly tied the score at 2-2. The Redbirds pushed the lead to 7-2 while their defense held the Purple Aces to a 1-of-7 start from the field. Comer knocked down his second shot of the game to end the stretch.

Three-pointers from Connor Turnbull and Gabriel Pozzato kept it a one-possession game at 15-12 in favor of the Redbirds heading into the final 10 minutes of the half. Illinois State took control at that point, scoring the next 15 points to open a 30-12 lead with three minutes remaining in the period. Evansville was held scoreless for just under eight minutes with ISU holding them to 0-for-9 shooting while picking up three turnovers.

Tanner Cuff hit a jumper at the 2:38 mark to end the stretch, but ISU held a 34-17 advantage going into the final minute. A nice finish by the Aces saw them score the final six points to trail by just 11 at the half – 34-23.

Out of the break, the Aces connected on their first six shots to make it a 1-point game at 38-37 with just over 14 minutes on the clock. Turnbull accounted for three field goals and a pair of free throws to open the period. Comer made a spin around pass to Cuff, who finished with the dunk to give UE its first lead of the game at 39-38. Going back to the first half, UE outscored ISU by a 27-8 margin as they turned the 30-12 deficit a 39-38 edge.

Over the next sequence, the teams swapped the lead several times before Comer scored three in a row to tie the game at 45-45 inside of nine minutes remaining. ISU countered with a pair of triples to go back up by six while Pozzato cut the deficit in half with his second triple of the game. Despite his basket, the Redbirds saw their lead creep back up to seven – 55-48 – heading into the final four minutes.

Just when it looked like the Redbirds would pull away, the Aces fought back. With 2:43 left, a driving layup by Pozzato made it a 2-point game at 55-53. ISU fended off the challenge once again and completed the day with the 62-53 victory.

Dalton Banks led ISU with 13 points. The Redbirds shot 35% while UE finished at 45.5%. Illinois State forced 19 UE turnovers, resulting in 18 points.

Evansville enters Arch Madness as the #10 seed and will play at 6 p.m. on Thursday in St. Louis. The opponent will be determined by Monday morning.