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EVANSVILLE, Ind.--The University of Evansville women's basketball team was able to end a season-high seven-game losing streak on Thursday night at Roberts Stadium with a thrilling 83-78 overtime victory over the visiting Wichita State Shockers.
After trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half and by seven points with under two minutes to play, the Purple Aces used a furious late-game rally at the end of regulation to force the visiting Shockers into overtime.
After a jumper by Wichita State’s Jazimen Gordon gave the Shockers a 67-60 lead with 2:31 to play, UE rookie guard Kaylan Martin burried a deep three-pointer from the top of the key with 1:33 to go to ignite an 8-1 run by the Purple Aces to end regulation. A pair of Jordan Lewis free throws and a clutch three-pointer by Lewis with 38 seconds to play from the left corner trumped a free throw by Wichita State’s Jessica Diamond to send the game into overtime tied at 68-68.
In the extra session, sophomore forward Chelsea Falkenstein gave Evansville an early lead with a lay-up on the Purple Aces’ first possession. After the Shockers answered with a lay-up of their own by freshman Chynna Turner, Martin connected on another three-pointer to give UE a lead it would never lose. The Purple Aces would salt the victory away at the free throw line, as Evansville would hit 10 free throws in the overtime session to outscore the Shockers 10-2 from the line in the extra session, and 15-10 overall in overtime.
Senior guard Amy Gallagher led a season-high five Purple Aces in double-figures with 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Lewis added a career-best 16 points, while Martin pitched in a season-best 14 points. Falkenstein and freshman guard Amber Boyd joined them in double-figures with 10 points each. For Boyd, it marked her first career double-figure game as a Purple Ace.
Guard Sheena Johnson led Wichita State with a career-best 21 points and 11 rebounds on 8-of-16 shooting from the field. Gordon added 15 points and nine boards off of the WSU bench, while Turner pitched in 12 points and six boards before fouling out.
With the victory, Evansville extends its winning streak over Wichita State to nine-straight games, as the Purple Aces improve to 4-15 overall and 1-7 in the Missouri Valley?Conference. Wichita State, meanwhile, evens its Valley record at 4-4, while dropping to 12-7 on the season overall. Evansville will continue its season-long four-game homestand on Saturday afternoon at 2:05 p.m., as the Purple Aces will host high-flying Missouri State at Roberts Stadium. The Lady Bears currently stand at 13-6 overall and 5-3 in the MVC, and they ranked 17th in the nation in scoring entering the week at a Valley-best 77.2 points per game. Saturday’s game can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.
