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EVANSVILLE, Ind.—After being bottled up for most of the afternoon, University of Evansville seniors Courtney Felke and Rebekah Parker finally got on track in the final four minutes Sunday to help power the host Purple Aces past the visiting IUPUI Jaguars, 59-53, at Roberts Stadium in Evansville.
Felke and Parker combined to score eight of UE’s final 10 points in the final 3:41 to help Evansville overcome a late 50-49 deficit and pick up a 59-53 victory over the Jaguars. Felke gave UE the lead for good with a jumper from the top of the key with 3:41 left, and Parker sealed the victory with a shot-clock-beating three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining which gave UE a five-point cushion.
“I know both Courtney and Rebekah had their struggles shooting the ball at times today, but the true sign of a winner is to step up in key situations and hit the big shot, regardless of how the day has gone,” said UE head coach Tricia Cullop. “Both Courtney and Rebekah did that today, and I’m really proud of the way our entire team stepped up and battled back after IUPUI took the early lead.”
The late heroics of Felke and Parker helped Evansville overcome a torrid start by the Jaguars. IUPUI hit 11 of its first 14 shots en route to grabbing a 27-14 lead just nine minutes into the contest. Evansville would weather the storm though, using a 15-2 edge in free throws in the first half to trim the 13-point Jaguar deficit back to just three points, 32-29, at the half.
Sophomore forward Anaris Sickles would quickly work a lay-up and knock down a three-pointer from the top of the key to start the second half and get Evansville back to tied, 34-34, with 18:26 to play. Evansville would eventually use a 6-2 run fueled by four points from sophomore guard Amy Gallagher to take a 46-41 lead with 7:56 to play.
The Jaguars would respond with a 9-3 run over the next 3:21 to retake a one-point lead, 50-49, on a Jernisha Cann jumper with 4:07 remaining, but Felke would answer back with a jumper of her own on the next trip down the floor to give UE a lead it would never lose. The jumper came as part of a stretch where Felke scored seven of her team-high 13 points in a span of three minutes.
Felke was joined in double-figures by Sickles, who just narrowly missed her second career double-double at UE with a season-high 13 points and nine rebounds. Gallagher and Parker also chipped in eight points for UE, with Parker also grabbing nine rebounds en route to eclipsing the 500-rebound barrier in her Purple Aces career and becoming just the second female player in UE basketball history with over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 250 career assists.
“This is a great honor for Rebekah, and one that she has really worked hard to achieve,” said Cullop. “She has done whatever we have asked her to do since day one here at UE, and we are very fortunate to have her in our program. She is a very special player and a very special person.”
IUPUI was led by guard Christina Cunningham, who recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Center Julia Whitted also added 11 points and guard Amy Cook chipped in 10 first-half points.
With the victory, Evansville improves to 4-3 on the season. IUPUI, meanwhile, falls to 3-5 overall on the year. Evansville will return to action next on Thursday night, as the Purple Aces travel to Indianapolis to battle in-state rival Butler (6-1). Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. central time and Thursday’s game can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.
