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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball will be back on its home floor at the Ford Center after going three-game swing, when it hosts Indiana State and Illinois State for a pair of key Missouri Valley Conference games.  The Purple Aces are slated to play the Sycamores Thursday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m., and will welcome the Redbirds Saturday, Feb. 16, for its “Hoops For the Cure” contest at 5 p.m.
 
All fans attending the Thursday night game against Indiana State will receive a raffle ticket that will enter them into a drawing to win four lower bowl tickets to Saturday’s men’s game against nationally-ranked Creighton.  The winning raffle ticket will be drawn after halftime.
 
Evansville (8-13, 6-4 MVC) ended a three-game losing streak in its only tilt last weekend by topping Southern Illinois, 52-41, Saturday in Carbondale, Ill.  Sophomore Mallory Ladd recorded her seventh double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, to earn MVC Newcomer of the Week honors.  Senior Samantha Heck also posted a double-double for UE, finishing the afternoon with 11 points and 11 boards.  Sophomore Kat Taylor also scored in double figures for Evansville, pouring in a career-high 14 points.  In addition, the Aces held the Salukis to a season-low 41 points, including a 30.8 percent shooting percentage in the second half.
 
As a team, the Aces rank second in the Valley and 19th in the nation with a 75.7 percent free throw percentage.  UE is also one of the nation’s top three-point shooting teams, as Evansville ranks 51st nationally with 6.4 made triples per contest. 
 
Heck leads UE in scoring at 13.9 points per game and is second on the squad in rebounding with 7.5 boards per outing.  The senior center ranks second in the conference and fourth in the country among qualified players with a 93.1 free throw percentage and second in the MVC with a 41.0 three-point shooting percentage.  Ladd is the team’s second-leading scorer at 12.5 points per outing and boasts a team-best 9.2 rebounds per game.  In league games, Ladd leads the Valley in free throw percentage (97.7%) and rebounding (9.8 rpg), and tied for third in the MVC with a 50.0 percent field goal percentage.  Senior Meagan Collins, who returned from injury at Southern Illinois, is averaging 7.9 points per game.
 
Indiana State (14-8, 6-5 MVC) earned a pair of conference wins last weekend in Terre Haute, Ind., defeating Creighton, 58-41, and Drake, 59-48, inside the Hulman Center, marking the first time the Sycamores have won back-to-back league games this season.  Against the Bulldogs, Racheal Mahan led four Indiana State players in double figures with 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds, while Marina Laramie and Anna Munn each added 11 points, and Taylor Whitley joined the Sycamores’ 1000-point club by scoring 10 points and recording a game-high six steals.  Indiana State overcame 30 turnovers by holding Drake to just 13 first-half points, including a 17.4 percent first-half shooting percentage.
 
The Sycamores have been the Valley’s best defensive team this season, as they lead the conference and rank 18th nationally in scoring defense by holding opponents to just 52.7 points per game.  Indiana State also owns a +4.4 rebounding margin and is 12-1 when outrebounding its opponent.  However, the Sycamores are shooting just 66.4 percent from the free throw line and average 17.8 turnovers per game.
 
Munn leads the team in scoring and ranks third in the MVC with a 14.9 points per game scoring average and is third on the squad with 4.6 boards per contest.  Mahan is averaging in double figures at 13.1 points per outing and Whitley is pitching in 10.5 points per game.  In addition, Mahan leads the team in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and is tied for second in the league with seven double-doubles.
 
Illinois State (15-8, 7-4 MVC), who will play at Southern Illinois Thursday before making the trip to Evansville, also swept Creighton and Drake last weekend in Normal, Ill., downing the Bulldogs, 81-57, before posting a, 66-60, victory over the Bluejays.  In their last outing, the Redbirds committed just three turnovers against Creighton and scored 32 of their 66 points inside the paint.  Jamie Russell led Illinois State with a game-high 22 points in the win and pulled down seven rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.  Alexis Jenkins also scored in double figures, adding 16 points and five assists.
 
The Redbirds are averaging 68.1 points per game as a team and shooting 40.8 percent from the field.  Illinois State also shoots 75.1 percent from the free throw line and average 4.0 blocks per contest.
 
Jamie Russell leads a trio of Rebirds in double figures at 14.5 points per game, a mark than ranks fourth in the Valley, and leads the team in assists (66) and steals (60).  Janae Smith ranks second on the team and sixth in the MVC with a 14.1 points per game average and leads the conference in rebounding (8.5 rpg).  Candace Sykes, who has knocked down a team-high 47 threes, is averaging 13.0 points per outing and shooting 33.3 percent from long range.
 
Indiana State leads the all-time series with Evansville, 30-15, but the Aces won the last meeting, 55-54, earlier this season in Terre Haute and will be looking to sweep the Sycamores for the first time since the 2001 season.
 
Illinois State holds a 25-13 advantage in the all-time series with the Aces and has won 12 of the last 16 meetings.  However, UE defeated the Redbirds, 71-57, earlier this year inside Redbird Arena.  Evansville has not swept the season series with Illinois State since the 2004-05 campaign.