EVANSVILLE, Ind. (Interstat) — AJ Casey scored 28 points to lead Evansville to an 88-80 men’s basketball victory over Illinois State on Monday night at Ford Center.

The Purple Aces, who entered the game with a 5-19 record, secured just their sixth win of the season by outlasting the Redbirds in a Missouri Valley Conference contest. Evansville’s Leif Moeller added 16 points and eight assists.

Illinois State, which fell to 16-9, was led by Landon Moore and Tyreek Coleman with 16 and 14 points, respectively. The Redbirds had been a 9.5-point pregame favorite.

The game’s total score of 168 points surpassed the over/under line of 138. Evansville avenged a 73-47 loss to Illinois State on Jan. 1.