Box Score WICHITA, Kan. – For a few brief moments on Friday night, it appeared as if the Missouri Valley Conference road woes for the University of Evansville women's basketball team were brought to an end, but a Rangie Bessard bucket with four seconds remaining dashed those hopes as the Purple Aces fell 69-68 to Wichita State at Charles Koch Arena.
"It's a game that comes down to making plays, and they made one more than we did," UE head coach Matt Ruffing said. "Unfortunately, I thought we played really well. The kids played hard, and we had some mistakes here and there, but it just didn't fall our way."
In a game that featured 18 lead changes, including three in the last 13.1 seconds, it looked as if the Aces (8-15, 3-9 MVC) may have had the upper hand. After a Kerri Gasper three-pointer gave UE a 66-64 lead with just 1:40 left in regulation, Bessard drew a foul and went 1-for-2 from the stripe to cut the deficit.
Bessard attempted to put the Shockers ahead with just 30 seconds left, but Sara Dickey came away with the rebound and it was Aces ball with the shot clock turned off. However, the Shockers (11-11, 6-5 MVC) forced a turnover, and Tamara Lee earned a foul along the baseline with just over 13 seconds left. She'd hit both of her free throws to put the hosts ahead 67-66.
Following a UE timeout, Gasper found Sasha Robinson under the basket for a layup with 7.2 seconds left, and WSU would respond on the other end, following up their timeout with Bessard's winning bucket. Dickey would get a look at the buzzer, taking it the length of the court before putting up a long two, but it would hit off the back of the rim as the Shockers held on.
Five Aces finished the game in double figures, led by Gasper, who was 5-for-9 from the field, which included a 4-for-6 showing from distance, for 16 points. Dickey added 12 points to go along with six rebounds, and Robinson was one rebound shy of a double-double, posting 10 points, nine boards, four steals and three blocks.
"Robinson really gave us what we were looking for tonight," Ruffing said. "She was an inside presence, and it really helped us. Having her be successful, whether its setting the ball screens and rolling or establishing herself in the post, it, really changes things the offense. We did some nice things today, just unfortunate in the end."
Camary Williams also filled up the stat sheet with 10 points, eight rebounds and four steals, and Brooke Dossett added 11 points and four assists.
Meanwhile, Bessard was the only player with double-digit points for the Shockers, going 11-for-19 from the field for 26 points and seven rebounds.
Overall, the Aces actually out-rebounded WSU 35-33, but the difference was turnovers as the hosts scored 26 points off UE's 21 turnovers.
UE will return to action on Sunday in Springfield with a 7 p.m. showdown at Missouri State.
NOTES: Sara Dickey is UE's all-time leading scorer with 1,977 career points, which is the ninth-best total in MVC history … She is just 19 points away from moving into a tie with former Drake star Jan Jensen (1987-91) for eighth … Dickey also has 243 career threes, which is the 14
th-best total in league history … Camary Williams' four steals took her season total to 97, which is the third-best mark in the UE record books … Sasha Robinson has now recorded 780 rebounds. She is 31 away from tying Jamie Gray (2000-04) for the third-best career total in UE history … The Aces are now 21-27 all-time against Wichita State, which includes a 6-17 mark in Wichita … UE is 21-28 all-time against schools from the state of Kansas.
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