Game Notes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville men’s basketball team begins a stretch of three of four games on the road as it travels to Illinois State for a 1:05 p.m. contest on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Aces suffered another tough loss on Wednesday night, falling by just a point to Wichita State, 67-66.  Of UE’s six losses, four have come by a combined nine points.  Colt Ryan notched his third-straight game of 25 points or more, tying his season high with 31.  Evansville overcame to double-digit deficits to take a last-minute lead.  Following a WSU bucket, a potential game tying free throw fell short with a second left.
 
With his third-consecutive 25-point outing, Ryan has continued to move up the scoring list at UE.  He currently stands in 25th place all-time with 1,211 points through his 2 1/2 year career.  Standing ahead of Ryan on the list is current Aces head coach Marty Simmons, who is 54 points ahead with 1,265 points for his career.
 
Kenneth Harris began his UE career last season as a junior and finished with 11 double-digit outings.  Less than halfway through his senior campaign, Harris has already matched that total, posting 11 10+ point outings in just 13 games.  He is second on the team, averaging 12.5 points per game and leads the squad with an average of 5.5 rebounds per contest.
 
Senior Denver Holmes played in his 100th game as a member of the Purple Aces in the home game against Wichita State.  In his 100th game, Holmes scored seven points while hitting three out of eight shots.
 
Illinois State improved to 10-4 and 2-1 in the MVC with a 68-60 win at Missouri State.  ISU opened up league play with a 65-61 win versus Northern Iowa before falling at Southern Illinois in their second game.  The Redbirds have three players averaging double figures led by Jackie Carmichael.  Carmichael leads them in several categories including scoring (12.9 PPG), rebounding (8.0 RPG), blocked shots (19) and shooting (52.2%).  
 
Colt Ryan helped UE end its tenure at Roberts Stadium with a 73-67 win over Illinois State last season.  Ryan scored a career-high 32 points on 8-of-17 shooting and a 13-14 performance from the free throw line.   The Redbirds held a 37-32 lead at the half, but UE rallied to outscore ISU by 11 points in the second half to take the win.