Game Notes
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After a nine-day layoff for the Christmas break, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team will open up Missouri Valley Conference play against Southern Illinois on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. inside the Ford Center.
Evansville conquered its road demons, overcoming an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat Miami by a 77-75 final. Down 35-26 at the half, UE made an 18-5 run and would hold on for the victory. Five players scored in double figures, led by a 15-point outing from Denver Holmes.
The Aces are set to begin their 18th season in the Missouri Valley Conference. Evansville is 7-10 in MVC openers and is 127-179 all-time in league play since joining for the 1994-95 season.
In the win at Miami, Evansville scorched the nets en route to the victory. UE hit 15 out of 21 second-half shots, good for an unbelievable 76.2% shooting. The Aces scored 51 points in the period, marking the first time they reeled off 50 or more points in a half since scoring 58 in the second half against Norfolk State on December 23, 2010.
Freshman Ryan Sawvell made his second start against Miami and has showed great improvement every time he steps on the floor. Sawvell set career highs in just about every scoring category, hitting five out of seven shots on his way to an 11-point effort. In his first start against Tennessee Tech, he recorded six points and five rebounds.
For the second time this season, the Aces saw five players reach double figures at Miami, led by Denver Holmes, who scored 15 points. UE also had five score ten or more in the season opener against Butler. In the 2010-11 campaign, UE had five players reach that plateau on two occasions.
Southern Illinois fell to 3-8 on the season with an 87-77 loss to No. 15 Xavier on Christmas Day. Dantiel Daniels led the Salukis with 22 points on the strength of an efficient 7-8 shooting day and a perfect 7-for-7 outing from the free throw line.
Last season, Evansville split a pair of games against the Salukis, dropping a 67-55 decision on the road before taking a 66-49 victory at Roberts Stadium. Colt Ryan led UE with 23 points in last season’s victory. Despite hitting just five out of 17 shots, Ryan was a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe. Carlton Fay was the top scorer for SIU, finishing the outing with 18 points. In a low scoring first half, SIU took a 21-18 lead into halftime, but the Aces turned it up in the latter half, outscoring the Salukis, 48-28, to cruise to the victory.
The MVC TV Network will carry tomorrow’s contest. The network is comprised of Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City, Fox College Sports, Comcast SportsNet Chicago and ESPN3
