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Final Score: Evansville 56 - Drake 53

Des Moines, IA (Sports Network) - Denver Holmes hit a 28-footer as time expired, lifting the Evansville Purple Aces to a 56-53 victory over the Drake Bulldogs in a Missouri Valley Conference tussle at the Knapp Center.

Holmes made 3-of-7 long-range buckets for nine points, as Evansville (9-20, 3-15 MVC) won its second game in a row. Ned Cox led the way with 18 points, while James Haarsma had 10 and four boards. The Aces are seeded 10th in the MVC Tournament and will play seventh-seeded Missouri State on Thursday.

Josh Young turned in 16 points and three helpers for Drake (13-18, 7-11), which will be the eighth seed and face ninth-seeded Southern Illinois in the first game of the league tourney on Thursday.

Evansville held Drake to dismal 29.2 percent shooting effort from the field in the first half, taking a 22-19 edge to the intermission.

In the second half, Young knotted the score at 53-53 on a layup with eight seconds left. That set the stage for Holmes, who took the inbounds pass and raced pass mid-court to drain the game-winning trey as time expired.

The Aces knocked down 50.0 percent of their attempts from the floor and 8- of-18 from downtown for the game.