Box Score (PDF)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Jaylon Brown and Ryan Taylor each tallied 19 points as the University of Evansville men's basketball team fell by a final of 55-51 to Missouri State on Wednesday night at JQH Arena.
Taylor knocked down 8 shots for UE (10-8, 1-4 MVC) while Brown saw seven buckets find the bottom of the net. David Howard had one of his best games at UE, setting a career mark with 10 rebounds while scoring 8 points. The Bears (12-6, 3-2 MVC) were led by a 14-point effort from Jarrid Rhodes.
"Our execution down the stretch was really good when we were able to come back," UE head coach Marty Simmons said. "We had some good looks and got what we strived for, but the shots did not fall the way we hoped. I am very proud of our guys and our competitive spirit. That is exactly what we wanted it to be."
A defensive struggle took place in the opening half as the Aces outshot Missouri State by a 33.3%-23.5% margin, but it was the Bears who took a 22-16 halftime lead into the locker room. After MSU scored the opening bucket of the night, a Ryan Taylor jumper at the 14:42 mark gave the Aces their first lead of the game at 6-4.
Evansville continued to lead at 10-7 before the Bears made a big push, going on a 13-2 run to take a 20-12 lead. Seven Bears scored in the opening half as they took a 22-16 lead at the break. On the boards, the Bears had a 25-15 first-half edge and 10-0 on the offensive glass.
Taylor notched his third bucket of the game in the opening possession of the second half to cut the gap to four, but the Bears had the answer once again. Jarrid Rhodes hit a triple as MSU scored nine in a row to take their largest edge of the night at 33-20. Dru Smith found Solomon Hainna open under the basket for a bucket that ended the stretch.
Their lead reached as many as 15 at 39-24 before the Aces made a push back. Ryan Taylor connected from downtown to finish off a 9-0 stretch as UE got back within two possessions. On the ensuing shot, Jarrid Rhodes countered Taylor's triple to get the Bears back on track.
The Aces countered the setback with a huge rally of their own. A 20-8 stretch got the Aces within three points with a score of 47-44 with just over five minutes left. Jaylon Brown and Taylor combined to score 18 of those tallies, with Brown scoring 11 of those tallies. After UE got within three, Dequon Miller countered with a triple to make it a two possession game.
MSU's advantage remained at six until a pivotal moments with four minutes remaining. Missouri State looked to regain possession up by six points, but a flagrant foul on the Bears resulted in UE hitting a free throw and a jumper to make it a 3-point game. The game remained at three points until Brown struck again. A layup with 10.9 ticks on the clock made it just a 1-point game (52-51). On the other end, Miller drained both free throws. That proved to be the difference as MSU finished off the win.
UE's defense held the Bears to just 33% shooting on the night while the Aces offense finished at 42%. Missouri State owned the rebounding edge by a final of 39-30.
Jim Crews Day will take place on Saturday as the Aces welcome back the legendary head coach. Crews will be honored when UE faces Southern Illinois at 1 p.m. at the Ford Center.
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