The Purple Aces are hoping to reverse a 1-8 start to conference play beginning this weekend, as UE currently stands in 10th place in the league with a 4-16 overall record. While Evansville looks up at the rest of the Valley beginning the second half of league play, UE also currently stands just three games out of fifth place in the league standings.
“We have obviously not had the start to conference play that we have wanted, but I think that a lot of our younger players now have a better understanding of what it takes to compete in this league,” said UE head coach Misty Murphy. “Hopefully, we can take what we’ve learned and have a much better second half to conference play, beginning tomorrow against Bradley.”
Bradley, meanwhile, will begin the second half of Valley play tied for third overall with a 6-3 conference mark and a 10-9 overall record. The Braves used a 75-46 victory over UE on January 7 in Peoria to kick-start a six-game winning streak in which the Braves did not allow more than 62 points in a game during the streak. The winning streak was snapped last time out for Bradley by league-leading Illinois State, who posted a 68-53 victory over Bradley in Peoria last Sunday.
“Bradley has been playing extremely well of late, especially on the defensive end,” said Murphy. “They have been able to slow down some of the league’s top offensive attacks. Our execution and attention to detail is going to be key tomorrow.”
Senior guard Amy Gallagher continues to lead the UE attack with an average of 10.8 points per game. Freshman guard Katie Yohn paces a balanced Bradley offensive attack with an average of 9.8 points per game.
