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EVANSVILLE, Ind.—A late 19-4 run by the visiting Illinois State Redbirds proved to be too much to overcome for the University of Evansville women’s basketball team on Thursday night, as the Redbirds rallied past the host Purple Aces, 75-67, in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both schools at Roberts Stadium in Evansville.
After Evansville had rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit to grab a 51-46 lead midway through the second half, the Redbirds outscored the Purple Aces 19-4 over the game’s next six minutes to take a 65-55 lead with 4:19 to play. Reigning MVC Player of the Year Kristi Cirone ignited the run with nine of her team-high 21 points, while rookie guard Shala Jackson chipped in six of her 11 points during the run.
Evansville would battle back to within three points, 69-66, with 1:33 to play thanks to five-straight points by senior guard Rebekah Parker, but the Redbirds went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute to hold off the Purple Aces.
“Even though we lost today, I was really proud of the effort that the team gave,” said UE head coach Tricia Cullop. “Illinois State has been by far the best team in the league so far this year, and to be right with them down the stretch is a credit to how hard this team played today.
“Obviously, this is a tough loss because we were right there in a tight game, but we just couldn’t pull it out. But, if we would have played with this same type of effort in some of our other losses, I know that we would have a better record right now. We just need to learn from this game and get better from it, because we have another tough foe in Indiana State coming to town on Saturday that we have to get ready for.”
The Redbirds raced out to an early 12-point lead, 37-25, in the first half by shooting a blistering 61.5 percent (16-for-26) in the first 20 minutes. Evansville would respond with a 17-5 run to close the first half and begin the second to tie the game at 42-42 with 14:41 to play.
Evansville and Illinois State would trade baskets until the 10:59 mark in regulation, when junior forward Shannon Novosel worked a lay-up inside and a three-point basket on back-to-back UE possessions to give the Purple Aces a 51-46 cushion with 10:13 remaining. Jackson would then begin Illinois State’s game-changing run with a free throw with 9:48 to play, before back-to-back three-pointers by Cirone and Jackson would give the Redbirds a lead it would never lose.
Cirone and Parker tied for game-high scoring honors with 21 points apiece for their respective squads. Nicolle Lewis added 18 points and seven rebounds for the Redbirds on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor, while Novosel countered with 17 points and a team-high six rebounds for UE.
With the victory, Illinois State improves to 11-1 on the season and 1-0 in the MVC. Evansville, meanwhile, slips to 5-6 overall and 0-1 in the Valley. The Purple Aces will return to action next on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. as UE will host Indiana State (6-5, 0-1 MVC) at Roberts Stadium. Saturday’s game can be heard live in the Tri-State area on the Aces’ Radio Network (91.5 F.M.-WUEV, 100.5 F.M.-WSJD, 103.9 F.M.-WNTC).
