Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Senior Briyana Blair and junior Samantha Heck carried the torch for the University of Evansville women’s basketball team Sunday afternoon at the Ford Center as the Purple Aces overcame the visiting Bradley University Braves, 71-59. The pair combined 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.

The victory gives the Aces’ their first MVC win of the season and first for Coach Oties Epps, while also improving Evansville’s record to 4-11 and dropping the Braves to 10-6 overall. Both squads now have a 1-3 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Blair’s 20 rebounds 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. In addition, Blair was just three assists shy of becoming the first Purple Aces in program history to earn a triple-double, as she had an all-around stellar game with seven assists, three blocks, and three steals.

Bradley took the initial lead and held onto a one-point advantage, 4-3, on Leah Kassing’s free throws at the 17:32 mark, but that would be their last lead of the afternoon, as the Aces went on a ripping 14-3 run to build a 10-point advantage.

After BU cut it back down to six, the Purple Aces accelerated to a 19-point lead, 36-17, at halftime, outscoring the Braves 17-4 in the final 10 minutes of the period. In the run, sophomore Katie Ellerson drained two threes and junior Meagan Collins scored six of her game’s 10 points with two baskets in the paint and a jumper.

Out of the break, Bradley immediately cut the margin to 15, but Evansville built their lead to a game-high 21 points, 43-22, on Blair’s layup with 14:16 remaining. The Braves got within 15 points again, but Jordan Lewis knocked down a three, hit a free throw, and Heck capped the run with a layup to once again give the Aces a 21-point cushion with 10:11 remaining.

However, Bradley did not roll over and used a ruthless 19-2 run to cut Evansville’s lead to four points, 53-49, with just over four minutes to go. Out of the last media timeout, the Aces responded kindly to Coach Epps’ talk and held off the Braves with controlled ball movement and smart decisions.

Down the stretch, 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.

After building the lead back up to 10, the Braves cut it to seven with 1:09 to go, but UE’s stellar act at the line, solidified a 12-point victory.

In the game, Evansville shot 38.6 percent (22-57) from the field, 26.3 percent (5-19) from three, and 84.6 percent (22-26) from the charity stripe, while BU shot 32.8 percent (20-61) from the floor, 27.8 percent (5-18) from behind the arc, and 77.8 percent (14-18) from the line. The Aces also won the battle of the boards, 47-36,

Kassing was the only Brave to reach double figures, scoring 24 points and adding 11 rebounds.

The Aces are back in action Thursday when they take the long journey to Omaha, Neb. to face Creighton University at 7:05 p.m. CT. Evansville will also play at Drake Saturday at 2:05 p.m. CT as a part of the Valley road swing.