Box Score (PDF)
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Boise State put forth a furious rally in the final minutes but the University of Evansville men's basketball team drained all six free throw attempts in the final 38 seconds to finish the day with a 72-67 win over the Broncos at the Ford Center.
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Jaylon Brown led everyone with 21 points, including an 11-of-12 showing at the charity stripe. Ryan Taylor finished with 14 while Willie Wiley's 13 points saw him record double figures for the third time in the last four games. Rounding out the top scorers for UE (4-4) was Duane Gibson, who finished with 10 points and 7 assists. It was his top game since registering 10 in a 2015 CIT victory over Eastern Illinois. Dru Smith was also one of the heroes, giving the Aces the lead for good with a pair of free throws in the final minute.
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Chandler Hutchison led the Broncos (4-4) with 19 points. Nick Duncan finished the day with 13 while Robin Jorch had 12 points and a game-high 8 rebounds.
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"I feel great for everyone in that locker room. Our guys really battled back after the trip to Nashville last week," UE head coach Marty Simmons said. "We really battled back and stayed together and made the plays we needed to in order to win the game."
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BSU scored the opening five points of the game and quickly went up 10-4 five minutes in on a Nick Duncan triple. That is where Evansville kicked it into high gear, scoring 13 in a row to take a 17-10 lead.
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Evansville connected on six shots in a row in the stretch with Jaylon Brown scoring five of those tallies. Following a time out, the Broncos utilized a zone defense and its paid off. Over the final 11 minutes of the period, BSU outscored UE by a 22-13 margin to take a 32-30 lead at the break. They also forced seven UE turnovers over that span. Evansville was able to cut into the gap with 1:23 left in the opening period thanks to a triple by Jaiveon Eaves, which got UE within two.
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Just over six minutes into the second half, the Aces retook the lead. Trailing 40-39, Jaylon Brown found the open lane to hit a bucket to put UE back in front. That was the first bucket in a 6-0 stretch that saw the Aces retake the lead at 45-40. BSU ended the run with just under 12 minutes remaining. They got back within two at 51-49 before a Ryan Taylor triple made it a two possession game once again.
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Taylor's bucket was the start of a 14-6 run that gave UE its largest lead of the day at 65-55 with four minutes on the clock. Taylor capped off the rally with his second trey of the contest. Just when it looked like the Aces were in good shape, Boise State roared back, scoring eight in a row to get within two with 1:47 remaining. The big play for BSU came courtesy of Chandler Hutchison, who stole an inbound pass and notched an and-one.
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Jaylon Brown ended the run with a free throw to make it a 66-63 game, but on the ensuing possession, Duncan tied the game up with his third trey of the game. The Broncos had a chance to take the lead with under a minute remaining, but Dru Smith grabbed a defensive rebound and was fouled. The freshman calmly drained a pair of free throws to put the lead back in the Aces hands for good. UE connected on all six free throws in the final 38 seconds to cement the win.
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For the game, the Aces outshot BSU, 46.2%-36.8%. Boise State won the rebounding battle by a 35-33 tally, including an 11-5 margin on the offensive glass. After turning the ball over nine times in the first half, the Aces buckled down in the final 20 minutes, turning it over just three times.
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Bowling Green will mark the third opponent of the 5-game home stand. The Aces and Falcons meet for the first time since 2001 on Tuesday at 7 p.m. inside the Ford Center.
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