EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Looking to put a stop to a two-game losing streak, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team will be back at the Ford Center to face Bradley on Wednesday evening.
Set for a 7:05 p.m. tip, Wednesday’s contest will feature a special ticket promotion. The higher the attendance at the Bradley game, the bigger the discount will be for the game against Northern Iowa, as fans will receive $1 off a regular priced adult ticket for every 1,000 fans in attendance. For example, if 9,000 fans pack the Ford Center for the Jan. 23 game against the Braves, Aces’ fans will receive a $9 discount on tickets to the Northern Iowa game.
Even when his shot is not falling, Colt Ryan has done everything in his power to keep the Aces rolling and help out his squad; despite shooting 10-of-30 in the last two games, the senior has averaged 22 points while recording eight assists against four turnovers. His efforts were boosted by draining 22 out of 24 free throw attempts including a perfect 16-16 performance at Drake. Since the Dec. 22 contest at Butler, Ryan has averaged 22.3 points per game and has
registered at least 13 points in each contest.
Senior Troy Taylor has continued to improve as his career rounds the home stretch; in MVC games, Taylor leads UE in assists and rebounding while ranking second in steals and fourth in scoring; also in that stretch was the first 3-game streak with ten or more points in his UE career. The point guard has averaged 9 rebounds in the Valley outings, second behind Jackie Carmichael’s total of 11.3/gm; he has led the Aces in rebounding in six out of seven league games this season and while hauling in at least six in each one.
Coming off of a 9-25 showing in 2011-12, which included a 2-16 league mark, Bradley has turned it around this season as it comes to Evansville with a 12-7 overall mark and a 4-3 record in the Valley. Three of BU’s next four games will be on the road as they begin the trek with its 41st all-time meeting against UE.
The Braves force an average of 10.8 steals per game while forcing the opposition into a turnover on 24% of its possessions, first in the league and tenth in the country; on the offensive end, Bradley does a solid job of taking care of the ball, averaging just 11.9 turnovers/game, a total that is 54th in the nation.
The duo of Dyricus Simms-Edwards and Walt Lemon Jr. rank in the top 30 nationally in steals per game; Edwards is third with an amazing 3.26 steals while Lemon is 27th overall with 2.26. Walt Lemon Jr. is one of three Braves averaging double figures as he leads the way with 13.8 points per game, he is a solid 45.2% shooter and leads the squad with an 80% free throw rate; Dyricus Simms-Edwards averages 11.8 points while Tyshon Pickett checks in with 10.9; Pikcett leads the way with 5.9 rebounds per contest.
Bradley leads the overall series against the Aces by a 23-17 margin. Evansville has won 13 out of 20 home games but has fallen in 15 out of 18 games in Peoria. The squads have split a pair of MVC Tournament meetings.
A trip to Normal, Ill. is on tap for UE as they will face Illinois State on Saturday. The meeting at Redbird Arena will begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised on the MVC Network.
Source: GoPurpleAces.com
