Box Score DES MOINES, Iowa - Facing its first top 25 ranked opponent since Dec. 18, 2016, the University of Evansville battled well in the opening half in a 66-39 loss to Drake on Friday evening in Des Moines, Iowa.

Leading the way for Evansville was senior Brooke Bishop, who finished with a team-high 10 points, pacing Evansville for the second-straight game. Fellow seniors Kerri Gasper and Marley Miller each scored eight points with Miller recording seven rebounds and Gasper tallying four boards. Gasper reached another milestone, becoming the first player in Evansville women's basketball program history to amass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and more than 125 made three-pointers in their Aces' career. Drake was led by Sara Rhine, who scored 16 points and recorded eight rebounds in 28 minutes.

Early in the first quarter, Evansville gained a 5-2 advantage after Miller hit a three to open the scoring a Bishop added a jumper for the Aces. Evansville held onto a two-point advantage midway through the first period with a 9-7 lead with 4:46 left in the opening quarter. To close the period, Drake moved in front, taking a 16-14 lead after the first quarter. The two sides traded baskets throughout much of the second quarter including in the final seconds of the half. Drake hit a three with 12 seconds left that gave the Bulldogs a 28-23 lead, but Gasper had an answer, banking in a three-pointer at the buzzer to trim the Aces' deficit to just two at the break.
 

---

Box Score (PDF)

---

Coming out of the half, Drake sprinted off on a run in the third quarter to increase its advantage. The Bulldogs out-scored the Aces, 25-3, in the third period, holding Evansville to 1-8 (12.5%) shooting in the quarter, while Drake went 10-18 (55.6%) from the floor. Drake continued to grow its lead in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs pushed their lead as large as 30 at 59-29 with 8:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. Evansville hit a pair of three-pointers to cut into Drake's lead, but the Bulldogs maintained their advantage late in the contest as Drake earned the 66-39 win.

Evansville closes its final road trip of the season with a Sunday afternoon contest with UNI at 2:00 p.m. in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
 

• INFO: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville women's basketball, visit GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics_WBB.

                                   

• DONATE: For information on giving to UE Athletics or its individual athletics programs, visit the DONATE tab on the top of GoPurpleAces.com.

 

• TICKETS: To purchase tickets for University of Evansville athletics events, log on to GoPurpleAces.com and click on the TICKETS tab on top of the page.