Box Score (HTML)
ST. CHARLES, Mo.--The University of Evansville women's basketball team controlled much of the first 25 minutes of Thursday's first-round State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament match-up with seventh-seeded Drake, but Drake guards Kristin Turk and Jordann Plummer controlled the final 15 minutes to help the Bulldogs rally past the Purple Aces, 73-62, at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri.
Evansville used an early 12-0 run in the first half to build a 17-7 advantage just six minutes into the contest. The Purple Aces would hold the lead throughout the remainder of the half, as UE would take a 32-27 lead into the halftime locker room thanks to 40.7 percent shooting from the floor, including 5-of-11 shooting from three-point range (45.5 percent). Sophomore guard Jordan Lewis would score eight of her 10 points in the first half to lead the way for Evansville.
Evansville would continue to hold control of the contest through the first five minutes of the second half, building a 39-31 lead four minutes into the half. That's when Turk and Plummer took over to power the Bulldogs to victory. Plummer ignited a 14-0 run by the Bulldogs with a jumper with 16:13 to go, with Turk being the driving force in the run, as she scored 10 points during the flurry which gave Drake a 45-39 lead with 11:53 to play.
UE freshman guard Kaylan Martin would answer back with seven-straight points to give the Purple Aces back a 46-45 lead midway through the half. The Bulldogs would eventually tie the game at 47-47, before Turk would hit a big three with 9:21 to play which gave Drake a lead it would never lose.
"I am really proud of the fight that this team showed tonight," said UE head coach Misty Murphy. "Did we play a perfect game tonight? No. But, we played with a lot of heart and a lot of character and we really represented the university well."
Turk scored 15 of her game-high 21 points in the second half, while Plummer added 13 of her 20 points after halftime. Forward Monique Jones and center Rachael Hackbarth joined them in double-figures for the Bulldogs with 11 points each.
Martin led Evansville with a career-high 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, while Lewis added 10 points for UE. Freshmen Samantha Heck and Meagan Collins added eight and seven points apiece off of the UE bench, while sophomore forward Chelsea Falkenstein chipped in a career-high 11 rebounds.
With the victory, Drake will advance on to face second-seeded Creighton in the State Farm MVC Tournament quarterfinals. UE, meanwhile, ends its season at 4-26 overall.
