Education Day saw 6,048 fans in attendance as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team earned a 68-55 win over North Carolina Central inside the Ford Center on Monday morning.

“The first thing that stood out was the kids.  It was fantastic. From our basketball players and staff, I want to thank everyone that was involved in making this happen,” UE head coach Marty Simmons said.  “North Carolina Central is a very tough matchup and our guys put a lot into preparation for this game.  Overall, we are pretty proud of the effort.”

Leading everyone once again was junior Ryan Taylor.  An 8-of-16 game from the floor coupled with a 10-13 effort from the line saw him finish with 29 points.  Blake Simmons notched three triples on his way to 11 points while Dalen Traore had his best game at UE (2-0) as he totaled 10.  It eclipsed his previous career game of nine points, set last year against Morehead State.  He also had a team-best seven boards.

“It was pretty good for us, we had to set the tone,” Traore explained.  “Having the kids there was a good thing and really helped us.”

Raasean Davis was the leader for the Eagles (0-2) as he totaled 12 points and nine rebounds.  Zachary Douglas checked in with 10 points and nine boards.

Evansville’s defense was the story in the first half, forcing 16 Eagle turnovers.  Ryan Taylor was also on fire, finishing the stanza with 15 points.  The Aces scored the first five of the game, all by Taylor.  North Carolina Central got on the board at the 16:59 mark on a shot by Raasean Davis, but UE kept the pressure on, going up 12-3 on a bucket by Blake Simmons.

The lead for the Aces reached double figures for the first time at 23-13 when Dru Smith knocked down a trey before reaching 17 (35-18) with 4:51 on the clock.  The Eagles finished the period on an 8-1 run as UE missed its last five shots making it a 36-26 game in favor of the Aces at the break.

Out of the half, the Aces extended their advantage back up to 16 points thanks to Taylor and Simmons, who each had early three’s.  Another pair of Taylor free throws pushed the UE advantage up to 18 at 48-30 just over five minutes into the half.

North Carolina Central never gave up and made their way back into the game as a 14-3 run cut the deficit to just seven at 53-46 with eight minutes remaining.  Taylor helped end the rally with two more from the charity stripe before a 6-0 stretch saw the lead go back up to 15 at 63-48.  Dalen Traore had two buckets in the run.

From there, UE was able to hang on to take the 13-point win.  Evansville shot 51.1% for the game while going 7-of-14 from outside.  It was also another efficient offense contest as the Aces notched 18 assists on 23 makes.  UE forced 28 NCCU turnovers, the most the squad has forced since a 2011 contest against Oakland City.  The Aces also took great advantage of those turnovers, turning them into 26 points.

Ryan Taylor had his best 2-game stretch as a member of the Aces and shares that success with his teammates.

“My teammates have really helped me get better in the offseason,” Taylor said.  “We also do a lot together off the court which really helps us as a team.”

Thursday evening will mark the third out of four home contests to begin the season as Evansville welcomes Southeast Missouri State to the Ford Center for a 7 p.m. game.  Prior to the contest, the Aces will hold a Pregame Party at the DoubleTree Hotel, which is connected to the Ford Center.  It runs from 4:30 p.m. until game time at 7 p.m.  Head coach Marty Simmons will speak at 5:15 pm while Aces legend Marcus Wilson will be on hand at 6:15.  Admission is just $20 and includes a parking space for the evening in the DoubleTree parking garage and a full meal at the event.

After setting a new career-high in scoring in the Purple Aces’ season-opening victory on Sunday, graduate guard Hannah Noe has been named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week, it was announced in a release by the conference office on Monday.

In her first game for the Purple Aces, Noe put together one of the better offensive performances in Evansville history as the Aces captured an 89-81 win over Murray State on Sunday. The Dexter, Mo. native scored 33 points, four shy of the program single-game record, knocking-down six threes and going nine-of-nine from the charity stripe. Noe got the Aces off to a fast start in the opening quarter as she scored 14 of Evansville’s 31 first quarter points to put the Aces ahead 31-14 after 10 minutes of action.

The 33 points is a career-best for Noe, whose previous career high was 29 points. Noe’s 33 points are the most by a Purple Ace since Sara Dickey set the program record with 37 points at Murray State on Dec. 3, 2014.

The honor is the first in Noe’s collegiate career, while the award is the first for the Aces since Sara Dickey earned the honor in back-to-back weeks on February 20 and 27, 2017.

UE sets off for its first road game of the season as the Aces take on Alabama A&M on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Normal, Alabama.

In its first game on campus since 2000, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team used a quick start and held on late for an 89-81 season-opening victory over Murray State on Saturday afternoon in Meeks Family Fieldhouse.

The win is the Aces seventh season-opening win in the past 11 years and the 27th win in an opener overall for Evansville.

“Once we hit a couple of shots, this crowd helped those nerves go away,” said Aces head coach Matt Ruffing. “What a big energy and help this crowd was. I told the girls before the game “give them something to cheer about and they’ll take us to the next level” and I thought that’s what happened. We’re just really happy for our kids. We’ve put in a lot of work  and there’s a lot of unknowns with this group that we have, but I’m hoping that getting this win early and having a lot of film we can watch and get better and I’m hoping their confidence grows within each other and then within our system.”

Graduate Hannah Noe led the way for the Aces with a career-high 33 points, hitting six three-pointers in the win. Junior Kerri Gasper chipped in 16 points, while fellow junior recorded a double-double of 12 points and 10 boards in her first game as an Ace. As a team, the Aces shot 48.1% (26-64) from the field and 42.9% (9-21) from deep. Evansville was 28-of-32 (87.5%) from the charity stripe, its most made free throws since hitting 33 against Indiana State on January 27, 2015.

Building off the momentum of the crowd, the Aces raced out to a 10-4 lead just three minutes into the contest on a bucket and a free throw and a three-pointer by Noe. Evansville continued to extend its lead through the opening quarter as the Aces owned a 31-14 advantage after the first 10 minutes, led by Noe’s 14 points. In the first quarter, the Aces shot 12-18 (66.7%) from the field and 5-6 (83.3%) from three, while holding the Racers to a 6-of-16 (37.5%) shooting performance.

The second quarter saw the Aces maintain its double-digit advantage. The lead ballooned as high as 22 for the Aces after sophomore Kaylan Coffman hit the front end of a pair of free throw shots to push Evansville ahead 47-25 with 2:43 remaining in the half. As the half waned to a close, Murray State chipped away slightly at the Aces’ lead, giving UE a 51-33 lead at the break.

In the opening minutes of the third, the Racers went to work trying to trim the Aces’ lead. A three by Bria Bethea cut UE’s lead to 13 at 58-45, but Evansville responded with an 8-2 run to push its edge back to 19 at 66-47 with just two minutes left in the quarter. After the Racers again got within 12, the Aces converted four straight free throws at the line in the closing seconds of the period to enter the final quarter with a 70-54 lead.

The Aces were presented one last test to open the fourth frame, as the Racers amassed a 12-2 run to cut UE’s advantage to just six at 72-66 with 5:34 left to play. As was true all afternoon, Noe responded with a pair of free throws and a three to give Evansville a seven-point edge with 3:49 remaining on the clock.

The Racers, though, would once again have an answer as Ke’Shunan James laid one in off the glass to push Murray State within five at 78-73. In the late stages of the game, sophomore Macie Lively came up big as the Tipton, Ind. native stepped to the line three-straight times and knocked-down all six free throws as Evansville held on for an 89-81 victory.

UE sets off for its first road game of the season as the Aces take on Alabama A&M on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Normal, Alabama.