A 4-1 start, a tough mid-season stretch, and a nine seed heading into the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The 2008-09 season for the Evansville women's basketball team had everything. Oh, and a four-game run through the MVC Tournament to capture the tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.
A team comprised of an even mix of youth and experience featuring five seniors and four freshman achieved a feat that just one previous team in program history had accomplished.Â
Following a season in 2007-08 that saw the Aces amass a 21-12 record and win an opening round game in the WNIT, the beginning of the 2008-09 campaign went as planned. The Aces earned an 83-73 win in their season opener over East Tennessee State that kicked off a 4-1 start for Evansville in which the only loss was a 96-61 setback to then 15th-ranked Notre Dame. After the strong start, Evansville went 4-3 over its next seven games, including a win over SIU to open MVC play.
Then the slide happened. Beginning with a loss on the road at UNI, the Aces dropped seven-straight and sat with an 8-11 mark midway through conference play. After closing the regular season with a road loss at SIU, the Aces were set to enter the MVC Tournament as the nine seed and destined for a meeting with the eight-seeded Salukis in the opening round, just five days after the regular-season ending loss.
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2009 MVC Tournament
Opening Round: #9 Evansville 58, #8 SIU 53:
Recap
Quarterfinals: #9 Evansville 73, #1Â Illinois State 60:
Recap
Semifinals: #9 Evansville 84, #4 Bradley 81 (OT):
Recap
Championship Game: #9 Evansville 47, Creighton 45:
Recap
Opening the MVC Tournament on Thursday against the Salukis, Evansville and SIU battled in a contest that featured nine ties and 14 lead changes in the first 28 minutes of the game. After a five-point possession, the Aces grabbed control of the contest and held off the Salukis late to advance to the second round with a 58-53 win.
The next test for Evansville was top-seeded Illinois State, a team that defeated the Aces by 13 in both previous meetings during the season and had lost just three conference games all year. Building an early advantage, Evansville saw the Redbirds tie the game at 33 early in the second half. The Aces responded, pushing their lead back to 10 before weathering a pair of Illinois State runs, upsetting the No. 1 seed and moving on to the tournament semifinals.
If the belief in the magic behind this Aces' team hadn't appeared yet, Evansville's semifinal game against Bradley cemented the fact. Trailing by 20 in the first half, the Aces cut away at the Braves' lead and eventually tied the game with just 9.2 seconds remaining on a triple by Jordan Lewis, sending the game to overtime. Down the stretch in overtime, the Aces hit 7-of-8 free-throw attempts to secure the 84-81 victory and a spot in the MVC Tournament championship game.
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Senior Robyn Jennings led the Aces with 19 points and nine rebounds in
an 84-81 OT win over Bradley .
One drama-filled game wasn't enough for the Aces as tense moments packed Evansville's meeting with Creighton in the tournament championship game. The Aces jumped out to a 20-7 lead to start the contest, but saw Creighton answer with a 17-0 run as the Bluejays earned a 26-24 advantage at the break. After Evansville closed within one at 37-36 with 9:33 to play, neither team could build separation as the lead see-sawed back-and-forth between the two. Tied at 45 with 30 seconds to play, Evansville had the ball and following a timeout, Tournament MVP Ashley Austin found Amy Gallagher, who hit a jumper that provided the Aces with a two-point lead with just 0.3 seconds left. On the ensuing in-bound pass, Gallagher removed all doubt, stealing the pass and capturing the MVC Tournament Championship for the Aces.
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Evansville celebrates after defeating #2 seed Creighton, 47-45, in the
MVC Tournament Championship Game.
Looking back at the season and the improbable run in the MVC Tournament, Robyn Jennings, who was a senior on the team, said, "It was honestly crazy! We hadn't had the best season leading up to the tournament so a lot of people doubted how far we would actually go."
"Our team took all of that doubt and used it to our advantage. We had so much fun knocking each team out of the tournament."
A freshman contributor for the Aces in 2008-09, the MVC Tournament run was the start of a strong career for then freshman Chelsea Falkenstein.
"Our 2009 MVC run was like nothing I have ever experienced before," said Falkenstein. "I can't even put it into words how exciting it was. Going in as a 9 seed and coming out on top was just unbelievable."
"I will never forget seeing Jeb release that shot against Creighton and it going in," commented Falkenstein on her memories of the tournament run. "Jordan Lewis coming alive against Bradley and the radio broadcasters saying "welcome to the big show, Jordan Lewis" has also stuck with me. And lastly coming back to UE and there being a crowd waiting for us and cheering will also be a memory I won't forget."Â
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Freshman Chelsea Falkenstein helped the Aces push past Bradley
in the MVC Tournament semifinals with four points.
The run the Aces went on through the MVC Tournament wasn't just unbelievable; it was unheard of. Evansville's 2008-09 team stands as the only team in MVC Tournament history to open the tournament as a nine or 10 seed and win the championship.
Falkenstein's career with the Aces finished in 2013 with the Evansville native appearing in 123 games, racking up 68 career blocks, placing her sixth in program history.
The experience both athletically and academically at the University of Evansville was special for both Jennings and Falkenstein.
"Overall, I had a great experience at UE," said Falkenstein. "I got a top-notch education and met my husband and lifelong friends there. Playing basketball for UE was definitely challenging, but it made me the person I am today and instilled some great qualities in me."
 "My experience was definitely one that I cherish especially because of the friendships I made and the memories I have," mentioned Jennings about her time at Evansville. "We had all worked so hard for so many years and to get to that point. Doing it my senior year was the perfect icing on the cake. It's something I'll never forget."
The 2008-09 team will return to campus on February 1 as part of Alumni Day and as the 10th anniversary of the Aces' run to an MVC Tournament Championship. Members of the team will be recognized at Evansville's women's basketball game against Indiana State on February 1 and at the Aces' men's basketball game against Valparaiso on February 2.
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