Boxscore
 

Newcomers Colt Ryan and Bryan Bouchie led the University of Evansville with 17 points each Saturday night as the Purple Aces began the season with a 92-66 win over Oakland City University. 

Ryan, a freshman, added six rebounds, five assists and two steals.  Bouchie, a sophomore transfer from Valparaiso University, blocked two shots and got to the free throw line 12 times in addition to his 17 points. Sophomore James Haarsma added 11 points, and freshman Ned Cox and junior Clint Hopf scored 10 each.  Freshman guard Troy Taylor led the team with 10 boards.

"We didn't start out well, but once we got the ball inside more, we showed better poise," said UE Coach Marty Simmons.  "Bryan is a very good addition for us.  He has great hands, and with his size (6'10", 255 pounds), he makes an easy target.  Colt is such a versatile player.  We have him playing the four, but he was a point guard in high school.  He's a very smart player, and he's the one who got us going tonight when he started going to the basket."

 

Ryan and Bouchie combined to hit 11 of 15 shots, and made 11 of UE's 16 free throws.  The Aces dominated in the paint with 47 rebounds compared to the Mighty Oaks’ 27 and had 13 second-chance points. UE also found support from its bench with 51 points.

 

Oakland City was able to keep the Aces within striking distance early in the first half, but with the Aces up 27-20, a 21-10 scoring run let Evansville take a 48-30 halftime lead.  Evansville led by as many as 32 in the second half.  The Aces hit 35 of 67 shots for 52 percent accuracy, and took 16 more shots than Oakland City, which hit 21 of 51 for 41.2 percent.

 

The 1-0 Aces return to action Wednesday against SIU-Edwardsville at 7:05 p.m. at Roberts Stadium.