EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Following an eight-day layoff from competition, the University of Evansville women's basketball team travels to face Marshall on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in a non-conference matchup in Huntington, W.V..

"Defensively, our team just continues to grow; we're getting better. The lapses that we're having are fewer and we're starting to get to that next level, that next step," said Aces' women's basketball head coach Matt Ruffing. "Offensively, we're still coming along. I wish we were a little further along than what we were, but I know what this group's capable of and we're still very confident. Marshall's got some really good guards, they can really score it. They've got a shooter in (Shayna) Gore. We're going to have to make sure that she doesn't get good looks. They're going to put pressure on us in transition and we've got to box out."

The Purple Aces head into the Thursday contest after dropping a 72-66 matchup with Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 20th inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse. After both teams started the game struggling to find their rhythm, Evansville settled in and out-scored the Mastodons, 23-16, to take a 34-30 lead at the break. In the third period, the Aces maintained a lead as UE held a two-point advantage heading into the final quarter. Trading leads early in the period, Purdue Fort Wayne took a three-point lead with 4:14 remaining in the game. Through the final four minutes, Evansville pushed back within a point three times, but the Aces could not draw any closer as the Mastodons earned the 72-66 win.
 

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UE at Marshall (Thursday, 5:00 p.m. (CT)): Watch |  Live Stats | Marshall Website | Evansville Game Notes

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After four games, Evansville's freshmen have made strong impact for the Aces. An emerging threat from beyond the arc, freshman guard Tayzha Buck has shown an ability to hit triples. Leading Evansville in three-pointers made and three-point percentage, Buck has hit 11 of the Aces' 24 threes on the year and is shooting 45.8% from three-point range. Buck sits second in the Missouri Valley Conference in three-pointers made and fourth in three-point percentage. Along with Buck who is averaging 8.5 points per game), two other freshman are in the top five scorers for the Aces this season with Makayla Wallace sitting third with 9.3 points per contest and Anna Newman averaging 8.0 points per game.

Thursday's game marks just the third time that the Aces and Herd have met with each side earning one win in the series. In the last meeting, Marshall earned a 60-48 win over Evansville on December 3, 2011. The first matchup in the series was won by the Aces in an 89-77 win over Marshall at home on November 9, 2007. Entering this season's contest, the Herd hold a 1-4 record and are coming off a 74-52 loss to Appalachian State on Sunday. The Herd are familiar with MVC competition having played a pair of MVC teams already. Opening the season against Indiana State, the Herd fell to the Sycamores, 62-53 before dropping a road matchup with Southern Illinois, 58-49, on November 17. Leading the way for the Herd are a pair of double-figure scorers in senior guard/forward Shayna Gore (16.2 points per game) and sophomore guard Kristen Mayo (10.2).
 

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