VALPARAISO, Ind. – In a game where Valparaiso scored 36 points in the paint, it was Sasha Robinson who turned in perhaps the game's biggest stop, recording a block and rebound with 17 seconds left as the University of Evansville held on for a 70-65 victory over the host Crusaders at the Athletics-Recreation Center on Wednesday evening.
The win, the first for the Aces this season, saw UE improve to 1-5 overall. Meanwhile, Valpo, which was looking for a third consecutive victory, fell to 3-3.
"We asked our kids to fight every possession," UE interim head coach Matt Ruffing said. "We came here to win tonight, and everything was about trying to make the winning plays when it counts. I have to give Valpo a lot of credit. They put a lot of pressure on us, but our kids were able to finish it out."
UE, which never trailed over the final 27-plus minutes of the game, was put under some late pressure as Valpo mounted yet another challenge to the Aces lead. Following a Robinson layup with 1:43 left, the Aces appeared on the verge of putting away the hosts, but the Crusaders followed up a missed Kerri Gasper three-pointer with a Grace Hales layup in the other end to cut the lead to four. They would force a turnover just seconds later before Hales hit a three-pointer to bring VU within one.
Following that basket, Hannah Schaub picked up a steal and called a timeout with VU down one with 32 seconds left to play. However, Dani Franklin, who finished the game with 15 points and 16 rebounds, was called for an offensive foul on the ensuing possession.
As VU resorted to late-game fouling, Sara Dickey drained a pair of free throws, and Robinson followed up with the stop on the other end. A pair of Brooke Dossett free throws with two seconds left accounted for the final deficit.
Overall, UE finished with four players in double figures, guided once again by all-time leading scorer Sara Dickey, who led all scorers with 21 points and six rebounds. Camary Williams was second on the team with 14, and she was once again a nuisance to the opposing team in the passing lanes, ending with seven steals. Gasper and Dossett combined for another 25 points.
"Our whole goal this game was to try to push things in transition," Ruffing explained. "We felt like that was an area we could exploit and get opportunities for baskets. It helps when you have players out there who can make shots. The open shot is the best shot. They attacked and attacked all night."
After falling behind early in the game, it was Gasper who kept things close, starting the contest 2-for-2 from the field with a pair of free throws for seven first-quarter points as the Aces went into the second period trailing 17-16.
Following a Franklin layup early in the second, Williams hit a pair of freebies to make it 20-19, and the Aces would never trail again.
"We ask the girls to do a lot of the same things over and over again in practice," Ruffing said. "And I'm sure when we weren't getting the results to fall our way, they probably didn't like it. Now it's starting to show why we work on those things. We still certainly have some learning moments from tonight, and we'll watch the film later. We're a young team, and we're learning and getting better. It's going to be a happy bus ride home."
UE will return to action this weekend with a trip to Murray State on Sunday. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.
NOTES: Sara Dickey extended her school record points total to 1,746 … That mark moves her past former Creighton star Christy Neneman (2000-04) for the 20
th-best total in MVC history … With 664 career rebounds, Sasha Robinson is 81 away from the fifth best total in UE history … UE is 7-5 all-time against the Crusaders, and Wednesday marked the first meeting between the two schools since 2010 and the first in Valparaiso since 1997.
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