Taylor and Frederking key UE win over Drake

Aces earn 77-73 win on Saturday

On a day that saw eight jerseys retired, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team got the job done on the court, winning its second game in a row with a 77-73 triumph over Drake on Saturday afternoon inside the Ford Center.

At halftime, the jerseys of Hugh Ahlering, Brad Leaf, Marty Simmons, Scott Shreffler, Andy Elkins, Marcus Wilson, Arad McCutchan and Jim Crews were retired.

“We really wanted to win this game for those guys who had their jerseys retired, especially for Coach Simmons,” UE freshman Noah Frederking said.  “It was neat having those guys here today.”

Frederking had his best MVC game on Saturday, knocking down four shots and all six free throw attempts to tally 16 points.  Leading the way for the Purple Aces (14-9, 4-6 MVC) was junior Ryan Taylor.  He went 10-of-18 from the field while grabbing a career-high 8 rebounds.  Blake Simmons also posted double figures, notching 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

“I am thankful for our players and the way they responded today.  That really was the icing on the cake the way that they were able to play on such a great day for Evansville basketball,” Aces head coach Marty Simmons said.  “I am humbled by my participation to have my jersey retired and give all of the credit to my teammates along with my head coach and assistants.”

“I want congratulate everyone who was recognized today and thank the fans for coming out to make it a great atmosphere,” Simmons added.

Drake (12-11, 6-4 MVC) saw five players post double figures, led by De’Antae McMurray’s 13.  Graham Woodward posted 12 while Nick McGlynn and Reed Timmer had 11 apiece.  Ore Arogundade recorded ten.

The Bulldogs posted the first five points of the game before UE got on the board with a Blake Simmons triple.  His long ball saw the Aces reel off seven in a row to take their first lead at 7-5.  After a C.J. Rivers bucket knotted the score at 7-7, a quick 5-0 spurt by the Aces turned into a 17-3 run that gave UE a 24-10 lead with 8:30 left in the half.

Noah Frederking had a pair of old-fashioned 3-point plays while Taylor scored seven in the run.  Two more Frederking triples helped UE take a 37-24 lead into the break.  The freshman had 12 points in the opening stanza.

“We were executing pretty well today,” Frederking exclaimed.  “We are at our best when we can move the ball around and hit our shots.”

K.J. Riley opened up the final 20 minutes with an and-one to give the Purple Aces their biggest lead of the day at 40-24.  Facing the 16-point deficit, the Bulldogs never gave up.  A pair of Graham Woodward triples were part of a 10-0 run that got them within six at 40-34.  They got as close as four points before Taylor got the offense going.

With the Aces still up by four at 49-45, Taylor hit back-to-back treys to push the edge to ten at 55-45.  Another bucket with six minutes on the clock pushed the UE lead to 12.  The Bulldogs continued to fight back as a Reed Timmer trey with four minutes remaining got them within four at 64-60.

A free throw by Timmer with 51 ticks left made it a one-possession game at 70-67, but another Taylor jumper was part of a 5-0 run that put the game on ice.  Timmer hit a last-second triple to make it a final of 77-73.

“A lot of hustle plays really helped us, especially late in the game,” Ryan Taylor said.  “This is a big win for us, we need to carry this over into practice and keep playing like this.  We know that we can beat anyone in the league and we have shown it.”

Evansville shot 50% in the victory and finished with a 31-27 edge on the boards.  Taylor’s career mark of 8 caroms led all players.  The MVC assist leader added five more to his tally as Dru Smith continued to add to his numbers.

On Wednesday, the Aces look for their third triumph in a row when they meet UNI inside the Ford Center in a 7 p.m. game.