EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Dru Smith scored 17 points with six assists to lead Evansville as it beat Canisius 65-58 on Saturday.
Smith was 4 of 8 from the floor and was 8 of 9 from the free-throw line for the Purple Aces (8-2) who have won three straight. Blake Simmons added 12 points and four assists and Dainius Chatkevicius led the team with nine rebounds in addition to his seven points.
The team averaged 51 percent shooting from the floor compared to 38 percent for Canisius.
The Purple Aces surged 15-5 midway through the first half to take a 21-12 lead with 6:11 to go and they were up 31-23 at the break.