Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. –  In the second game of Valley play, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team fell, 75-54, to Missouri State Sunday afternoon at JQH Arena. The Aces fell to 6-7 overall and 1-1 in conference play while the Lady Bears improved to 11-3 overall and 2-0 in the MVC.

Freshman Katie Ellerson scored a career-high 12 points with four three-pointers in the loss, while sophomore Samantha Heck led the Aces with 15 points.

The Aces struggled to get on the board early, scoring their first basket of the game on Chelsea Falkenstein’s layup at the 17:53 mark, their only in the first four and a half minutes of play, as the Lady Bears jumped out to a 10-2 advantage.

Missouri State steadily extended its lead to 25-8 at the 9:17 mark, but the Aces’ 13-2 run cut the deficit to six, 27-21, with 5:42 to go. Ellerson piloted the run with three from behind the arc, while Khristian Hart and Heck also tallied buckets.

Evansville inched within five points on back-to-back scores by Briyana Blair and Meagan Collins, but the Lady Bears outscored the Aces 5-2 in the final three minutes of the half, taking a 36-28 lead into the break.

The Aces shot just 28.2 percent (11-for-39) from the field and 25.0 percent (4-for-16) from three-point range in the first period. MSU shot 48.6 percent (17-for-35) from the field, but Evansville held Missouri State to just one from behind the arc (1-for-8).

Out of the locker rooms, Heck provided a spark, knocking down two threes to start the Aces’ 11-5 run. Blair’s break-away lay-in cut the deficit to two, 41-39, at the 14:30 mark, but the Lady Bears ran away again. Missouri State steadily increased its lead throughout the half, and pressed down the accelerator in the closing minutes, leading by as much as 22, 75-53, with just under 1:30 to go.

Four MSU players reached double figures, anchored by Chrisitiana Short’s 21 points.

The Lady Bears won the battle of the boards , out-rebounding the Aces 51-35. UE shot 27.5 percent from the field (19-for-69) and 33.3 percent from three (9-for-27), while MSU shot 47 percent (31-for-66) from the field, but was held to just 20 percent shooting from behind the arc (3-for-15).

The Aces are back in action Thursday when they return to Roberts Stadium to face Creighton at 7:00pm CST. Evansville is also home Sunday, squaring off with Drake at 1:00pm.