Box Score


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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women's basketball team used a balanced scoring attack to snap a three-game losing streak, as five Purple Aces scored in double figures in UE's, 80-69, victory over visiting Ball State Wednesday night at the Ford Center.
 
Freshman Sara Dickey led all scorers with 22 points by going 6-for-15 from the floor and 7-for-8 at the free throw line, while junior Mallory Ladd and freshman Sasha Robinson both finished with double-doubles for the second-straight game.  Ladd notched 10 points and pulled down 13 boards, and Robinson finished the evening 6-for-8 from the field for 13 points to go with 10 rebounds.  Junior Kat Taylor and senior Miranda Liles rounded out Evansville's (2-3) list of double-digit scorers with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
 
Robinson and Dickey combined for 28 of Evansville's 41 first-half points, as Robinson gave the Aces an early 8-4 lead on an offensive rebound and a put back just over three minutes into the game.
 
Ball State (0-3) countered with an 11-3 run to grab a 15-11 advantage at the 12:45 mark in the opening stanza, after Nathalie Fontaine banked in a layup and Shelbie Justice drained a three on the next Cardinal possession.
 
UE tied the game at 18-18 on a pair of free throws by Dickey, before going on a quick 9-4 scoring spurt to open up a 27-22 margin, when Liles connected from long range with 6:03 remaining in the half.
 
Three minutes later, Dickey converted on two more free throws to give Evansville its largest lead of the half at 37-28, before BSU scored the next four points to cut the Aces' lead back to five, 37-32, with 1:28 remaining.  However, UE closed the half by getting four-straight points from Liles on a free throw and a three-pointer to lead 41-32 at halftime.
 
Ball State posted a better shooting percentage in the first half, but Evansville outrebounded the Cardinals, 28-18, and tallied 11 offensive boards.  Robinson nearly had a double-double at the break, going 6-for-8 from the field for 13 points to go with nine rebounds, while Dickey sank four of her eight shot attempts and hit five of her six free throws to lead all scorers with 15 first-half points.
 
The Aces began to open up their lead early in the second half, as they went up by 13, when freshman Dakota Weatherford turned a steal into a layup on the other end to give UE a 50-37 advantage with 16:34 remaining in the contest.
 
Senior Katie Ellerson put Evansville in front 59-41, when she capped a 15-4 run for the Aces with back-to-back threes at the 14:06 mark, but Ball State answered with a 15-4 run of its own to cut UE's lead to just seven at 63-56 on a Brittany Carter triple, as the Cardinal defense held Evansville without a field goal for nearly nine minutes.
 
With just under five minutes remaining, Ladd drained a three from the left corner to end the scoring drought put the Aces back in front by double digits at 66-56 and UE was able to sink 11 of 12 free throws attempts over the final 3:57 to seal the victory.
 
BSU shot 42.9 percent from the field (24-for-56), including a 48.1 percent mark (13-for-27) in the second half, but Evansville dominated the boards, posting a 46-34 rebounding advantage, including 15 offensive boards that led to 10 second-chance points.
 
The Cardinals were able to outscore UE, 34-12, in the paint, but Evansville made up for it at the free throw line, connecting on 24 of its 29 attempts at the charity stripe.
 
Justice led BSU with 14 points on a 5-for-8 effort, while Nathalie Fontaine registered 12 points and Brandy Wood grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
Evansville will head to the state of Tennessee for its next two games, as the Aces will open a two-game road trip Saturday, Nov. 23, at Austin Peay.  Saturday game is slated for a 7 p.m. tip.