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EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Evansville women’s basketball team used a season-high 13 three-point field goals to shoot down the visiting Missouri State University Lady Bears, 82-74, on Sunday afternoon at Roberts Stadium to equal the program’s best Missouri Valley Conference start in school history.
Evansville went a season-best 13-for-23 from beyond the arc to improve to 9-2 in MVC play and remain in a first-place tie with the Illinois State Redbirds. UE’s 9-2 MVC start equals the 9-2 start of the 1998-99 MVC Tournament championship team as the program’s best conference start since joining the Valley in 1994.
Senior guard Courtney Felke led UE’s three-point attack with a 5-for-10 performance from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 20 points. The 13 three-point field goals fell just one shy of the school record of 14, set against Saint Louis during the 1989-90 season. Felke also paced the Purple Aces on the glass with seven boards, and UE held a narrow 39-38 advantage on the glass against the Lady Bears.
Felke helped Evansville grab a 35-26 halftime lead by connecting on three first-half three-pointers en route to 11 first-half points. Felke scored eight points in the span of 2:14 in the first half to key a 10-2 Evansville run which gave the Purple Aces the lead for good, 17-11, with 11:09 to play.
UE would take a nine-point advantage into the halftime locker room, but Missouri State would eventually chip the lead back to just two points, 45-43, on a transition lay-up by Melissa Busby with 13:30 to play. Once again, Felke would key an Evansville run, as she hit back-to-back three-pointers 42 seconds apart to ignite a 17-5 UE run which gave the Purple Aces a 62-48 lead with 6:08 to play.
The lead would grow to as much as 15 points on a lay-up by junior guard Ashley Austin with 5:17 to play, before the Lady Bears made one last furious comeback attempt. The Lady Bears would hit five three-pointers in the game’s final five minutes to trim UE’s lead back down to just five points, 74-69, with 1:02 to play. The Purple Aces would connect on 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute, though, and junior forward Shannon Novosel would add a three-pointer from the right corner with 16 seconds to play to help Evansville ice the victory and extend its winning streak to nine games.
All five starters for UE reached double-figures in the victory, as Felke led the way with 20 points, fellow senior Rebekah Parker pitched in 15 points, Novosel added 13, and juniors Robyn Jennings and Ashley Austin chipped in 12 points apiece. Junior forward Maggie Dwyer and Busby paced Missouri State with 16 points each. Senior guard Tahnee Balerio also added 15 points, and senior forward Tiff Terwelp recorded an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double.
With the victory, Evansville improves to 15-7 overall and remains in first place in the MVC with a 9-2 conference record. Missouri State, meanwhile, falls to 7-15 overall and 5-6 in the MVC. The Purple Aces will now hit the road for three games, beginning on Thursday night with a showdown in Des Moines, Iowa against preseason league favorite Drake (14-7, 7-3 in the MVC). The Bulldogs currently sit one game back of both Evansville and Illinois State for first place in the MVC. Thursday’s game is scheduled to tip-off at 7:05 p.m. and 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).
