Friday at Ball State:  UE GAME NOTES  |  BALL STATE NOTES  |  LIVE STATS  |  LIVE AUDIO
Sunday at Illinois:  LIVE STATS  |  LIVE AUDIO


EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team will open its 2012-13 campaign with a pair of road games at Ball State and Illinois.  The Purple Aces will take on the Cardinals in Muncie, Ind., Friday at 6 p.m., before heading to Champaign, Ill., for a 2 p.m. game Sunday with the Fighting Illini.
 
Evansville (0-0) got off to a slow start in its lone exhibition game last Saturday against Southern Indiana, but settled in late in the first half, before pulling away in the second stanza for a 65-47 victory.  Senior Taylor Ware led UE with 15 points and seven rebounds, while fellow senior Meagan Collins also scored in double figures with 13 points.  Senior Samantha Heck grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds and narrowly missed a double-double by scoring nine points.
 
The Purple Aces return eight letterwinners and three starters from last year’s squad that finished 5-25 overall and 2-16 in the Missouri Valley Conference.  In addition to the three seniors in Collins, Heck and Ware, redshirt sophomore Khristian Hart and freshman Laura Friday completed the starting five for UE against USI.  Hart finished with nine points in 29 minutes of action and Friday pulled down four rebounds, pitched in three points and dished out a pair of assists.
 
Ball State (0-0) returns six letterwinners, including all five starters from a team that finished 9-21 overall and 4-12 in the Mid-American Conference a year ago.  The Cardinals routed Oakland City, 88-26, in their lone exhibition contest and welcome Evansville to John Worthen Arena for its home opener. 
 
Brittany Carter returns as BSU’s leader scorer at 8.8 points per game, while Jazmin Hitchens is back as the leading rebounder (3.8) and shot blocker (0.8) for Ball State.  Brandy Woody paced the Cardinals in their preseason win over the Lady Oaks with 16 points and 12 rebounds.  BSU will have a new face on the bench this season, as first-year head coach Brady Sallee takes over the Ball State program after spending the last eight seasons at Eastern Illinois.
 
Illinois (0-0) will open its season Sunday against the Purple Aces, after going 2-0 in exhibition play, routing Marian (Ind.), 89-37, and Concordia (Ill.), 120-29.  The Fighting Illini return eight letterwinners and four starters from last year’s team that finished 11-19 overall and 5-11 in the Big Ten Conference.  Like Ball State, Illinois will have a new face on the bench this season, as Matt Bollant enters his first year with the Fighting Illini.  Bollant had a stellar five-year stint at Green Bay, guiding the Phoenix to a 148-19 record and a 85-5 mark in the Horizon League.
 
Two-time All-Big Ten selection Karisma Penn is Illinois’ top returner, as the senior forward averaged 13.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest as a junior.  Kersten Magrum also averaged in double figures for the Fighting Illini, tossing in 11.4 points and grabbing 5.7 boards per game in 2011-12.  Penn paced Illinois with 24 points and 16 rebounds in its win over Marian and seven players scored in double figures in the win over Concordia, as Taylor Tuck led the Illini with 20 points.
 
Friday will mark the 12th meeting between Ball State and Evansville, with the Cardinals holding a slim, 6-5, advantage in the all-time series.  Last season, BSU defeated UE, 55-50, in the first regular-season women’s basketball game at the brand new Ford Center.
 
Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting between Illinois and Evansville and is the first of three Big Ten opponents the Purple Aces are scheduled to play this season.
 
Following the two-game road trip, the Aces will return to the Ford Center for their home opener Saturday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m., when they host San Jose State.