The University of Evansville women’s basketball team jump-starts the 2010-11 regular season Friday, hosting Mid-American powerhouse Bowling Green State University at 7 p.m. at Roberts Stadium. The game marks the first of 11 non-conference contests, before getting into Missouri Valley play on Dec. 31. Friday’s game can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV and can be seen live online on AcesTV at Gopurpleaces.com.
“We have a tremendous opportunity ahead of us to play one of the best mid-major women's basketball programs in the country in BGSU on our home court,” said head coach Misty Murphy. “Our program has always believed in order to be the best you have to play the best, and BGSU has a proven record of success with their six consecutive MAC championships under the direction of Curt Miller.”
The Falcons are expected to have another strong year, returning 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from last year’s 27-7 team that won the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Championships. In preseason polls, BGSU was chosen to finish first in both the MAC’s East Division and the conference tournament titles in 2011, giving the Aces a good test in their home opener.
“We've had a productive week of practice and have made progress from where we were a week ago in our exhibition game against Oakland City,” said Murphy. UE topped the Oaks, 79-54, last Saturday in the season’s only exhibition game. The Aces knocked down 11 three-pointers as a team in the win, led by sophomore Meagan Collins’ four and 20 points. All 12 Aces who appeared in the contest tallied at least one point and played at least 10 minutes on the floor.
“We know we will have to play very disciplined on both ends of the court,” added Murphy. “We also know BGSU has experience on us, but player for player, we think we match up well.”
In the post, sophomores Collins and Samantha Heck, as well as junior Chelsea Falkenstein will be looked to be a presence cleaning up the glass and finishing put-backs. Falkenstein led the squad against OCU with eight rebounds, while 6’2 Heck finished with seven points and six boards. They will likely see time against Maggie Hennegan and Jenn Uhl, 6’0 and 6’1 seniors, respectively, for the Falcons.
The real key for the Aces will be stopping senior slasher Lauren Prochaska, who averaged 17.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 2009-10. Guard Tracy Pontius, another scoring threat, who averaged 11.7 points per game last season, rounds out the Falcons’ four-senior line-up.
The Aces have a number of wing players who can match up with Prochaska and Pontius, including sole senior and hard-nosed defender Stephanie Bamberger. Juniors Staci Gillum, Briyana Blair, and Jordan Lewis, as well as, sophomore Amber Boyd and freshman Katie Ellerson, all had solid games in exhibition play, and show promise to be steady contributors on the perimeter.
“Overall, BGSU is a well-coached, experienced team that runs a fast paced transition and half court offense,” said Murphy. “We are excited to open up the regular season with a top quality Division I opponent.”
Friday’s game also marks the last home opener the women’s team will have at Roberts Stadium. Opened in 1956 and completely renovated in 1990, the 11,600-seat facility has been the site of more than 1,000 UE basketball games and will be closing its doors after this season. A $127 million arena in downtown Evansville will be ready for next year.
