EVANSVILLE – The third quarter proved the difference on Monday evening as the University of Evansville women's basketball team suffered a 73-63 loss to the visiting Eastern Illinois Panthers at the Ford Center.
"We just weren't ourselves in the third quarter," UE interim head coach Matt Ruffing said. "We weren't making good decisions, and it's tough because we were still in the game. I have to give Eastern Illinois credit. They forced turnovers, and I think we have to shoot better. We're a good three-point shooting team, but they just haven't fallen for us in these first two games."
After taking a lead into the break, the visitors out-scored UE 21-9 in the decisive frame, handing UE its second loss of the young season. EIU, on the other hand, improved to 2-0.
The Aces were paced on the night by the contributions of Sara Dickey, who shot an efficient 8-of-14 from the field on the way to finishing with 21 points. The total pulls her within 34 points of the all-time mark in the school history. The Montezuma, Ind., native also drained a pair of threes in the contest, giving her 202 for her career, which is just three away from the all-time mark in that category.
While Dickey led the way on the night, things were lining up for Kerri Gasper in the opening quarter as the sophomore racked up nine quick points to help the Aces take a 17-15 lead. Things would continue to fall for UE in the second quarter as the team put up 15 points in the frame to grab a 32-26 lead at the half.
The Panthers came out strong in the third, closing out the period with 10 consecutive points, led by the scoring of Grace Lennox, who finished with 22 points overall on the night. She was helped greatly by the duo of Allison Van Dyke and Halle Stull, who combined to shoot 9-for-14 from the field for 25 points.
Meanwhile, Camary Williams and Sasha Robinson also chipped in 11 points apiece for the Aces, with the latter also pulling down 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.
The Aces will return to action on Wednesday with a trip to Ball State. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. Central time.
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