EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The University of Evansville women’s basketball team will take a tour of Ohio this weekend, first stopping in Cincinnati Friday to face the Bearcats of the Big East at 6:00 p.m. CT (7:00 p.m. ET). The Purple Aces will continue on their road trip, meeting the defending Mid-American Conference champions, Bowling Green State University, Sunday at 11:00 a.m. CT (Noon ET).
CATCH THE ACTION
CINCINNATI (2-0) – The Bearcats opened their season last Friday with a 74-42 win over IPFW and improved to 2-0 with a 75-64 win over Dayton Wednesday night. Four UC players reached double figures in both games, led by senior Chanel Chisholm’s double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds versus IPFW and Bjonee Reaves’ 25 points against the Flyers. Shooting over 53 percent from the floor in both wins, Dayeesha Hollins (15.0 ppg), Alyesha Lovett (9.5 ppg), and Kayla Cook (7.5 ppg) also contributed to the Bearcats’ 32-point and 11-point victories. Last season Cincinnati finished in 15th place in the Big East with a 9-20 overall record.
LAST TIME VS. CINCINNATI
In the last meeting between UE and the Bearcats, Evansville came away with a 69-50 win at home on Dec. 15, 2004. The squads will meet for just the fifth time in history Friday. Cincinnati owns a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series.
BOWLING GREEN (0-1) – The Falcons come off last Friday’s 69-38 season-opening loss to Dayton. Danielle Havel and Chrissy Steffen each tallied 10 points in the defeat, as BGSU was held to a 29.6 field goal percentage. The Falcons will face Purdue Thursday night before meeting Evansville Sunday. Bowling Green was picked to finish first in the MAC this year after capturing the divisional title last year for the seventh straight season with a 28-5 overall in 2010-11. However, Steffen, who was named to the Preseason All-MAC Team, is the Falcons’ only returning starter from a year ago, as BGSU graduated six seniors.
LAST TIME VS. BOWLING GREEN
In the Aces’ season-opener on Nov. 12, 2010, Evansville upset Bowling Green, 63-62 at Roberts Stadium. UE jumped out to a 16-0 lead piloted by
Jordan Lewis’ three three-pointers, a pair of layups from
Staci Gillum and a three by
Samantha Heck. The Falcons battled back, but the Aces held them off, securing the victory. After that game, BGSU went on to win 15 consecutive games, receiving votes in the national rankings, and were ranked among the Mid-Major Top 25. Evansville is 1-1 all-time versus the Falcons, meeting BGSU for just the third time in history Sunday.
EVANSVILLE (0-1) - The Aces come off last Friday’s 76-61 loss to the hosting Murray State Racers in the 2011-12 season opener. Junior
Samantha Heck led UE with 18 points. Senior
Briyana Blair also reached double figures with 11 points, while junior
Meagan Collins and sophomore
Katie Ellerson added eight apiece. The Aces look to cut down on their turnovers, committing 31 in the opening game against MSU’s scrappy defense. Evansville returns 11 letterwinners from last season, including 4-of-5 starters, in addition to having a new coaching staff.
THE COACHES
UE - OTIES EPPS, (Wisconsin-Stout, ’02) 1st season at UE, 0-1 record
Epps enters his first season as Evansville’s head coach. Epps spent the last three seasons at the University of Wisconsin as an assistant where he helped lead the Badgers to a 56-31 record and three postseason appearances. Wisconsin played in the WNIT in 2009 and 2011, and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2010 for the first time since 2002.
UC - JAMELLE ELLIOTT, (UConn, ’96), 3rd season at UC, 22-38 record
Elliott spent the better part of two decades with the Connecticut women's basketball program and Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma, the last 12 years as an assistant coach. She has been a part of six national championships, including the Huskies' 2009 undefeated championship run, and won a title as a player, helping UConn to the 1995 championship, the first in the school's history.
BGSU - CURT MILLER, (Baldwin-Wallace, ‘90), 11th season at BGSU, 234-86 record
Miller has led BGSU to seven consecutive MAC divisional titles -- including six outright conference crowns -- and to national postseason play for seven consecutive years. BGSU has won more than 20 games in each of the last eight seasons under his direction. Miller was named the MAC Coach of the Year five times, from 2005-09.
A UE WIN OVER UC WOULD…
Make UE 1-1 … Give coach Oties Epps his first career victory … Make UE 2-3 all-time vs. UC ... Make UE 442-550 all-time.
A UE LOSS TO UC WOULD…
Make UE 0-2 … Postpone coach Oties Epps’ opportunity to gain his first career victory until UE’s meeting with Bowling Green on Sunday … Make UE 1-4 all-time vs. UC ... Make UE 441-551 all-time.
HECK OF A START
Junior center
Samantha Heck led Evansville with a career-high 18 points and six rebounds in UE’s 76-61 loss to Murray State. Heck scored 16 of her points and tallied all six boards in the second half. After recording a perfect shooting percentage and 21 points in UE’s exhibition win over Oakland City on Oct. 29, the Auxvasse, Mo. native shot again with consistency, going 7-for-10 from the floor, 2-for-3 from three-point range, and 2-2 from the line. Heck also tallied two assists and a block in 19 minutes of play.
ACES SIGN TWO FOR 2012-13
Oties Epps announced last Wednesday the signing of two high school standouts to National Letters of Intent. Guard Laura Friday (Marion, Ind./Marion) and forward Michaela Prough (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) will make up the Lady Aces’ freshman class for the 2012-13 season.
FALKENSTEIN CLIMBS BLOCKS LIST
Recording two blocks in UE’s loss at Murray State, senior
Chelsea Falkenstein is now tied for seventh on Evansville’s all-time block list with 49 in her career. She is tied with Heidi Seltzer (2001-05). To move up another spot, Falkenstein needs to log six more to tie for sixth place.
QUEST FOR FIRST WIN
First-year head coach
Oties Epps looks for his first career win this weekend. Epps is the 10th head coach in the 42-year history of women's basketball at the University of Evansville. The Aces have reached post-season play four times, including twice in the past four years.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Purple Aces moved to a new home this season after closing the doors of Roberts Stadium, a building built in 1956. Evansville opened play at the brand new downtown Ford Center, a $127 million arena with a capacity of 10,316, on Oct. 29 in an exhibition game with Oakland City. UE’s first regular season contest at home will be Nov. 29 versus Ball State.
MORE EXPERIENCED SQUAD
Evansville lost just one player,
Stephanie Bamberger, from the 2010-11 squad to graduation. Returning 11 letterwinners, including four seniors, three juniors, and four sophomores, the Aces will have a much more experienced team this season. UE also welcomes three freshmen and three new coaches on staff as the Aces get a fresh start in 2011-12.
SWIPES
Last season, Evansville led the Missouri Valley Conference in steals, averaging 9.8 per game. Returning for her senior season,
Briyana Blair piloted the Aces with 71 steals last year, averaging 2.4 per contest.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Senior
Staci Gillum and junior
Samantha Heck have been named the 2011-12 team captains for the University of Evansville women’s basketball team. Gillum, a native of West Des Moines, Iowa, served as the Purple Aces’ captain and point guard last season, averaging 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, playing in all 30 contests. A transfer from Kirkwood Community College, Gillum was also a captain and led the Eagles to a 73-2 overall record and a pair of national titles in her two years, while also earning NJCAA All-America honors. Heck, an Auxvasse, Mo. native, led the team with 4.9 rebounds per game and finished second on the squad with 9.3 points per game in her sophomore season, while also recording two double-doubles. As a freshman, Heck recorded over 200 points and 100 rebounds in her rookie season, ranking second on the team in both categories at 7.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
SQUAD SUMMARY
The Aces return 11 letterwinners from last season, including four starters in senior
Briyana Blair (9.5 ppg), junior
Samantha Heck (9.3 ppg), junior
Meagan Collins (8.5 ppg), and senior
Chelsea Falkenstein (6.1 ppg). Redshirt junior
Jordan Lewiswill also make a comeback after a knee injury knocked her out of commission last December. Also returning: senior point guard
Staci Gillum, junior
Taylor Ware, and sophomores
Katie Ellerson,
Khristian Hart,
Miranda Liles, and
Hannah Weedman. Evansville also has three freshmen joining the program in
Kat Taylor (Akron, Ohio/Lake Ridge Academy),
LeiLoni Smith (Vian, Okla./Vian), and
Juliann Miller (Louisville, Ky./Mercy Academy).
FRESH FACES
UE’s three freshmen are
Kat Taylor,
LeiLoni Smith, and
Juliann Miller. Taylor was named honorable mention Northeast Ohio all-district as a junior at Lake Ridge Academy and earned Defensive Player of the Year at St. Vincent- St. Mary’s. Smith scored 400 points, averaging 17.4 per game, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.5 steals in her senior year and was named to the Oklahoma All-Star Team by the Oklahoma Coaches Association. Miller was named the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches’ Seventh Region Girls Player of the Year Runner Up, and was a 2011 Girls Kentucky All-Star Team selection. She averaged 13 points per game as both a senior and junior and led her team to a state championship.
FRESHMAN DEBUTS
In their first collegiate game,
Kat Taylor saw 19 minutes of action at Murray State, recording five points, all scored at the line with her 5-for-6 performance. She also added two assists and two steals in her debut.
Juliann Miller logged eight minutes on the court, going 1-for-1 from the field, pulling down two rebounds and tallying one assist and two points.
ACADEMIC ACES
With a collective 3.340 grade point average, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team ranked 24th in the nation on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Academic Top 25 Honor Roll for 2010-11 season. The honor marked the third time in the last five years in which the Purple Aces have ranked among the nation’s Top 25 academically.
