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CHICAGO (AP) — Blake Simmons scored 13 points and Eqidijus Mockevicius added 12 points with 13 rebounds as Evansville held off Loyola of Chicago 65-56 on Wednesday night.
The Purple Aces (15-4, 4-3 Missouri Valley Conference) used a pair of runs late in the game — 11-1 and 8-0 — to stake a 10-point lead with just over four minutes to play. That's when the Ramblers (13-6, 3-4) turned up the pressure and closed to 59-56 when Jeff White hit a pair of free throws with just under a minute to go.
But Mockevicius, D.J. Balentine and Adam Wing each hit two foul shots as Evansville put the game away with six unanswered points at the line.
The Purple Aces owned a 38-23 advantage on the boards, including 28 off the defensive glass. Mockevicius also had five of Evansville's six blocked shots.
Devon Turk scored 14 for the Ramblers, Montel James 11.
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