Game Notes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Evansville will look for its third-consecutive win on Saturday as it welcomes Illinois State to the Ford Center at 7:05 p.m.
 
A special promotion will be held on Saturday as all members Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Ohio Valley will receive a free ticket with a paying adult.
 
Evansville made it two-straight wins with a 90-67 triumph over Bradley on Wednesday evening at the Ford Center.  The Aces led by as many as 34 points in the second half before hanging on for the 23-point win.  UE forced 21 turnovers, marking the sixth time the opposition has had 20 or more turnovers.  Colt Ryan had a career-high 39 points while three others joined him in double figures.
 
Junior Colt Ryan put forth his top outing as a member of the Aces in their 90-67 win against Bradley.  Ryan scored 25 points in the first half, outscoring the full Braves team by a point.  He set career-highs in field goals (12) and three-pointers (8) while tying his personal best with nine rebounds.  The effort helped him overtake Doug McDermott for the MVC scoring lead in league play as he has averaged 24.3 PPG through eight Valley contests.  For the season, Ryan is averaging 21.2 per game, tied for fifth in the country with Terrell Stoglin of Maryland.  Ryan now has 1,320 points for his career, tied with Jerry Sloan for 20th on the all-time list.
 
For the fourth time this season, junior Troy Taylor hauled in double-digit rebounds notching 10 in the win over Bradley.  It marked the third time in four games and fourth time overall this season that Taylor accomplished the feat.  Since arriving at UE in 2009, Taylor has hauled in 10 or more rebounds on seven occasions with the Aces being victorious in six of those games.  He has also notched 28 assists over the last five games, moving into the top ten in the MVC and top five in league play.
 
Freshman Ryan Sawvell has not only been one of the most consistent shooters for the Aces, but also one of the best in the country.  For the season, Sawvell has connected on 34-of-52 attempts, shooting 65.4%.  That total would be tops in the Missouri Valley and fourth in the nation with enough attempts.  He has been even better over the last nine games, hitting 27 out of 40 attempts. 
 
Evansville played arguably its best game of the season in the win over Bradley.  Unselfish play highlighted the game as the squad recorded 26 assists, the most in the Marty Simmons era while putting up 90 points, just two points short of the top offensive output since Simmons arrived in 2007.  The defense forced 21 turnovers marking the seventh time the Aces have forced 20 or more.  Evansville has forced a league-high 329 turnovers on the season, 20 more than 2nd place Southern Illinois.
 
Since picking up a last-second win over the Aces two weeks ago, Illinois State has gone 1-3, dropping games against Wichita State, Creighton and Drake before ending the skid with a 67-54 win over Indiana State on Wednesday.  Jackie Carmichael, who hit the game-winning three against UE, leads ISU with 12.9 PPG and 8.2 boards while Tyler Brown is just behind with 12.8 PPG.  Overall, the Redbirds are 12-7 and tied with UE in league play at 4-4.  
 
Earlier this season on January 7, Evansville and Illinois State met at Redbird Arena in Normal as the Redbirds escaped with a 75-73 victory.  The Aces led by three at the half, but the real excitement happened in the last minute of play where the lead changed hands on five occasions, but none more important than Jackie Carmichael’s game-winning three-pointer as time expired.