EVANSVILLE - Opening a new year, the University of Evansville women's basketball team tips-off 2022 with two top 70 NET teams with a Saturday contest against Drake to open Missouri Valley Conference play in Des Moines, Iowa before taking on No. 21 Iowa in a non-conference clash on Sunday in Iowa City, Iowa.
 

Evansville at Drake | Sat., Jan. 1 | 2 PM
Site | Location	Knapp Center | Des Moines, Iowa
Links	Live Stats | ESPN+
Follow the Aces	Women's Basketball Site | Twitter | Game Notes

 

Evansville at No. 21 Iowa | Sun., Jan. 2 | 11 AM
Site | Location	Carver-Hawkeye Arena | Iowa City, Iowa
Links	Live Stats | BTN
Follow the Aces	Women's Basketball Site | Twitter | Game Notes

Previewing the Matchup: at Drake

• Saturday's meeting is the 61st in series history between the Aces and Bulldogs with Drake owning a 46-14 advantage in the all-time series.
• The two sides last met in a pair of back-to-back contests in Evansville on January 7 and 8 of 2021 with the Bulldogs taking both.
• Drake has won 13-straight games in the series with Evansville's last win over the Bulldogs coming in St. Charles, Mo. on March 13, 2015. Evansville's last win over Drake in Des Moines came on Jan. 12, 2014 in a 71-67 triumph.
• Saturday's contest does not just match the top two teams in the MVC in scoring offense; its a matchup of two of the best scoring teams in the nation. The Aces enter in 31st in the nation, averaging 77.2 points per game, while the Bulldogs are 14th in NCAA Division I with 81.3 points per game.
• The Bulldogs dropped their conference opener to Indiana State on Thursday night, 78-70, Drake's first loss in an MVC opener since the 2015-16 season.
• Drake enters this weekend's matchup as the 70th team in NET rankings, the highest team in NET ranking that the Aces will have faced this season.

Previewing the Matchup: at No. 21 Iowa

• The recently added contest between the Aces and Hawkeyes is just the second meeting all-time between the two sides with Iowa capturing a 76-64 win over Evansville in the only previous meeting on Dec. 10, 1983 at the Indiana State Classic in Terre Haute, Ind.
• The contest against the Hawkeyes will be Evansville's second in the last four seasons after facing Wisconsin in 2018-19 and Illinois in 2019-20.
• The game will be Evansville's first against a ranked non-conference opponent since taking on No. 20 Kentucky during the 2017-18 campaign.
• Iowa comes into Sunday's game with a 6-3 record, last dropping a 74-73 contest at home to IUPUI on Dec. 21.
• Originally scheduled to play both UNI and Drake, in non-conference play, the Hawkeyes captured an 82-61 win over the Panthers, while their game against Drake was canceled.
• As long as Evansville's Je'Naiya Davis scores one point and Abby Feit reaches double-figures for the 50th time in her career, Sunday's game will feature three of the top 50 scorers in the nation with Davis averaging over 20 points and Feit not far behind at nearly 19 points per game, while the 2020-21 National Co-Freshman of the Year, Iowa's Caitlin Clark, is averaging 22 points per contest.

A Rebounding Force

• One of the most impactful additions of the offseason was senior guard Myia Clark, who has come in an immediately made an impact like her backcourt companion, Je'Naiya Davis.
• Along with finding herself in the top three in scoring, three-point makes, and assists, Clark has also contributed an important presence on the glass for the Aces.
• At 5'7", Clark cleans-up the boards at an impressive rate, sitting second on the team with 4.9 rebounds per game.

Jossie Jumps In

• Making a spot start against Butler, junior Jossie Hudson showcased her importance to the team's depth.
• Against the Bulldogs, Hudson played a season-high 22 minutes, scoring seven points, and filling an important role defensively at the four position.

 

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