Game Notes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Evansville will look to put an end to a two-game slide on Wednesday evening as it travels to Bradley for a 7 p.m. matchup on Wednesday evening at Carver Arena.
 
Evansville will look to put a halt to a recent two-game slide in Wednesday’s game at Bradley.  The Aces fell to Indiana State on Sunday in a double-overtime thriller as the Sycamores came away with the 90-81 win.  Colt Ryan led the way with 23 points while Troy Taylor made another run at a triple-double.  Down by as many as 14 points, UE fought back to send the game to the extra period.  The first overtime saw six lead changes in the final two minutes before Ryan hit two free throws to send it to a second OT.  Indiana State reeled off the first eight points in the second OT to seal the win. 
 
Double overtime games, as was the case on January 29 against Indiana State, are a rare occurance for the Aces, who have played in just eight since the start of the program in 1919.  Prior to the ISU game, the last time the Aces played a 2OT contest was in a 91-90 win at Tennessee Tech in 2009-10.  The last double overtime home game for UE came in an 94-87 loss to Illinois State in the 2000-01 campaign.
 
While it is hard to call a 23-point outing a quiet one, that has become the norm for Colt Ryan, who has averaged 23.1 PPG in MVC play, 1.4 points more than his nearest competition.  He has scored 17 points or more in 10 out of 11 league games, including a career-high 39 points in the first meeting against Bradley.  Ryan has garnered two MVC Player of the Week honors and has hit 90% of his free throws since league play began.  The junior is 8th in the nation in scoring.
 
Over the last two games, freshman Ryan Sawvell has hit 11-of-15 shots and is not shooting 65.3% on the season and is at a 66% clip in MVC play.  He is the most accurate shooter in MVC play and would rank third in the country with enough attempts.  Following a 6-8 performance at Wichita State, Sawvell connected on 5-of-7 field goals against Indiana State.
 
Starting point guard Troy Taylor has turned his season around over the last seven contests.  Since the Aces’ game at Indiana State, the junior has been on an absolute roll, averaging a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game while dishing out a team-high 35 assists while scoring an average of 8.3 points per game.  Taylor made two stabs at the second triple-double in UE history, most recently on Jan. 29 against Indiana State where he finished with 9 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists.
 
Bradley has struggled to a 6-17 overall record while going 1-10 in the MVC.  The Braves started out the year winning their first three games before going 5-5, but since then have gone 1-13.  On January 15, BU grabbed its lone MVC win, grabbing a home triumph over Northern Iowa.  Taylor Brown has been a dominant force, leading the team in scoring (16.7 PPG) and rebounding (7.0 RPG).  Dyricus Simms-Edwards has averaged 12.1 points and was the top scorer last time out against Creighton, notching 19 points. 
 
Evansville put up a dominant effort in the first meeting against, taking a 90-67 victory.  Bradley’s lone lead came at 6-5 before hte Aces made a run, leading by 22 points at the half before eventually winning by 23.  Ryan had the game of his career, setting career marks in scoring (39), field goals (12) and three-pointers (8) while tying his mark with nine rebounds.
 
Evansville will continue on the road this weekend, traveling to Southern Illinois for a 2:05 p.m. game on Saturday before returning to the Ford Center to face nationally-ranked Creighton on February 7.