Evansville wins 3rd straight, beats Northern Iowa 57-49

Feb 1, 2018, 03:46 am

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Ryan Taylor hit 3 of 5 from beyond the three-point arc to score 25 points and help power Evansville to a 57-49 win over Northern Iowa in a clash of Missouri Valley Conference squads Wednesday night.

Taylor topped 20 points for the 12th time this season by hitting 10 of 17 from the field.

Evansville earned its first three-game win streak of the season after knocking off Drake, 77-73 Saturday.

The teams were tied at intermission, 21-21, and the Panthers got within four points, 45-41 after Bennett Koch converted a pair of free throws with 7:08 left, but the Purple Aces responded with an 8-1 run for an 11-point lead.

Blake Simmons scored 15 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Evansville (15-9, 5-6).

Koch finished with 19 points, converting 9 of 14 from the free-throw line to lead Northern Iowa (11-12, 3-8).