EVANSVILLE, Ind. - In its final game before the Thanksgiving holiday, the University of Evansville women's basketball team plays host to Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m. inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.

The Purple Aces are coming off a 54-45 setback to SIUE at home on Wednesday. In last week's contest, Evansville opened the game with a 12-9 advantage in the opening quarter before the Cougars stormed back with 27-9 margin in the second period to take a 15-point lead at the half. Evansville battled back in the third quarter to cut its deficit to nine, but SIUE held on for the 54-45 win. Redshirt senior Brooke Bishop and freshman Tayzha Buck led the way for the Aces in the midweek matchup, each recording nine points. Helping fill the stat sheet for Evansville were freshman Makayla Wallace and junior Kaylan Coffman. Wallace scored eight points on the evening, with four rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals, while Coffman tallied six points, nine rebounds, and added three blocks.

Entering Tuesday's game, five Aces are averaging seven or more points per game as Evansville's offense has been balance so far this season. Of the five scorers averaging seven or more points, three of them are freshmen, led by Makayla Wallace, who sits second on the team with 9.7 points per contest. Joining Wallace are Anna Newman and Tayzha Buck, who are averaging 7.7 and 7.3 points per game, respectively.
 

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UE vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (Tuesday, 6:00 p.m.): The Valley on ESPN (ESPN+) |  Live Stats | Purdue Fort Wayne Website

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Defensively, Kaylan Coffman has provided a strong presence for the Aces. The junior sits 13th nationally in blocked shot per game with three per game so far this season, which sits as the top mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. Coffman also finds herself in the top 30 in total blocks with nine (26th) and inside the top 200 in rebounds per game with 7.7 per game (196th).

Tuesday's contest marks just the second all-time meeting between the Aces and Mastodons with the series tied at a game a piece. The last meeting between the two sides came on November 11, 2014 when Purdue Fort Wayne captured a 77-59 win over Evansville in Fort Wayne, Ind.. Evansville's win in the series came a year earlier on December 4, 2013 as the Purple Aces earned an 80-67 triumph over the Mastodons at the Ford Center. Purdue Fort Wayne enters this season's matchup with a 2-3 record and is coming off a 78-44 loss on the road at Purdue on Sunday. Leading Purdue Fort Wayne are a pair of double-figure scorers in senior guard De'Jour Young (13.2 points per game) and sophomore guard Kierstyn Repp (10.0).

Evansville is holding a canned food drive at Tuesday evening's game. Fans who bring a canned food item to Meeks Family Fieldhouse will receive $2 off admission to Tuesday evening's game between the Aces and Mastodons.

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