THURSDAY at BU:  LIVE VIDEO  |  LIVE AUDIO (Internet Only)  |  LIVE STATS
SATURDAY at LUC:  LIVE VIDEO  |  LIVE AUDIO  |  LIVE STATS
EVANSVILLE NOTES  |  BRADLEY NOTES

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women's basketball team will close its regular-season schedule this week with a pair of road games at Bradley and Loyola.  The Purple Aces will take on the Braves Thursday at 7 p.m., in Peoria, Ill., before making the trip to Chicago for a 2 p.m. contest with the Ramblers on Sunday and can clinch their first .500 or better season since 2007-08 with two wins.
 
Evansville (13-14, 8-8 MVC) extended its winning streak to six games last week by defeating both Wichita State and Missouri State last week in a pair of contests in which the Aces never trailed.  UE shot a season-high 52.6 percent in its win over the Shockers, as freshman Sara Dickey connected on seven of her 10 field goal attempts for a game-high 22 points.  Against the Lady Bears, Evansville shot an even 50.0 percent from the floor and was led by junior Kat Taylor, who recorded 22 points on an 8-for-12 shooting performance to highlight the Aces' Senior Day.  By leading all 80 minutes last week, UE has not trailed since falling behind early in the first half against Southern Illinois (Feb. 23) and has now led or been tied for its last 107:18. 
 
Dickey leads Evansville's offensive and ranks second  in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 18.2 points per game average and needs just nine more points to become only the fourth player in program history to score 500 points in a single season.  The freshman guard already ranks third on the MVC's freshman single-season scoring list and fourth on the Aces' single-season list.  Taylor ranks second on the squad in scoring (11.5 ppg) and is shooting a team-best 34.6 percent from beyond the arc, while fellow junior Mallory Ladd leads the MVC in rebounding (9.4 rpg) and is averaging 11.1 points per game with a 42.0 percent field goal percentage.  Freshman Dakota Weatherford has emerged as UE's top distributor and defender, as she leads the team in both assists (98) and steals (55), and needs just six more thefts to enter Evansville's single-season top 10 list.
 
The Aces are averaging 66.4 points per contest, while giving up 66.6 per outing, but during its six-game winning streak, UE has limited opponents to a 50.6 scoring average, 30.3 percent field goal percentage and a 17.4 percent clip from three-point range.  Evansville is shooting 37.9 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from distance and 71.5 percent from the free throw line.  Defensively, the Aces are forcing 16.2 turnovers per game, including 8.1 steals per contest.
 
Bradley (7-20, 4-12 MVC) enters Thursday's contest after splitting a pair of games with Illinois State and Indiana State last week, as the Braves swept the regular-season series with their in-state rivals in the Redbirds with a 59-58 victory in Normal, Ill., before falling to the Sycamores, 73-60, in Terre Haute, Ind.  Leti Lerma paced BU with a season-high 17 points in the win over Illinois State and Kelly Frings added 13 points and eight boards.  In the loss at Indiana State, Kelsey Budd scored a game-high 19 points and was one of three Bradley players to score in double figures.
 
Individually, Michelle Young leads the Braves in scoring (13.9 ppg) and ranks second on the team with 40 steals.  Three other BU players are also averaging in double figures, including Budd (11.8 ppg), Catie O'Leary (10.4 ppg) and Frings (10.1 ppg).  O'Leary has been the team's top rebounder, as she is hauling in 7.0 rebounds per game.  Frings ranks second on the team with 5.9 boards per contest and has been the team's top shooter with a 48.9 percent mark from the field.
 
As a team, Bradley is averaging 69.6 points per game, but ranks last in the Valley in defense, allowing 81.3 points per contest for a -11.7 scoring margin.  The Braves are shooting 40.3 percent from the floor, including a 27.6 percent clip from long range, and 72.7 percent from the charity stripe.  On the boards, BU is getting outrebounded by 2.5 rebounds per outing and is committing 17.7 turnovers per game.
 
Loyola (9-19, 5-11 MVC) has lost nine of its last 10 contests, including its last seven straight and will host Southern Illinois Thursday night, before hosting Evansville Sunday afternoon.  The Ramblers fell to Indiana State, 66-45, and Illinois State, 69-61, in a pair of road games last week.  Forward Troy Hambric led LUC in both contests, dropping in 23 points against the Sycamores and 20 in the loss to the Redbirds.
 
Hambric leads Loyola in nearly every statistical category, including scoring (17.5 ppg), rebounding (7.3), blocks (58) and steals (46).  She also ranks second on the team in field goal percentage (44.6 percent) and free throw percentage (73.5 percent) among qualified players.  Bailey Farley is averaging 9.2 points per contest for the Ramblers and Becca Smith ranks third on the team in both scoring (8.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg).  Ayrealle Beavers leads the Valley in assists (153) and ranks fourth in the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.4).
 
Loyola is averaging 58.1 points per game, collectively, and surrendering 65.2 points per contest to its opponents.  The Ramblers are shooting 39.2 percent from the field as a team, including a 29.8 percent clip from beyond the arc and a 67.7 percent clip at the foul line.  LUC suffers a -5.5 rebounding margin and is committing 14.8 turnovers per game, while forcing 15.1 for a +0.3 turnover margin.
 
Bradley leads the all-time series with Evansville, 25-16, and has won 11 of the last 13 meetings.  The Braves defeated the Aces, 77-76, earlier this season at the Ford Center, as Fantasia Vine gave BU its only lead of the second half by sinking a pair of free throws with just 5.2 seconds remaining to cap Bradley's 11-point, second-half comeback.
 
In the all-times series with Loyola, UE trails, 17-8, but Evansville defeated the Ramblers, 75-57, earlier this season at the Ford Center in the first meeting between the two schools since 1994 and as members of the MVC.