Evansville, IN (Sports Network) - Colt Ryan scored a game-high 23 points and
handed out nine assists as the Evansville Purple Aces rallied for a 54-51 win
in overtime over the Northern Iowa Panthers in Missouri Valley Conference
action at the Ford Center.
No other player scored in double figures for Evansville (13-9, 6-4 MVC) though
Troy Taylor and Ned Cox each tallied nine points. Taylor also had 12 rebounds
while Egidijus Mockevicius brought down a game-high 13 rebounds. The Purple
Aces had lost three of their previous four games.
Marc Sonnen (11 points) was the lone player in double figures for Northern
Iowa (11-11, 4-6) which has lost back-to-back games after winning two
straight. Seth Tuttle and Deon Mitchell each contributed nine points with
Tuttle also handing out eight assists.
At halftime Evansville led 23-19 after both teams shot less than 40 percent
from the floor in the first 20 minutes. The Purple Aces made good on
10-of-29 attempts from the field while the Panthers hit 9-of-24.
Down 44-37 with just over three minutes remaining, Evansville went on a 10-3
run capped by a 3-pointer from Cox with 30 seconds left that tied the game at
47-47. Neither team managed a field goal attempt the rest of regulation to
force overtime.
In the extra session the Purple Aces scored the first four points of the
period and despite hitting just 1-of-5 shots from the free-throw line were
able to hang on as the Panthers connected on just 2-of-7 shots from the floor.
Each team collected 39 rebounds in the contest but Northern Iowa had a 30-16
edge on points in the paint. The two teams combined for 41 points off
turnovers.
GAME NOTES:
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