Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team would have liked a different outcome playing in front of their home crowd for the first time this season, falling to the visiting Ball State Cardinals, 55-50, Tuesday evening at the Ford Center. With the defeat, the Purple Aces drop to 1-5 on the season while Ball State improves to 3-3.

Junior Samantha Heck led all players with 12 points, also adding six rebounds and three assists, while senior Briyana Blair had a solid game with 10 points, seven boards, four assists, and three blocks. Classmate Staci Gillum finished with nine points, matching a career-high three three-pointers. Juniors Taylor Ware (8 points, 7 rebounds) and Jordan Lewis (7 points) were also steady on offense for the Aces.

After a slow start for both teams, Ware broke the scoreless tie at the 17:01 mark with two free throws. The Cincinnati native scored the Aces’ first six points of the game and Blair’s “and-one” play at the 10:13 mark, piloted the squad to a four-point lead, 9-5, their largest advantage of the half.

However, Ball State quickly shifted the momentum, going on a 7-0 run, and took a 14-11 lead with 6:02 remaining in the half. Evansville answered back to tie the game three times in the waning minutes, but never regained the lead before the floor cleared for the break.

The Cardinals went on an 8-0 run to take a six-point lead, 22-16, with 2:33 left, but the Aces responded with their own 6-0 rally, sparked by sophomore Hannah Weedman’s three-point play on a basket and foul. Blair added a free throw and Ware capped the run with a fast break layup, tying it up, 22 all.

Suzanne Grossnickle ended the run with a jumper with a minute to go. Sinking a free throw with six seconds on the clock, Blair sent UE into the locker rooms, down just one, 24-23.

Out of the break, the Cardinals scored the first basket, but the Aces took control from there, going on a 6-0 run to take a 29-26 lead at the 16:31 mark. Besides tying the score once, Evansville held off the Cardinals and owned the advantage, as much as four points (37-33), until just over 10 minutes to play.

However, Ball State’s 6-0 run changed the direction of the game again, and put the Cardinals ahead, 42-39, with 10:17 remaining. The lead switched hands four times over the next five minutes, including Lewis’ three from the left corner that evened the score, and Gillum’s trey from the opposite side that gave the Aces a one-point lead. Unfortunately, Gillum’s shot at the 8:00 minute mark would be the last field goal UE would score. With 6:29 to go, Heck drained two from the charity stripe to give UE a 47-46 advantage, but that marked the Aces’ last edge.

The Cardinals’ 7-1 run put them ahead by five with a minute to go. Evansville got three three-point looks in the final 60 seconds but none found the bottom of the net, and the Aces were forced to put BSU at the line, resulting in the final 55-50 score.

In the game, UE shot 28.1 percent (16-57) from the floor, 30.0 percent (6-20) from three, and 70.6 percent (12-17) from the free throw line, while the Cardinals shot 37.3 percent (19-51) from the field, 30.8 percent (4-13) from three, and 76.5 percent (13-17) from the line.

Jazmin Hitchens led the Cardinals with 11 points, while Katie Murphy grabbed a team-high 12 boards.

Evansville is back in action Friday when they host the Aces Winter Classic, welcoming Eastern Kentucky, Chicago State, and Marshall to the Ford Center. UE takes on Eastern Kentucky in the first round at 5:00 p.m. CT Friday. They will play either Chicago State or Marshall Saturday at 3:30 p.m.