Evansville Purple Aces at Valparaiso Beacons
· NCAA Men's Basketball
75 - 65
Smith with 23 points, Evansville downs Valparaiso 75-65
Ryan Taylor added 22 points and five rebounds and K.J. Riley chipped in 10 points for the Purple Aces (13-9, 3-6 Missouri Valley Conference) who had a 42-34 rebounding edge over Valparaiso.
Evansville trailed through much of the first half, going ahead for good on a pair of free throws by John Hall and they finished on a 15-9 surge to lead 38-30 at intermission.
Valparaiso closed to 49-47 midway through the second half but Taylor hit a layup and Smith a jumper to push it to 53-47 with just under 10 minutes left. Riley, Taylor, Smith and John Hall combined for a perfect 14 points from the free-throw line in the final 1:22 to seal the win.
Bakari Evelyn scored 17 points with four rebounds and four assists for the Crusaders (11-11, 2-7). Tevonn Walker added 14 points and six rebounds.
How can I watch Evansville vs. Valparaiso?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 75 - 65 |
| 2nd 0:09 | John Hall Defensive Rebound. | 75 - 65 |
| 2nd 0:09 | Mileek McMillan missed Three Point Jumper. | 75 - 65 |
| 2nd 0:16 | Dru Smith made Free Throw. | 75 - 65 |
| 2nd 0:16 | Dru Smith made Free Throw. | 74 - 65 |
Statistics
 EVAN |
 VAL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 22-56 | FG | 21-57 |
| 39 | Field Goal % | 37 |
| 2-5 | 3PT | 11-27 |
| 40 | Three Point % | 41 |
| 29-31 | FT | 12-21 |
| 94 | Free Throw % | 57 |
| 42 | Rebounds | 34 |
| 11 | Offensive Rebounds | 10 |
| 31 | Defensive Rebounds | 24 |
| 8 | Assists | 13 |
| 8 | Steals | 5 |
| 2 | Blocks | 7 |
| 13 | Turnovers | 16 |
| 2 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 13 | Total Turnovers | 16 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 15 | Points Off Turnovers | 11 |
| 4 | Fast Break Points | 9 |
| 30 | Points in Paint | 16 |
| 23 | Fouls | 27 |
| 11 | Largest Lead | 8 |
Game Information
Location: Valparaiso, IN
Attendance: 2,219 | Capacity:
2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-4 | - | 26-6 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 3 | 21-13 |
| Illinois State | 12-8 | 4 | 23-13 |
| Murray State | 12-8 | 4 | 20-13 |
| UIC | 12-8 | 4 | 19-16 |
| Northern Iowa | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Valparaiso | 11-9 | 5 | 18-15 |
| Southern Illinois | 10-10 | 6 | 16-16 |
| Drake | 6-14 | 10 | 14-20 |
| Indiana State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |
| Evansville | 3-17 | 13 | 7-25 |