NORMAL, Ill. – Wednesday was an exciting evening at the Ford Center for the Purple Aces, who defeated Drake in a double overtime thriller by a final of 82-77.  Now UE is set for its first conference road game of the season at Illinois State today at 3 p.m.
 
The Redbirds are winners of six in a row over the Aces and have won 22 of the 27 home meetings against UE.  Despite those numbers, Evansville is looking at some numbers of its own.  The defense has been giving the team a chance to win every game.  For the season, UE is allowing its opponent to shoot 41.9%, which is fifth in the Valley.
 
Over the last five outings, Evansville has held each opponent to 40.3% shooting or less.  That has translated to each of those games being decided by five points or less.  Each of those games also came down to the final minutes.  On the flipside, the opening nine games of the season were all decided by at least six points.
 
Head coach Walter McCarty has been proud of his team's efforts, especially on the defensive end.
 
"When we play that type of defense and are connected, we are very tough to beat," he said.  "We need to continue playing at that level against Illinois State.  They have guys who can play multiple positions and score the basketball.  Our guys need to protect the paint and play connected."
 
One of the keys for the Aces will be junior K.J. Riley.  Fresh off of his career game of 25 points against Drake, Riley has moved into the top 11 in the country in free throw makes and attempts.  Marty Hill also had his best game against the Bulldogs, posting 24 points.  He was 5-for-7 from outside.
 
Today's game is available on the MVC TV Network.  Fans in Evansville can watch on Fox Sports Midwest or ESPN3.
 

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