Game Notes

Radio - WUEV (Low)

LIve Stats

The University of Evansville women’s basketball team begins the first of four road games in Green Bay, Wisconsin, facing the No. 23 Phoenix on Saturday. Both squads come off a, 63-60, loss, as Green Bay fell to Marquette, snapping its nine-game win-streak. The Aces hope to rebound from their loss to UT-Martin and gain their first road win of the season. Last year, the Aces fell, 83-37, to the Phoenix at Roberts Stadium. 

Fans can listen to the game online on WUEV's "Low Quality Stream." Click here to listen.

EVANSVILLE (5-4, 0-0 MVC) - The Aces come off a 1-1 week at home, in which they topped Butler, 51-49, last Tuesday and fell to UT-Martin, 63-60, last Saturday. Briyana Blair led the team with 17 points versus Butler, while senior Stephanie Bamberger also tallied 17 against UT-Martin. On the season, sophomore Samantha Heck leads UE, averaging 10.9 points per game and 6.0 rebounds, followed by Blair (9.9 ppg), and junior Chelsea Falkenstein (9.3 ppg).

Wisconsin - Green Bay (9-1, 0-0 Horizon) - The Phoenix come off their first loss of the season, falling 63-60 to Marquette last Sunday. They are currently ranked 23rd in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, and recently fell off the AP’s Top 25, after spending Nov. 29-Dec. 5 ranked 23rd. The Phoenix boast a balanced scoring attack with four players averaging double-digits: Celeste Hoewisch (13.1 ppg), Adrian Ritchie (13.0 ppg), Julie Wojta (12.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg), and Kayla Tetschlag (10.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg).

A UE WIN OVER GREEN BAY WOULD…
Make UE 6-4 ... Improve coach Misty Murphy’s record to 25-49 at UE and 133-114 overall … Make UE 439-531 all-time.

A UE LOSS TO GREEN BAY WOULD…
Make UE 5-5 … Drop coach Murphy’s record at UE to 24-50 and 132-115 overall … Make UE 438-532 all-time.

Not in my house
Junior Chelsea Falkenstein ranks third in the MVC in blocked shots, totalling 16 on the year and averaging 1.8 per game. Falkenstein swatted away three in the second half alone of the UT-Martin game.

BAM!
Senior Stephanie Bamberger matched her career-high, scoring 17 points in Evansville’s, 63-60, loss to UT-Martin. Bamberger was 5-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-6 from three-point range. The Kettering, Ohio native made a layup with by 2:04 remaining to put the Aces within three, but UE could not catch the Skyhawks in the time left. Bamberger also added four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. She leads the team with 15 threes on the year.

Photo Finishes
Six of the Aces’ nine contests this season have been decided by three or less points, with Evansville going 3-3 in those one possession games. Currently, UE owns a 0.0 scoring margin, matching their opponents 574 points on the season. They sure know how to make games exciting.

SPOILER ALERT
Evansville’s thrilling one-point win over Bowling Green to kick off the season has proven to be even more meaningful than first thought; that loss for the Falcons has been their only all year. BGSU currently stands with a 10-1 record, ranked second in the CollegeInsider.com’s Mid-Major Poll (behind Green Bay), and has received votes for the AP and Coaches Polls. Marquette spoiled Green Bay’s perfect record last weekend.

Lucky 17
Five times this season, Evansville’s high-scorer has tallied 17 points. Sophomore Meagan Collins owns the season-high with 23 points, but 17 seems to be the magic number, as Chelsea Falkenstein, Briyana Blair (twice), and Stephanie Bamberger (twice) share the second-highest mark.

SERIOUS PT
Junior Staci Gillum rarely finds a seat on the bench, averaging 33.9 minutes per game. which ranks second in the MVC. Stephanie Bamberger also usually plays 30+ minutes, seeing 30.3 minutes on average.

JUNIOR ACHIEVERS
The Aces’ junior class has accounted for 49% of the team’s points this season. Against Butler last Tuesday, the juniors scored 37 of UE’s 51 points (73%), led by Briyana Blair’s 17 and Chelsea Falkenstein’s eight. Against UT-Martin the juniors accounted for 24 of UE’s 60 points.

CONFERENCE SEASON CREEPING UP
Including tonight’s game against Wisconsin-Green Bay, the Aces have just two more non-conference games left before opening the MVC season on the road at Wichita State on New Year’s Eve. UE closes non-conference play at St. Louis next Wednesday.

PLAY THE BEST TO BE THE BEST
The Aces’ schedule features a number of top teams in the country ... Bowling Green - Ranks No. 2 on CollegeInsider.com’s Mid-Major Poll - UE won 63-62 (11/12/10) ... Colorado - Member of the Big 12, which finished with the hight RPI rating last year - UE lost 55-53 (11/26/10) ... Wisconsin-Green Bay: Ranks No. 17 on ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll - UE plays at Green Bay on Dec. 18 ... Missouri State: Ranks No.11 on CollegeInsider.com’s Mid-Major Poll - UE plays at MSU on Jan. 1 ... Creighton: Ranks No.15 on CollegeInsider.com’s Mid-Major Poll - UE hosts Creighton on Feb. 5

SHARING IS CARING
With 135 assists on the year, Evansville ranks first in the MVC, averaging 15.0 per game. Staci Gillum (3.3 apg) ranks sixth in the MVC.

THE RPI REPORT
The Missouri Valley Conference holds steady at ninth in the latest (Dec. 12) Collegiate Basketball News RPI Report. As a league, The Valley has the 10th-best strength of schedule.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Outside of the six BCS conferences (Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, Big East, Pac-10 and SEC), just two other leagues -- Mountain West and Atlantic 10 -- best the Valley in the latest RPI report (Dec. 12). Among other key midwest conferences, the MVC ranks ahead of Conference USA (10), Mid-American (11) and Horizon (13) and behind just the Big Ten (1) and Big 12 (2).

CLOSING TIME
This is Evansville’s final season 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. The final women’s game there will be March 5 versus Wichita State. A $127 million arena in downtown Evansville will be ready for next season.