Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville men’s basketball team officially opened the Ford Center on Saturday with an 81-52 win over DePauw in exhibition action.
 
Senior Kenny Harris and junior Ned Cox led the way for the Aces with 13 points apiece.  Denver Holmes and Colt Ryan each finished with 12 points while Jordan Jahr chipped in 11.
 
“It was good to finally get out there and play,” Aces head coach Marty Simmons said.  “I think our team got better this week, we improved in some areas, but we have to learn from this and have another good week of practice.”
 
Evansville got off to a hot start, scoring the first six points of the game and would drain five of its first seven shots to open up a 10-2 advantage just three minutes in.  DePauw responded with a quick 5-1 spurt to get within four points as Michael Wilkison capped it off with a layup to make it 11-7, but UE would quickly regroup in a big way. 
 
A pair of free throws by Jordan Jahr sent the Purple Aces on a 9-0 run to give them their first double-digit lead of the game.  Five different Aces scored in the run, which would prove to be a game changer as the lead would never be in single digits over the remainder of the contest.
 
The lead kept growing over the final minutes of the period as a layup by Ryan in the closing seconds gave UE its largest lead of the half at 42-18.  The Batesville, Ind. native led all players with 11 points in the opening stanza hitting 5-of-7 shots and contributed in all aspects, dishing out three assists and grabbing three boards in the period.
 
After leading 42-18 at the break, the Aces kept the heat on the Tigers early in the second period.  A bucket by Denver Holmes finished off a 15-6 run to open the latter half and give the Aces what would be their largest lead of the game at 33 points (57-24).  DePauw would get within as few as 22 points with five minutes remaining, but Evansville would be able to stand its ground and come away with the 81-52 victory.
 
Ryan finished 5-8 from the floor while Cox shot an efficient 6-of-11 as UE finished the night shooting 57.7%.  The defense was stout as it held the Tigers to just 14-of-45 shooting.
 
Evansville crashed the boards, finishing with a 36-23 rebounding advantage.  Jahr and Troy Taylor led UE with seven apiece. 
 
Michael Wilkison was the top scorer for DePauw, tallying 12 points.  He was followed by Barry Flynn, who hit 4-7 shots on his way to an 11-point outing.
 
The Aces will return to practice this week before taking on the University of Illinois-Springfield on Friday, November 4 in the their final preseason tune-up.  The final exhibition is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Ford Center.