UE welcomes Bulldogs on Tuesday Evening
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Redshirt sophomore Ryan Taylor has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team is preparing for midweek matchup against Drake on Tuesday at 7 p.m. inside the Ford Center.
In two games last week, Taylor registered 13.5 points per game while helping the Purple Aces win games over Loyola and Southern Illinois. He started the week with 16 points and three triples in a win over Loyola. He followed that up with 13 points and two more triples in an exciting road victory against the Salukis. He hit 5 out of 10 from outside in the two games. For Taylor, it marks his second Newcomer of the Week honor this season.
Playing one of its best games of the year, the Purple Aces earned a 75-70 win at Southern Illinois on Saturday, never giving up the lead. Four Aces registered double figures led by Duane Gibson’s career game as he notched 27 points and 10 rebounds on 10-of-15 shooting. Evansville led by as many as 16 points before hanging on for the 5-point win. The low game was working for the Aces as they outscored SIU by a 42-28 margin in the paint. For the game, the Aces shot 54.0% while holding the Salukis to 40%.
Evansville earned a 75-70 win at SIU on Saturday, its 4th-consecutive road win over the Salukis, the longest streak UE has had in Carbondale since the series began in 1927. This is the third time the Aces have won four straight on the road against an MVC opponent as the team defeated UNI in Cedar Falls each season from 1999 through 2002; UE also topped Drake at the Knapp Center from 1997 through 2000.
UE has won four home games in a row over Drake; the longest streak vs. DU since earning six home wins in a row over the Bulldogs from 1996-2001. The longest recent streak against a Valley squad was when UE defeated Bradley 9 times in a row at home from 1997-2005. It is also UE’s current longest streak over an MVC squad.
Drake enters Wednesday’s game with a 7-19 mark and a 5-9 league record. The Bulldogs began MVC play with a 5-4 mark, but have lost their last five contests. Reed Timmer continues to pace the Bulldogs in scoring with 15.5 points per game; he gets a lot of work done at the free throw line, knocking down a team-best 101 free throws on the season. Billy Wampler checks in with 10.2 PPG and has connected on a team-high 54 3-pointers. Over the last 15 games, Ore Arogundade has averaged 11.5 points per game while shooting 46% from the field.
The Aces hold a 25-22 lead in the series against the Bulldogs and own a 14-7 lead in games played in Evansville. UE is in search of its fifth-consecutive home win over the Bulldogs and has won the last four home games by an average of 11.75
