FULL MVC RELEASE

ST. LOUIS – Two University of Evansville women’s basketball players were named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference teams announced by the league office Wednesday afternoon.  Senior Samantha Heck earned a spot on the All-MVC Second Team and sophomore Mallory Ladd was selected as an honorable mention, marking the Purple Aces’ first all-conference selections since Amy Gallagher was named All-MVC honorable mention in 2010.
 
Heck enters the MVC Tournament as UE’s leading scorer (14.1 ppg) and shot blocker (21).  The senior center is also shooting a team-best 48.9 percent from the field and was named the MVC Player of the Week for the first time in her career on Monday, after averaging 20.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in Evansville’s final two regular-season games.  Heck has recorded five double-doubles this season and is averaging 18.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest over her last six games, while shooting 64.1 percent from the field.  In addition, Heck is just the fourth player in program history to record over 1,300 career points and grab 700 career rebounds.
 
Ladd, a transfer from Valparaiso, made an immediate impact for the Aces this season by recording double-doubles in her first six games in a UE uniform.  The Evansville native is currently averaging 10.9 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 8.7 boards per outing.  The sophomore forward has scored in double figures 11 times this season, became UE’s first MVC Player of the Week honoree since 2010, when she was selected for the honor on Jan. 7.  Ladd has also been named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on three occasions this season and is pace to break the Aces’ single-season free throw percentage record, as she has connected on 94.7 percent of her attempts from the charity stripe and hit 44-straight free throws earlier this season.
 
Evansville will open MVC Tournament play Thursday at 7:05 p.m. against Southern Illinois at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.