Aces set for tough road swing at Drake and Northern Iowa

1/5/2017 3:30:00 PM

EVANSVILLE — After racing out to the first 2-0 Missouri Valley Conference start since 2006-07, the University of Evansville women's basketball team will face its toughest road swing of the conference season this weekend, setting off for league favorites Drake on Friday and defending champions Northern Iowa Sunday.

The Aces, who have won seven of their last eight games, enter the weekend as the second-best scoring team in the Valley at 67.4 points per game, but they owe their 2-0 start as much to spectacular defensive performances as they do to offense. The Aces gave up just 77 total games in the two games against Indiana State and Loyola Chicago. It marks the fewest points UE has given up in back-to-back games since giving up 78 to Loyola and Detroit during the 1992-93 season.

One of the biggest keys to the defense has been the play of guard Camary Williams, who took home MVC Player of the Week earlier this season. The Ft. Myers, Fla., product is the national leader in steals at 5.15 per game, and she's registered seven or more steals on five occasions this season. Williams has frequently flirted with a triple-double over the year, and she enters the weekend ranked third in the Valley in points and fifth in rebounds with 16.4 and 7.8, respectively.

Sara Dickey, UE's all-time leading scorer with 1,859 career points, leads the Aces once again this season, pouring in 16.8, and the Montezuma, Ind., native is coming off one of her best outings of the year, going 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-7 from distance for 21 points against Loyola.

Brooke Dossett is the only other Ace in double figures, putting up 10 points and a team-best 2.8 assists, while the duo of Kerri Gasper and Sasha Robinson, combines for another 14.1. Robinson, a senior out of Nashville, Ind., ranks third in the MVC with 8.3 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, Drake, which leads the Valley with 82.9 points per game, will be looking to stay hot after recording three consecutive wins over Eastern Washington, Wichita State and Missouri State. The Bulldogs (9-3) have scored at least 80 points in each of the last seven games.

Northern Iowa has also been on an impressive run of its own, winning five consecutive games to run their season record up to 9-4.

Tipoff on Friday is slated for 7 p.m., and Sunday's showdown is set for 11:30 a.m.

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