Aces ready for big home matchup
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Jim Crews Day will be held on Saturday afternoon as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team takes on Southern Illinois at the Ford Center beginning at 1 p.m.
Crews coached at UE from 1985 through 2002 and accumulated 294 victories. A 4-time conference coach of the year earned the honor in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference three times and once in the MVC (1999). He led the Aces to four NCAA Tournament appearances and three NIT berths. He will be recognized throughout the game.
Trailing by 15 points in the second half, the Purple Aces rallied to get within one before falling by a 55-51 final on Wednesday night at Missouri State. Jaylon Brown and Ryan Taylor scored 19 points apiece to lead all scorers; they were responsible for 38 out of the Aces 51 points. David Howard had his best game at UE, finishing with 10 rebounds and 8 points in 33 minutes of work.  Evansville shot 42.0% for the night while holding Missouri State to 33.3%; the main difference for the Bears came on the offensive glass as they had a 12-3 advantage.
Brown continues to lead the MVC in points per game, minutes per game and free throw percentage. Taylor remains in the top six in the league in scoring and is second in free throw shooting behind Brown.
Sitting at 10-8 overall and 3-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play, Southern Illinois is 3-1 in its last four games. The Saluki offense has three players averaging double figures, led by Armon Fletcher who enters Saturday’s game with 13.7 points per game. Fletcher is followed by 12.9 PPG from Mike Rodriguez while Sean O’Brien checks in with 12.3. In their three conference wins, SIU has scored at least 75 points while their two league losses have seen the offense record 52 PPG. On Wednesday, SIU fell to Illinois State by a 60-53 final as O’Brien led the way with 15 points.
In a series that dates back to 1927, Southern Illinois holds a 67-53 lead over the Purple Aces. Evansville has done well in recent years, winning four in a row over the Salukis and 8 out of 11 overall. UE is 35-23 at home against the Salukis and has won 5-1 in the last six home games.
