EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A five day break comes to an end on Sunday when the University of Evansville men's basketball team takes on MVC leader Loyola in a 3 p.m. game at the Ford Center.
Sitting at 16-12 and 6-9 in the Valley, the Purple Aces have dropped their last two games on the road. Tuesday's game at UNI saw the Aces cut a 15-point deficit midway through the second half to just two points, but the Panthers knocked down some late free throws to clinch a 47-41 win.
Game Notes - Live Stats - The Valley on ESPN3
Ryan Taylor had another great outing for UE, scoring 26 points. He hit 11 shots in 23 attempts while playing for 39 minutes. Blake Simmons got the job done on the boards, hauling in 12 rebounds. He averaged 13.5 boards per game against the Panthers this season after posting 15 in the win at the Ford Center. Those are his top two rebounding tallies in his time with the Purple Aces.
Evansville returns home where it has gone 13-2 this season while winning its last three games inside the Ford Center. Most recently, the Aces picked up a 63-59 victory over Valparaiso on February 7.
Standing at 22-5 overall and 12-3 in league play, Loyola sits atop the Missouri Valley Conference. The Ramblers have won four in a row overall and 11 of their last 12 games including an 80-71 home win over Valparaiso on Wednesday. Five players average double figures with Clayton Custer leading the way; he averages 14.5 points per game while shooting 56% from the field. Donte Ingram checks in with 11.5 PPG while Marques Townes and Aundre Jackson have 11.3 and 11.2, respectively.
The Aces hold a 27-19 lead in the series versus Loyola. Evansville has won four out of six overall, six out of nine since Loyola joined the MVC in 2014 and 22 out of 28 since 1987. The Ramblers earned a 66-59 win over UE on Dec. 30 in Gentile Arena; the Aces led by a 28-20 score at halftime, but Loyola outscored Evansville, 46-31, in the second half. Ryan Taylor had 20 points for UE while Dru Smith scored 15; Marques Townes led Loyola with 19 points with Aundre Jackson registering 18.
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