VALPARAISO, Ind. (Interstat) — Two Missouri Valley Conference teams on opposite trajectories will meet Friday night when the Valparaiso Beacons host the struggling Evansville Purple Aces at the Athletics-Recreation Center. The Beacons (11-12, 4-6 MVC) have shown resilience in conference play, including a recent overtime road win at Indiana State. They will look to rebound from a 72-65 loss at Bradley on Tuesday. Forward Owen Dease has been a consistent offensive threat for Valparaiso, averaging 15.3 points over his last seven games. He scored 16 points in the loss to Bradley and had 20 in a win over Northern Iowa last month. Evansville (5-18, 1-9) arrives mired in a six-game losing streak, with its last win coming on Jan. 10 at Indiana State. The Purple Aces are coming off an 84-63 home loss to the same Sycamores team on Tuesday. Guard Leif Moeller has been a bright spot during the skid, averaging 17.3 points and 4.7 assists over the last six contests. He poured in 22 points in the most recent loss. Valparaiso won the season’s first meeting 77-70 on Dec. 7 in Evansville. The Beacons have found success at home this season, going 8-4 at the ARC, while Evansville is just 1-9 in true road games. Friday’s contest is the first of a regular-season series home-and-home finale, with the rematch scheduled for Feb. 28 in Evansville, Indiana. For Valparaiso, a win would keep them in the middle of the MVC standings as they pursue a first-round bye in the conference tournament. For Evansville, the game represents a critical opportunity to halt its slide and build momentum before hosting Illinois State on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.