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WICHITA, Kan.—University of Evansville seniors Ashley Austin, Robyn Jennings, and Shannon Novosel spoiled Wichita State’s “Senior Day” on Sunday afternoon, as the UE trio combined for 40 of the Purple Aces’ 63 points in Evansville’s 63-56 victory over the Shockers at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
Austin led all scorers with 18 points, while Jennings added 12 second-half points and Novosel chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds to help the Purple Aces complete a season-series sweep over the Shockers. The trio combined to score Evansville’s final 17 points to help UE hold off Wichita State, after the Shockers trimmed a once 15-point lead back to just two points on two different occasions in the second half.
“Our seniors really came through today when we needed them to,” said UE head coach Misty Murphy. “Every time that Wichita State was able to get within striking distance in the second half, one of the seniors stepped up and hit a big shot and they really made sure that we picked up this victory today.”
Evansville led from the start, as the Purple Aces jumped to a 19-5 lead in the game’s first six minutes after hitting eight of its first 10 shots. UE would grow as large as a 15-point lead in the first half, before taking a 33-24 lead into the halftime locker room, as Austin scored 11 of her game-high 18 points in the first half.
Evansville would build a 12-point lead four minutes into the second half, 42-30, on a jumper by rookie guard Jordan Lewis, before Wichita State would use a 9-2 run to cut the UE lead back to just five points, 44-39, with 13:19 to play.
The Shockers would eventually trim the UE lead back to just two points on two different occasions, with the last coming on a lay-up by sophomore guard Jacie Hoyt with 4:50 to play which cut the lead to 52-50. Jennings would answer with a three-pointer from the left wing 18 seconds later though to give UE back a five-point cushion, 55-50, with 4:32 to play. The Shockers would get no closer than five points the rest of the way.
Evansville shot 46.9 percent from the floor in the contest (23-for-49), led by Austin’s 6-for-9 performance from the floor. Wichita State, meanwhile, was held to just 32.4 percent from the floor (22-for-68), including 26.3 percent shooting from three-point range (5-for-19).
Wichita State seniors Marcy Sudbeck and Daria Frazier both scored 14 points to lead the Shockers, while Sudbeck added a game-high 11 rebounds. Reserve guard Val Siemens also added 10 points for the Shockers, while junior guard Marisah Henderson added a 10-assist, 10-rebound double-double.
With the victory, Evansville improves to 11-17 overall and 4-13 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Wichita State, meanwhile, slips to 11-16 overall and 3-13 in the Valley. The Purple Aces will conclude the 2009 regular-season next Saturday at 2:05 p.m., as UE will travel to Carbondale, Illinois to take on arch-rival Southern Illinois. Saturday’s game can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.
