MOLINE, Ill. – After leading the University of Evansville women's basketball team in scoring for a third consecutive season, Sara Dickey earned an All-Missouri Valley honorable mention on Wednesday as the team continued its preparation for Thursday's opening game at the MVC tournament.
"Sara is very deserving, and in our hearts, we think she's a first team kind of player," UE interim head coach Matt Ruffing said. "She's earned it. She ranks among the leaders in scoring, and she definitely deserves the accolades that she gets."
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Dickey, who sits fourth in the Valley with a 16-points-per-game average, ranks third all-time in the Aces history books with 1,613 career points, and she stands just 13 points shy of ascending to second on the scoring list. The junior out of Montezuma, Ind., has hit double digits in points in all but five of UE's 29 games this season, and Ruffing knows her play will be crucial to the Aces' success this week at Hoops in the Heartland.
"Sara brings a lot of experience to this week, and this won't be a new atmosphere for her," Ruffing explained. "Last year, she helped us win a couple games and get to the third day. We're going to have to lean on her a bit, and she'll have to be aggressive and seek her shot."
While opposing defenses will certainly be well aware of Dickey's presence on the perimeter, UE will also be dependent on the post presence of fellow junior Sasha Robinson as well as the freshman combo of Camille Coleman and Kerri Gasper.
Robinson, who ranks as one of the top rebounders in UE history, will be looking to add a scoring punch after closing out the regular season with 12 points against conference champion Northern Iowa, and both Coleman and Gasper boast of 20-point games individually this season.
"As coaches, we look for match-ups, and we're fortunate to have a few players that can help us in certain match-ups," Ruffing said. "Our game plan for Illinois State won't be the same as what it was for Northern Iowa or Drake. If we can spread things around offensively, that's great, but if we find a match-up that's working for us, we'll keep going to it until they can stop it."
Meanwhile, the Aces, who enter the tournament as the No. 10 seed with a 2-27 overall record and a 1-17 mark in league play, will be hoping they can finish the deal with seventh seeded Illinois State (8-21, 6-12 MVC). It was a tight encounter between the two teams during both regular season meetings, highlighted by the Aces leading for 35 minutes in the most recent encounter before a late Redbird rally saw ISU pull ahead.
With a win the Aces would move on to face second-seeded Drake in the conference quarterfinals.
Tipoff from the iWireless Center on Thursday is slated for 7 p.m.
NOTES: UE is 13-15 all-time in MVC tournament play … Last season, the team made a run to the semifinal round for the first time since 2009 … The Aces knocked off both Illinois State and Drake before ultimately falling to Missouri State in the semis … UE has won at least one game in the conference tournament nine times since 1999 … UE is 17-29 overall against Illinois State … In neutral site contests, the Aces are 3-0, which includes MVC tourney wins in 2009 and 2015 … Shyla McKibbon-Puelston is the next target on the all-time scoring list for Sara Dickey. McKibbon-Puelston entered the UE Athletics Hall of Fame last month, and she finished her Aces career in 2002 with 1,626 career points … With 593 career rebounds, Sasha Robinson ranks ninth all-time in the UE history books … She is 12 away from moving up to eighth.
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