One of the most highly anticipated events in recent memory is on tap on Saturday as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team welcomes Drake to the Ford Center for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.

At halftime, eight jerseys will be retired including: Hugh Ahlering, Brad Leaf, Marty Simmons, Scott Shreffler, Andy Elkins, Marcus Wilson, Arad McCutchan and Jim Crews.  The first 3,000 people in attendance will receive a replica banner commemorating the event.

UE ended a 3-game skid on Wednesday, earning a 75-65 road win at Valparaiso.  Dru Smith and Ryan Taylor combined to score 45 points as the team shot an unbelievable 93.5% (29-31) from the line.  The 75 points scored against the Crusaders was the most for UE in league play this year; it is the highest tally since UE put up 79 points against Midway. Smith and Taylor combined for 45 points, it was the highest combined scoring total for the Aces since Jaylon Brown (27 points) and Duane Gibson (20 points) posted 47 against Indiana State last year in Arch Madness.

Evansville scored 38 points in the first half and 37 in the second at Valpo, those are the top two offensive halves in road Valley play this year.  Entering Wednesday’s game, the Aces had lost 16 in a row when failing to shoot 40% from the field; that changed on Wednesday as UE shot 3.93% in the road win.

Dru Smith made 12 out of 13 free throws, both career highs, as the Aces earned a 75-65 win at Valparaiso on Wednesday.  Smith finished the game with 23 points, just two off of his career mark; he also played in his top total of 40 minutes.  It marked the second 23-point game in the last three efforts for the sophomore as he has reached double figures in 9 of the last 10 games.

In two games in the vicinity of his hometown of Gary, Ind., senior Ryan Taylor posted 21.5 points in road tilts at Loyola and Valparaiso.  He finished with 22 against the Crusaders on the way to his 10th 20-point game of the season; he has also reached double figures in all 15 of his games played.  Taylor holds the MVC scoring lead with 19.8 points per game while averaging a 35.1 minutes per contest.

Standing in second place in the league, Drake comes to Evansville with an overall mark of 12-10 and 6-3 in Valley play.  The Bulldogs dropped an 80-57 decision to league-leading Loyola on Wednesday.  Reed Timmer leads the squad with 18.1 points per game while shooting 88.7% from the line; he notched in with 10 points versus the Ramblers.  Nick McGlynn stands at 11.3 points and 5.2 boards while De’Antae McMurray & Graham Woodward average 10.9 and 10.2 points, respectively.

The series between UE and Drake has been dominated by home teams as of late; UE has won the last five at home while the Bulldogs are 7-1 in the last 8 games in Des Moines.

The University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team used a strong defensive effort to roll over the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 74-55, Thursday evening at the Physical Activities Center. USI, which is a perfect 12-0 at home this year and has won its last 18 at the PAC, saw its record rise to16-5 overall and 7-2 in the GLVC, while UW-Parkside goes to 7-12 overall, 5-4 GLVC.

USI battled UW-Parkside to a six-point lead at the end of the first half, 31-25, scoring the final five points of the half. The Eagles took the command of the first half at the 13:49 mark with a 6-0 run and would lead by as many as six points twice.

Senior forward Julius Rajala (Helsinki, Finland) led the Eagles offensive charge in the open 20 minutes with 10 points, while senior guard Marcellous Washington(Lexington, Kentucky) followed with seven points. The nine Eagles that played during the first half all contributed a bucket to the halftime lead.

In the second half, the Eagles methodically began to pull away from the Rangers, building a double-digit advantage for the final 10 minutes of the game and leading by as many as 21 points, 74-53. USI also did the job on the defensive end, holding UW-Parkside to 33.3 percent shooting (10-30) in the final 20 minutes, 35.1 percent (20-57) for the contest.

Individually, USI junior guard Alex Stein (Evansville, Indiana) led three Eagles in double-digits with 20 points. Stein, who scored 18 of his 20 points in the final half, was seven-of-12 from the field, three-of-three from long range, and three-of-three from the stripe.

Rajala followed Stein in the scoring column, adding four second half points to finish with 14. He finished six-of-10 from the field and two-of-two from the line. Washington also added four points in the final 20 minutes and conclude the game with 11 points on a blistering five-of-eight from the field.

On the glass, freshman forward Emmanuel Little (Indianapolis, Indiana) reached double-digit rebounds for the seventh time this year with a game-high 10 rebounds. Rajala followed Little in the rebound column with seven boards.

The Eagles hit the road Saturday to visit McKendree University for a 3 p.m. match-up in Lebanon, Illinois. The Bearcats saw their record go to 11-8 overall and 2-7 in the GLVC after an 84-78 loss to William Jewell College at home tonight.

USI is 9-7 all-time against McKendree after sweeping a pair of games with the Bearcats last year (104-58 win at McKendree; 81-67 win at the PAC). Washington led six Eagles in double-digits with 20 points in the win at McKendree, while Stein posted 27 points to lead four Eagles in double-figures during the win at the PAC. USI also is 7-1 against McKendree in GLVC play and 3-4 on the road.

University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball survived an aerial assault as the No. 10/20 Screaming Eagles earned a 74-57 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over East Division foe University of Wisconsin-Parkside Thursday evening at the Physical Activities Center.

USI (16-2, 8-1 GLVC) used a 17-0 run that spanned the final moments of the first half and the opening stages of the third quarter to build a commanding 52-32 lead. It used a 10-0 run to begin the game and led 26-14 heading into the second period, but a barrage of three-pointers kept the Rangers within striking distance throughout the contest

UW-Parkside (6-15, 2-7 GLVC), which went 12-of-30 from three-point range, cut USI’s lead to as low as two points in the second quarter; and trailed 35-32 before a 4-0 USI spurt sent the Eagles into the intermission with a 39-32 lead.

Following USI’s 13-0 surge to open the second half, the Rangers used a 10-2 spurt that featured a three-pointer and a three-shot foul to claw back into the contest.

USI, which led 60-48 heading into the final 10 minutes, closed the door on UW-Parkside’s upset bid by limiting the Ranger’s to just nine points and one three-pointer in the fourth quarter.

Senior forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois) had a game-high 22 points and a career-high tying 17 rebounds to lead the Eagles, who shot 42.0 percent (29-69) from the field. Senior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) added 12 points and a pair of steals, while junior guard Alex Davidson (Salem, Indiana) chipped in 11 points, two steals and five rebounds.

USI also got three points and eight assists from senior guard Randa Harshbarger (Philo, Illinois), while junior forward Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri) contributed eight points and five rebounds.

The Eagles, who outrebounded the Rangers 47-36, held UW-Parkside to just 33.3 percent (20-60) shooting and had a decisive 44-10 edge in points in the paint. USI also scored 30 points off 22 UW-Parkside turnovers.

Junior guard/forward Ali Bettencourt had 18 points and five assists to lead the Rangers, who were 8-of-13 (.615) from three-point range in the first half.

USI returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when it travels to Lebanon, Illinois, to take on McKendree University. The Bearcats (8-8, 4-5 GLVC) fell to William Jewell College, 68-63, Thursday evening.

Notes: USI improved to 12-0 at home this season and has won 18 consecutive games at the PAC dating back to last season…Davidson has recorded double-figures in each of the last four games and seven times this year…Dahlstrom is averaging 12.6 rebounds per game in USI’s last five outings, twice reaching the 15-rebound plateau along the way.