EVANSVILLE, Ind.—After being held in check for most of the game, preseason all-Missouri Valley Conference senior center Shannon Novosel exploded for eight points in the final 4:12 of regulation to help the University of Evansville women’s basketball team hold off a scrappy Wright State Raider squad, 63-59, at Roberts Stadium in Evansville.

 

After Wright State trimmed a once 12-point second-half lead back to two points on a lay-up by junior forward Erica Richardson with 4:48 to play, Novosel went to work, scoring the game’s next five points to give UE a 58-51 lead with 3:13 left. 

 

The Raiders would again trim the lead back to three points on two separate occasions in the final two minutes, but junior guard Amy Gallagher would knock down two free throws, and Novosel would ice the game with a free throw with just over four seconds to remaining to give UE the 63-59 victory.

 

“I did not want to lose to this team again on a last-second shot,” said Novosel, referring to last year’s 71-70 victory by Wright State in Dayton. “I knew that I had to step my game up down the stretch, and my teammates stepped up as well to get this win.”

 

“We obviously still have a lot to work on right now,” said UE head coach Misty Murphy. “But, I was very proud of how well this team fought against a very scrappy Wright State team. Shannon Novosel, in particular, really stepped up down the stretch to help us get the win, and in the end, that’s the most important thing.”

 

After Wright State opened the contest scoring seven of the game’s first nine points, Evansville would use the strength of perfect 6-for-6 shooting from three-point range in the first 20 minutes to grab a 31-24 cushion at the break. Senior forward Robyn Jennings would then score 11 of her team-high 17 points in the second half to help Evansville build a 12-point lead, 51-39, with 8:56 to play. The Raiders would answer back though with a 12-2 run to trim the lead back to two points, 53-51, and set up Novosel’s final heroics.

 

Jennings led the way for Evansville with 17 points, while Novosel finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and four blocks. Gallagher and senior guard Ashley Austin would also both chip in 12 points apiece for UE. Evansville outscored Wright State, 27-6, from beyond the three-point line, as UE knocked down nine triples compared to just two for the Raiders. Sophomore guard LaShawna Thomas paced Wright State with a game-high 22 points in the season-opener for the Raiders.

 

With the victory, Evansville improves to 2-1 on the season. The Purple Aces will return to action next on Friday, November 28, as UE will travel to Birmingham, Alabama to take on UAB in the first round of the Samford-UAB Classic. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. central time and the game can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.