Game Notes
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team will hit the road for its third Valley swing this week, heading to Omaha, Neb. to take on Creighton Thursday at 7:05 p.m. CT. The Purple Aces will then travel to Drake University Saturday for a 2:05 p.m. CT start in Des Moines, Iowa. Coming off Sunday’s victory over Bradley, Evansville looks to capture back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
CATCH THE ACTION
EVANSVILLE (4-11, 1-3 MVC) – The Aces come off a 1-1 weekend in the Valley, capturing their first MVC win in the Oties Epps era, overcoming Bradley, 71-59. Senior
Briyana Blair and junior
Samantha Heck led the way Sunday afternoon, combining for 40 of UE’s points with Blair recording her fourth double-double of the season on 19 points and 20 rebounds, while Heck finished with a career-high 21 points and was one board shy of a double-double of her own with nine rebounds. Against UNI, Heck led the Aces with 15 points, and six rebounds, followed by classmate Meagan Collins’ 11 points and seven boards and Blair’s nine points and 13 rebounds. On the season, Heck leads the team with 13.5 points per game, followed by Blair’s 10.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
CREIGHTON (6-8, 0-3 MVC) – The Bluejays are currently amidst a four-game losing streak and are in search of their first Valley win of the season. Creighton comes off last weekend’s losses at Missouri State (70-60) and Wichita State (65-58). Sarah Nelson leads the squad with 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, followed by Carli Tritz (13.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Ally Jensen (8.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg).
DRAKE (7-7, 1-2 MVC) – The Bulldogs come off losses to Wichita State (63-41) and Missouri State (78-46) last week after edging travel partner Creighton, 47-44, on Dec. 31. Drake’s offense revolves around senior Rachael Hackbarth who average 17.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Kyndall Clark (9.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and Brittnye McSparron (8.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg) have also been steady contributors on the scoreboard. The Bulldogs will host Southern Illinois Thursday night before welcoming Evansville to the Drake Knapp Center Saturday.
THE SERIES
Creighton leads the all-time series 28-10, winning the last four meetings. The Aces own a 4-13 record in Omaha, but have been the most successful versus the Bluejays in the MVC Tournament with a 3-1 mark. Evansville’s last win over Creighton was in the 2009 MVC Tournament Championship game in which the No.9 seeded Aces hit a baseline jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining to edge the No. 2 seeded Bluejays, 47-45, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament to face Texas A&M.
THE COACHES
OTIES EPPS, (Wisconsin-Stout, ’02) 1st season at UE, 4-11 record
Epps is in his first season as Evansville’s head coach. Epps spent the last three seasons at the University of Wisconsin 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.
JIM FLANERY, (Creighton, ‘87), 10th season at CU, 176-124 record
Flanery has led his team to seven WNIT postseason appearances and five 20-win seasons. He is one of seven coaches in MVC history with 100 league wins, and led the Bluejays to the 2004 WNIT Championship. He is the second-winningest coach in school history. Prior to serving as CU’s head coach, Flanery served as CU’s top assistant for a decade.
AMY STEPHENS, (Nebraska, ’91), 9th season at DU, 140-121 record
Since her appointment in 2003, the Bulldogs have won 140 games and a Missouri Valley Conference championship, in addition to earning an NCAA Tournament berth in 2007 and three WNIT berths. Under Stephens' direction, Drake became the Valley's most successful team during the last decade (Jan. 1, 2000 - Dec. 31, 2009). The Bulldogs amassed a conference-best 191-119 (.616) record during that time.
A WIN OVER CREIGHTON WOULD…
Make UE 5-11 on the season … Make UE 2-3 in the MVC … Give UE back-to-back wins for the first time this season … Make UE 11-28 vs. CU all-time … Make UE 446-560 all-time.
A LOSS TO CREIGHTON WOULD…
Make UE 4-12 on the season … Make UE 1-4 in the MVC … Make UE 10-29 vs. CU all-time … Make UE 445-561 all-time.
QUEEN OF THE GLASS
Briyana Blair’s 20 rebounds vs. Bradley not only represented a career-high, but also marked the first time a player has pulled down 20 or more boards in a game since 1998, when Shyla McKibbon tallied 23, also versus Bradley. Blair ranks 31st in the nation averaging 9.9 rebounds per game. In each of the last three contests, Blair has grabbed at least 13 boards, averaging a double-double with 11.3 point and 13.5 rebounds per game in the Valley season.
WHAT THE HECK
Combining with
Briyana Blair for 40 of UE’s 71 points in the Aces’ 12-point win over Bradley,
Samantha Heck finished with a career-high 21 points and was one board shy of a double-double with nine rebounds. Heck has recorded double figure points in each of the last 11 straight games, the longest streak since Rebekah Parker also scored double digits in 11 consecutive contests twice in the 2007-08 season. If Heck reaches double digits at Creighton Thursday it will mark the longest streak since Meagan Liffick in the 2005-06 season when Liffick scored double digits in the first 19 games of the year and in 28-of-29 games.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD START
When Evansville leads at halftime, the Aces have held on to win every game with a 3-0 record. On the other hand, when UE is trailing at the half, they are 0-10. The Aces have been tied twice at the break and are 1-1 in that situation.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Briyana Blair has logged four double-doubles this season, including two in Valley play vs. Bradley (19 pts, 20 rebs) and Illinois State (11 pts, 14 rebs). If Blair records one more this year, it will mark the most double-doubles in a season since Jamie Gray tallied 12 in 2003-04.
CLUTCH FREEBIES
Down the stretch versus Bradley, Evansville made 12-of-14 free throws, led by Heck’s 7-for-8 performance, when BU was forced to foul in attempts to gain possession. In the game, the Aces shot
STARTING LINE
Evansville has used five different starting lineups this season with point guard
Staci Gillum and forward
Samantha Heck serving as the only players to start all 15 games. Heck has started 26 games consecutively for the Aces; the longest streak among active players.
NO HARM, NO FOUL
The Aces average just 13.7 personal fouls per game, which ranks them 19th nationally. In 11-of-15 games, Evansville has been charged with the same amount or less personal fouls than its opponent. The national leader, Navy, averages 11.2 personal fouls per game.
YOU’RE HOT AND YOU’RE COLD
In the first half vs. UNI, the Aces outshot the Panthers 42.3-38.7 percent in the first half, going into the break down just one point, 29-28. However, UE came out cold in the second half, shooting 0-for-12 to start and 23.5 percent from the field in the second 20 minutes. UNI shot 41.9 percent in the second stanza, outshooting the Aces 40.3-31.7 percent in the game.
FALKENSTEIN OUT
Senior
Chelsea Falkenstein will be out the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Falkenstein injured her knee in UE’s game at UT Martin on Dec. 16. Because she missed two games earlier this season due to a concussion suffered versus Ball State on Nov. 29, she is eligible to redshirt. Falkenstein averaged 3.6 points and 5.5 rebounds before the season-ending injury.
100 HELPING HANDS
In three consecutive games, three UE players hit the 100-career assists milestone.
Jordan Lewis (101) hit the mark at UT Martin (12/16),
Staci Gillum (112) pushed over the mark at Mizzou (12/19), and Sam Heck (101) hit 100 at Indiana State (12/30).
OUT OF NO-WARE
Junior
Taylor Ware had a strong showing in the first weekend of Valley play, tallying back-to-back double figure games for the first time in her career. Ware averaged a team second-best 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, scoring 14 points at Indiana State and 10 at Illinois State. Against the Sycamores, Ware played a career-high 37 minutes, while also knocking down a career-high two three-pointers on 2-of-3 shooting from behind the arc.
BOX OUT, GO GET IT
Rebounding has proven to be one of the most important factors in winning or losing a basketball game. For the Aces, the squad is 4-5 when they win the battle of the boards, but are conversely 0-6 when they get outrebounded.
TREY BIEN ELLERSON
Sophomore
Katie Ellerson had a career game at Mizzou, UE’s last non-conference contest of the year. She scored a career-high 16 points while matching a career-best four three-pointers. Ellerson also knocked down four threes at Missouri State (1/2/11) as a freshman. Ellerson has hit more than one three in six games this season, including UE’s last victory over Bradley when she drained two.
COLLINS BEHIND THE ARC
Meagan Collins matched a career-high three three-pointers versus Northern Iowa, knocking down 3-of-6 from behind the arc. She also hit three in the previous game at Illinois State (3-5). Of the UE players that have attempted at least ten threes, Collins ranks first on the team with a .370 percentage (17-46) from three-point range.
HOT SHOTS
Against UT Martin, Evansville recorded its highest field goal percentage, 55.8 percent (29-for-52), since the Aces shot 56.7 percent against Bradley on Feb. 2, 2004 (81-65 win). It also marked the first times UE has broken the 50 percent mark, since Jan. 26, 2008 when the Aces shot 53.4 percent versus Southern Illinois (77-67 win). On the season, UE is shooting 35.4 percent from the field.
1,000 GAMES
UE’s game at UT Martin (12/16) marked the 1,000th game in program history. The Aces currently own a 445-560 (.444) all-time record dating back to the 1969-70 season -- UE’s first year of women’s basketball.
VALLEY PLAY
The Aces own a 114-196 all-time record in the Missouri Valley Conference, since joining the league in the 1994-95 season. Evansville looks to get back to the results the Aces had from 2005-08, in which UE had four straight winning records. In the 2008-09 season, UE won the conference tournament despite a 4-14 regular season mark in the MVC, winning four straight contests in St. Charles, Mo.
BACK ON THE WINNING TRACK
Evansville’s victory over Bradley last Sunday ended a 28-day winless drought. The Aces’ last win prior to BU was Dec. 10 when UE earned a 78-48 win over Murray State, their largest victory since beating Southern Illinois on Jan. 15, 2011 by a 34-point margin. UE looks to earn consecutive wins this week for the first time since last season when UE beat Eastern Washington in Boulder, Colo. on Nov. 27, 2010 and then returned home to top Valparaiso, 69-67, on Dec 4.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Briyana Blair is the only Ace with a double-double to her resume this season, logging four: Brown (11 pts, 14 rebs) on Nov. 25, Eastern Kentucky (17 pts, 10 rebs) on Dec. 2, Illinois State (11 pts, 14 rebs) on Jan. 1, and Bradley (19 pts, 20 rebs). Samantha Heck and Meagan Collins are also a part of the three-person club with double-doubles to their name. Collins had one in 2010-11, while Heck had two.
LEAGUE LEADERS
As a team, UE ranks third in the Missouri Valley Conference with 13.3 assists per game and fourth with 3.9 blocks per game. Individually, Briyana Blair, Taylor Ware, and Samantha Heck rank in the top 10 for a number of categories...
Blair – 1st – steals – 2.6/game
Blair – 1st – defensive rebounds – 7.5/game
Blair – 2nd – assists – 4.5/game
Blair – 2nd – rebounding – 9.9/game
Blair – 3rd – blocks – 1.3/game
Blair – 6th – assist/turnover ratio – 1.2
Ware – 7th – offensive rebounds – 2.5/game
Blair – 9th – minutes played – 31.1/game
Heck – 9th – points – 13.5/game
Heck – 10th – free throw percentage – .760
OTIES EPPS SHOW
“The Oties Epps Show,” hosted by Mike Radomski airs live from the UE Bookstore in the Ridgway University Center on the UE campus from 12-12:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoons. Fans are invited and encouraged to come out and be a part of the show and meet the coaches and players of the UE women’s basketball team. Fans can also listen in online at both wuev.org and GoPurpleAces.com.
ADLARD TO HALL OF FAME
A class of 11 women and men who have made significant contributions to Indiana high school basketball will be welcomed as inductees when the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame celebrates their 11th Women’s Induction Class on April 28, 2012. Among those inductees is UE’s all-time leading scorer, Shelly Brand Adlard. Adlard racked up 1,713 points in her career as a Purple Ace and also graduated as the school’s all-time leader in assists, steals, field goals made, and free throws made. Currently, she still holds the record for field goals (718), now ranks third in assists (448), sixth in steals (164) and seventh in free throws made (277). In addition, she was the NCAA Division I national free throw percentage leader in the 1983-84 season.
LADD COMES HOME
Arguably one of the best players to come out of Memorial High School, Mallory Ladd has decided to transfer from Valparaiso University back home to play for Coach Oties Epps and the University of Evansville Purple Aces. Ladd, who scored 1,803 points in her high school career and grabbed a school-record 1,163 rebounds, led Memorial to the 3A state championship with a 28-1 mark in her senior year. She was named Indiana Miss Basketball runner-up and was a first team all-state selection in 2011 by the Associated Press and Hoosier Basketball Magazine. In the first month of the 2011-12 season, the 6’1 freshman forward played in six games with the Crusaders, averaging 10.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, also shooting 91.3 percent (21-23) from the free throw line. As per NCAA transfer rules, Ladd will have to sit out one year, but will be eligible to join the Aces on the court in the second semester of the 2012-13 season.
ACES SIGN TWO FOR 2012-13
Oties Epps announced on Nov. 9 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.
