UE GAME NOTES  |  TOLEDO GAME NOTES  |  HAMPTON GAME NOTES  |  LIVE STATS  |  LIVE AUDIO

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team will conclude its non-conference schedule and the 2012 calendar year Thursday and Friday at the inaugural Toledo Invite at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio.  The Purple Aces are slated to take on host Toledo at 6 p.m. Thursday and will conclude the event with a contest against either Hampton or Prairie View A&M at 3:30 p.m. or 6 p.m. Friday.
 
Evansville (2-7) has had a long break since its last outing, when it fell, 63-59, to St. Louis Dec. 9 at the Ford Center.  UE nearly overcame a 15-point second-half deficit by tying the game with 1:27 remaining, but the Billikens mounted a late rally to secure the win.  Redshirt sophomore Khristian Hart led the Aces with 20 points, knocking down a career-high six threes, while seniors Meagan Collins and Samatha Heck each added 13 points.
 
The trio of Collins, Hart and Heck has accounted for 73 percent of Evansville’s offense this season, as Hart leads the squad with a 15.0 points per game average, Heck is averaging 14.7 points per contest and Collins pitching in 11.1 points per outing.  In addition, Heck is the team’s top rebounder, pulling down 8.0 boards per game and ranks sixth in the nation with a .960 free-throw percentage.
 
As a team, the Aces are averaging 55.9 points per game and shooting 34.9 percent from the floor.  Evansville ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference with 65 made three-pointer and is shooting 30.1 percent from behind the arc.  UE is knocking down 68.9 percent of its opportunities at the free-throw line and averages 35.2 rebounds per game.
 
Sophomore Mallory Ladd will be active for the Aces for the first time this season, as the Evansville native and Valparaiso transfer was ineligible for UE’s first nine games due to NCAA transfer rules.  Ladd averaged 10.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in six contests with the Crusaders last season.
 
Toledo (8-1) enters its own event on a seven-game winning streak, as it topped Milwaukee, 82-71, in its last outing.  The Rockets are receiving votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll and their only loss this season was a 79-76 setback at nationally-ranked Dayton.  Four UT players finished in double figures in Toledo’s win over the Panthers, including Andola Dortch, who led all scorers with 24 points.  Naama Shafir notched 17 points, while Brianna Jones and Inma Zanoguera each recorded 11.
 
As a team, the Rockets are shooting 43.4 percent from the field and are outscoring opponents by an average of 13.9 points per game.  The UT defense is forcing 21.9 turnovers per contest, including 12.1 steals.  Shafir leads a balanced Toledo scoring attack at 12.1 points per game and has dished out a team-high 48 assists.  Dorth ranks second on the team at 11.2 points per game, while four other Rockets are averaging at least 6.6 points per outing, including Yolanda Richardson, who is the team’s leading rebounder (8.9 rpg) and ranks third on the squad in scoring (8.9 ppg).
 
Toledo returns 10 letterwinners and three starters from last year’s team that finished 24-10 overall and tied for first in the Mid-American Conference West Division.  The Rockets are under the direction of former Evansville head coach Tricia Cullop, who ranks second on UE’s all-time coaching wins list with 123.  At UT, Cullop is in her fifth season and owns a 104-41 record.
 
Hampton (7-3) enters the Toledo Invite on a three-game winning streak and handily defeated UMBC, 81-36, in its last outing on Dec. 7.  The Lady Pirates are outscoring opponents by an average of 17.1 points per contest and are forcing 23.1 turnovers per outing. 
 
Keiara Avant leads HU in scoring (16.2 ppg) and rebounding (9.8 rpg).  Two other Hampton players, Nicole Hamilton (11.6 ppg) a nd Alyssa Bennett (10.8 ppg), are also averaging in double figures.
 
The Lady Pirates are coached by David Six, who is 78-27 in his four years at the helm of the HU program.
 
Prairie View A&M (2-5) saw its two-game winning streak snapped by nationally-ranked Kansas in its last outing on Dec. 16.  The Panthers defeated Memphis, 70-58, and Northwestern State, 63-31, prior to falling to the Jayhawks, 72-60, in Lawrence, Kan.  PVAMU is shooting 40.8 percent from the floor as a team, but has struggled from the charity stripe, converting on just 54.9 percent of its chances.  Prairie View A&M’s defense is forcing 18.1 turnovers per outing, including 9.9 steals per game.
 
Kiara Etienne and Latia Williams lead the Panthers in scoring at 15.7 points per contest and Williams leads the team in rebounding at 9.3 boards per game.  JaQuandria Williams is averaging 10.5 points per game off the bench for the Panthers, while Larissa Scott is contributing 8.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per outing.
 
Prairie View A&M is under the direction of third-year head coach Toyelle Wilson, who is 40-33 during her tenure at PVAMU.
 
Following the Toledo Invite, Evansville will open conference play Thursday, Jan. 3, when it hosts Drake at the Ford Center for a 7 p.m. contest.