EVANSVILLE - Following a split of a pair of road games over the last 10 days, the University of Evansville women's basketball team returns to Meeks Family Fieldhouse to face Murray State on Tuesday night at 6 PM in Evansville.
 

Evansville vs. Murray State | Tues., Nov. 30 | 6 PM
Site | Location	Meeks Family Fieldhouse | Evansville, Ind.
Links	Live Stats | ESPN+
Follow the Aces	Women's Basketball Site | Twitter | Game Notes | Program

Last Game: Evansville 84, Purdue Fort Wayne 71

• Behind one of the best scoring performances in program history, the University of Evansville women's basketball team fired on all cylinders in a second-half surge in an 84-71 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday afternoon in Fort Wayne, Ind.
• In just her second game as an Ace, junior Je'Naiya Davis turned-in an historic scoring performance. Davis tallied 35 points in just 22 minutes on the court, setting the program record for most points scored by an Ace in a regulation game. Davis did so with a 16-point third quarter outburst, followed by another double-digit quarter in the fourth, tallying 10 points. Three other Aces finished in double-figures with junior Abby Feit recording her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 boards, senior Myia Clark with 11 points and seven rebounds, and junior A'Niah Griffin finishing with 10 points. The Mastodons were led by Sylare Starks with 23 points on the afternoon.
• Despite an evenly played opening 20 minutes, the first half was a story of runs. After an early 5-5 tie, Purdue Fort Wayne scored eight of the next 10 points to take a 13-7 lead. The Aces would respond though, battling back with a 7-2 run to close the period with just a one-point deficit for Evansville.
• It was a similar story in the second quarter as the 'dons jumped-out to a 28-17 lead, what would be its largest of the game, forcing an Evansville timeout with 6:45 left in the half. Challenged by Purdue Fort Wayne early in the second period, the Aces responded out of the timeout. Keyed by five points from Clark and four from freshman Elly Morgan, Evansville sprinted back into the contest and out in front, using a 16-0 run over the next 3:46 to turn the tables and secure a 33-28 lead and force a timeout from the Mastodons. An evenly played contest throughout the opening two stanzas, Purdue Fort Wayne battled back, taking a one-point, 36-35 lead to the break.
• In the third quarter, the closely contested game continued with neither team able to open up larger than a five-point advantage. That was until the Je'Naiya Davis Show began with a little over five minutes left in the period. Over the final 5:35, Davis scored 16 points, keying a resurgence from Evansville that handed the Aces a lead as large as six at one point before grabbing a 61-57 lead heading into the fourth as part of UE's 26-point third period.
• Fueled by Davis' offensive surge, the Aces built their lead to double-digits at 72-59 less than two minutes into the fourth quarter with Davis scoring the first five of the period to kick-off an 11-2 run. The Mastodons would close no nearer than seven points over the final eight minutes as Evansville's second-half offensive explosion powered UE to the 84-71 win.
• Following a 29.4% shooting performance in the opening quarter, Evansville locked-in, shooting 25-51 (49.0%) over the next 30 minutes. Continuing the strong offensive outing, on the day, the Aces hit 13 three-pointers, their most in a game since March 14, 2019 and most in a true road game since Jan. 26, 2018.

Previewing the Matchup: Murray State

• Evansville and Murray State are meeting for the 37th time in series history with the Racers owning a 22-14 lead in the all-time series.
• The two sides last met on Dec. 1, 2020 in Murray, Ky. with the Racers capturing an 84-61 win in both teams' season opener.
• Three of the last four meetings in the series have come in the opening game of the season.
• Over the last 10 meetings, Evansville has been markedly better at home than on the road. In the last five home games, Evansville is a combined +23, while in the last five road contests with the Racers, the Aces are a combined -75.
• Murray enters the Wednesday contest with a 5-1 record and has had a busy last week. Since last Tuesday, including the UE-MSU game, Murray will have played three games with two on the road in Mississippi and Indiana, while in the midst of the Thanksgiving holiday.
• Evansville's four win prior to Thanksgiving are the most since at least the 2001-02 season.
• Murray State represents the fourth team in Evansville's first six games who is either a current or former member of the OVC.

Davis Enters Rare Air

• In an 84-71 win over Purdue Fort Wayne, junior guard Je'Naiya Davis recorded a performance that has not been completed in program history.
• Davis scored a career-high 35 points in just 22 minutes of action, the most by an Ace in a regular season game in program history. 
• Davis' scoring outburst is just the third of its kind in NCAA DI since 2008-09, matching a 40-point performance from UC Davis' Morgan Bertsch in 22 minutes in  2018 and a 35-point performance in 22 minutes from Baylor's three-time all-American Brittany Griner in 2012.

Fast-Paced Offense

• On the other side, Evansville's offense has been quick and high-scoring this season.
• On the year, the Aces are averaging 77.4 points per game, the most in the MVC and 40th highest average in the nation.
• Evansville has not finished the season with a scoring average above 60 since the 2014-15 season when the Aces averaged 63 points per game.

Another Double-Double for Feit

• Despite not leading the team in scoring for a fifth-straight contest, junior Abby Feit recorded another double-double against the Mastodons, tallying 12 points and 12 boards in the 84-71 win.
• The double-double was Feit's fourth of the season and the 15th of her career.

 

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