Game Notes
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Live Stats
The University of Evansville women’s basketball team will renew its long-standing rivalry with in-state rival Indiana State on Saturday afternoon in an important Missouri Valley Conference game for both teams. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. and 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).
Saturday’s match-up will be the 35th installment of the UE-Indiana State series, which dates back to the 1974-75 season. The series is the most-played series in UE women’s basketball history and has developed into a high-scoring feud between the two schools. Since Evansville entered the MVC in 1994, the winning team in the series has averaged 78.6 points per game and has recorded 80 points or more 13 different times over the last 13 years.
The Purple Aces will bring a 5-6 overall record and 0-1 MVC mark into Saturday’s contest after Thursday night’s 75-67 loss to Illinois State. Senior guard Rebekah Parker led a pack of three Purple Aces in double-figures with 21 points against the 11-1 Redbirds, but it was not enough, as Illinois State used a 19-4 run with under 10 minutes to go to rally to victory. Junior forward Shannon Novosel also chipped in 17 points and six rebounds to continue her strong play at home this season, as she has averaged 13 points and 11 boards per game in UE’s five home contests at Roberts Stadium so far.
Indiana State will counter with a 6-5 overall record and similar 0-1 Valley mark after dropping a 95-76 decision at Southern Illinois on Thursday. Senior center Laura Rudolphi and sophomore guard Kelsey Luna both chipped in 18 points apiece to pace the Sycamores, but SIU?shot 56.5 percent from the floor, including going 12-for-24 from three-point range to down Indiana State. Rudolphi leads a trio of Sycamores in double-figures this year at 14.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Senior guard Angela Phillips (13.1 ppg) and Luna (12.2 ppg) also average double-digits this season for ISU.
Evansville swept the season series from Indiana State last year, including outlasting the Sycamores, 98-91, in overtime at Roberts Stadium last January. Senior guards Rebekah Parker and Courtney Felke, who both chose UE over Indiana State in the recruiting wars four years ago, combined to average 32.0 points per game in the two-game set last year against ISU and have done a number against the Sycamores throughout the years. Parker has averaged 15.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game against Indiana State over the last two years, while Felke has pitched in 15.3 points per game.
