University of Southern Indiana Men’s Track & Field opened their indoor season Friday night at the UIndy Winter Break Meet in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Despite finishing in sixth out of six runners, freshman Andrew Pierce (Muncie, Indiana) ran the second fastest 60-meter dash in school history in a time of 7.20 seconds. He also finished 11^th in the 200-meters.

Two more sprinters moved into the top five of the USI record books with sophomore sprinter Calvin Sander(Jasper, Indiana) running the 200-meters in 23.59 seconds and freshman Dallace Jones (Indianapolis, Indiana) running the 400-meters in 52.38 seconds.

The Screaming Eagles were strong in the middle distance events, placing three runners in the top 10 of the 600-meters and finishing third in the 4×400 relay. Junior Almustapha Silvester (Indianapolis, Indiana) finished second, freshman Arie Macias (Godfrey, Illinois) fourth, and sophomore Demontrae Lapsley(Indianapolis, Indiana) seventh. The three teamed up with Jones for the relay.

In the field, senior Daniel Gibson (Normal, Illinois) placed fifth in the pole vault and 11^th in the shot put.

USI’s distance runners did not compete at the event.

USI hits the track after the holiday break January 13 for the Gene Edmonds Open in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Aces Improve To 8-2 On The Season 

Four days after setting his career mark with 25 points, sophomore Dru Smith poured in 17 to lead the University of Evansville men’s basketball team to a 65-58 win over Canisius on Saturday at the Ford Center.

Another great all-around effort saw Smith go 8-9 from the free throw line for UE (8-2) while posing six assists.  Blake Simmons finished with 12 points, four assists and three rebounds.  Dainius Chatkevicius led all players with nine rebounds and also had seven points.

“I was pleased with the result today,” UE head coach Marty Simmons said.  “Our guys really hung in there and showed real resilience and toughness and made enough plays to get the job done.”

Evansville shot 52.1% on the game while holding Canisius to 37.7%.  The Golden Griffins were just 6-of-33 from outside and were 6/9 from the line.  UE hit 22 free throws in 28 attempts.

“To me, this game was decided at the free throw line,” Blake Simmons said.  “We did a good job of not sending them to the line in the first half, but in the second half, we fouled a little too much.  John and K.J. knocking their free throws down were clutch.”

John Hall, who scored six points and had four rebounds hit two free throws in the final minute of the win.  He said that the team was prepared to defend the outside shot against the Golden Griffins.

“All week, the coaches said they were going to shoot plenty of 3’s no matter what part of the floor they were on,” he explained.  “Our defense held them in check.”

Jermaine Crumpton posted a team-high 14 points to lead the Golden Griffins (4-6) while Isaiah Reese notched 13.

Smith led everyone with 10 points in the first half, but it was Canisius who got on the board first.  The Golden Griffins scored the first four points of the game to take an early lead.  The Aces came back with six in a row before a pair of triples put Canisius back in front by a 10-6 margin at the 12 minute mark.

Marty Hill’s bucket ended the drought and sent UE on a 10-0 run that gave them a 16-10 advantage.  Five Aces found their way into the scorebook on the run.  Two free throws from Smith gave UE its largest lead at 21-12 with 6:11 on the clock.  Canisius rallied with a run of their own, scoring seven in a row to get back with a pair at 21-19, but the Aces found their groove in the final minute.  An 8-2 run to end the half set the lead at 31-23 going into halftime.

In the opening possession of the second half, Smith struck again.  The first 3-pointer of the day for the Purple Aces gave them the first double-digit advantage of the game at 34-23.  That was the first of seven in a row for UE to open up the second half and take a 38-23 lead.  Daniels Chatkevicius and Blake Simmons also had baskets in the run.

Isaiah Reese responded for Canisius, knocking down a pair of triples to spearhead a 9-0 run to get them back within six points with 15:14 left in the game.  Evansville was able to push lead back up to 10, but the Golden Griffins never gave up.  Trailing 52-43, they notched the next four to cut the deficit to five points.

A Chatkevicius free throw ended the stretch with under four minutes remaining, but a basket from Jermaine Crumpton on the ensuing possession made it a 53-49 game, the closest Canisius had been in the second half.  Crumpton added a free throw on the next trip down the floor to cut the UE lead to three, 53-50.

Smith played a pivotal role in putting a stop to the rally.  With just over two minutes on the clock, he knocked down both ends of a one-and-one to help the Aces regain a 2-possession lead.  After a Canisius miss, Evan Kuhlman connected on two more from the line as the lead was pushed to 57-50.

In a game that featured several runs by both squads, Canisius had one more push left.  Back-to-back field goals got them right back in the game at 57-54 with 1:24 left.  After Smith knocked down two more free throws, Crumpton struck again for the Griffs.  His second from long range made it even closer – 59-57.

From that point on, the Aces put the game on ice, going 6-6 from the free throw line in the final minute to clinch the 65-58 victory.

Two home games are up for the Aces next weekend, starting on Saturday when the squad welcomes Austin Peay for a 3 p.m. game.  On Sunday, UE takes on Midway in another 3 p.m. tilt at the Ford Center.

Following a three-game road trip, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team returns to Meeks Family Fieldhouse for a matchup with Morehead State at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

Fans are encouraged to bring a stuffed animal to Sunday’s game for the Aces’ Teddy Bear Toss. Those who bring a stuffed animal will receive $3 tickets to the game and have the opportunity to toss the teddy bears at halftime of the game with the fan whose toss comes the closest winning a Purple Aces prize pack. All teddy bears donated during the event will be donated to The Arc of Evansville Child Life Center and hand-delivered to children at the center by the women’s basketball team. The Child Life Center (CLC) provides high-quality programs in an inclusive environment for children ages six weeks to six years, both with and without disabilities, by nurturing their social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth.

The Purple Aces are coming off a 100-62 loss on the road at No. 20 Kentucky on Tuesday night. In the first quarter, the Wildcats sprinted out to a 19-0 advantage before graduate guard Hannah Noe knocked-down a triple to put the Aces on the board. Following the opening period, Evansville rebounded in the second and third quarters, out-scoring Kentucky in the third frame, 22-20. Noe led the Aces with 23 points, her third 20+ point outing in the first seven games of her Evansville career.

Noe has impressed early in her Aces’ career, leading the MVC in scoring average (18.9 ppg), three-pointers made per game (4.00), total three-pointers made (28), and three-point attempts (63). Inside the arc, the Aces are getting it done from the charity stripe, as well, shooting 77.9% from the line, the top percentage in the MVC and 11th-best in the nation.

Morehead State enters Sunday’s showdown with a 6-3 overall record, currently boasting a four-game winning streak. Sunday’s meeting the fourth all-time contest between the two sides with Evansville earning victories in all three previous matchups. The last time UE and Morehead State met was on November 19, 2007 when the Aces captured a 78-67 win over the Eagles in Morehead, Kentucky. In that game, the Aces’ Courtney Felke broke the program record for three-pointers in a single game by knocking down eight against the Eagles. MSU represents the fourth of five teams Evansville will face this season from the Ohio Valley Conference with the Aces holding a 1-2 record against the OVC in 2017.

Sunday will be a homecoming of sorts for Morehead State assistant coach Todd Mitmesser who spent three seasons as an assistant with the Purple Aces from 2005 to 2008, including being on the staff when Evansville captured the 2007-08 MVC Championship.