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EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Defense and rebounding. Ask any coach typically their keys to success in a basketball game and those will be some of the first words out of their mouth. On Sunday, they helped power the University of Evansville women’s basketball team past the visiting Drake Bulldogs, 62-57, and helped knock Drake from the ranks of the Missouri Valley Conference’s unbeaten.
Evansville clamped down defensively, forcing the visiting Bulldogs into a season-high 19 turnovers and just 39.2 percent shooting from the floor. The Purple Aces also grabbed 38 rebounds, including 19 on the offensive end, to overcome a slow start offensively and stretch its winning streak to three games in a row.
“We knew going in that Drake was a much bigger team than we were, so we knew that we had to make an extra effort on the boards today to be successful,” said UE junior guard Ashley Austin, who grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds en route to her first career double-double as a Purple Ace. “I just tried to be as active on the glass as possible today, because everyone feels more confident offensively when someone is there to pick up their miss. I was just trying to give confidence to my teammates to keep shooting.”
Drake and Evansville battled back and forth all day long defensively, as neither team held more than a five-point lead until the final minute of play. UE finally took control of the see-saw affair with 1:46 left in regulation, as junior forward Shannon Novosel hit a key three-pointer from the right wing with the shot clock winding down to give UE a 60-55 cushion. Austin would then record her ninth and tenth points of the game from the free throw line to complete her first career double-double and give UE a seven-point lead, 62-55, with 38 seconds to play. It would be the largest lead of the game.
“When the crowd erupted on that three, it was a great feeling,” said Novosel. “I really can’t describe the feeling, because I knew that that was a key possession in the game and we needed a basket there to extend the lead out.
“The key for us today was our defense. Everyone was on their toes today and everyone knew how to guard the person they were guarding. We want to take pride in our defense, and I think that we really did that today.”
Novosel led Evansville with 16 points, while fellow junior Robyn Jennings pitched in 15 points and six boards, including 13 second-half points. Austin and senior guard Rebekah Parker also chipped in 10 points apiece, with Austin adding a game-high 11 rebounds and Parker dishing out a game-best six assists against no turnovers. Turnovers played a huge role in the contest, as UE committed just nine turnovers against Drake’s 19, while holding a 15-7 edge in points off of turnovers.
Drake senior guard Lindsay Whorton led all scorers with 18 points, while fellow senior Jill Martin recorded a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double for the Bulldogs.
“I was extremely proud of our defensive effort today,” said UE head coach Tricia Cullop. “I thought that this was one of the best defensive efforts we have given all year, and I was proud that we never backed down when Drake would make a run.
“This is a big win for us. To beat Creighton and Drake on the same weekend is a great accomplishment for this team. But, we can not be satisfied with these two wins. We have to stay hungry and continue to work hard, because there is still a lot of basketball left to be played.”
With the victory, Evansville improves to 9-7 overall and 4-2 in the MVC. Drake, meanwhile, sees its six-game winning streak snapped, as the Bulldogs fall to 11-5 overall and 4-1 in the Valley. Evansville will now step out of conference play to travel to Lipscomb on Thursday night (7:00 p.m. tip-off) before returning home to host Southern Illinois in the sixth annual Women’s Hoops For The Cure game next Saturday. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. and tickets will be discounted to $2.00, with half of the ticket proceeds going to benefit the Susan G. Komen For The Cure Greater Evansville Affiliate.
