Box Score EVANSVILLE - After trailing by 17, the University of Evansville women's basketball team battled back, cutting its deficit as low as six before falling to Southern Illinois, 75-62, on Saturday afternoon inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse in Evansville.

Balanced scoring was the theme of the afternoon for the Aces as four of Evansville's five starters finished the game in double figures. Senior guard Myia Clark tallied a team-high 14 points, adding six boards and three assists, while Abby Feit (11 points), Anna Newman (10), and Je'Naiya Davis (10) all recorded 10-or-more in the scoring column. To go along with her 11 points, Feit recorded her 11th double-double of the season with 10 boards, and added three blocks, including two in back-to-back defensive possessions. For the visiting Salukis, Makenzie Silvey powered SIU with 23 points with 11 coming at the charity stripe, while Abby Brockmeyer had 19 points and 14 boards, and Gabby Walker reached double-digits with 17 points.

A back-and-forth early battle saw the Aces grab a 7-5 lead on a triple by Feit just 3:12 into the game. SIU would answer, building a 16-5 run, powered by a quick two buckets before the horn to grab a 21-12 lead after the opening quarter.

Both teams struggled to get much going offensively in the second period as the two sides combined for just 24 points in the period. SIU's lead grew as large as 16 in the quarter, but Evansville whittled its way back within 13 at 35-22 at the break.

The third quarter could not have been more different than its predecessor as both teams combined for 48 points with a strong rally from the Aces highlighting the period. After the Salukis pushed their lead to 17 inside the first two minutes of action, Evansville battled its way back from the deficit to cut within seven with 2:22 left in the quarter before the Salukis went on another run to rebuild a 58-47 lead.

Resilient until the end, the Aces showed fight. Chipping away point-by-point, Evansville gave themselves a chance with less than two minutes remaining. A layup by Davis got UE within eight and after creating a turnover, Clark got to the basket and made it just a six-point SIU lead with 1:41 remaining in the game. Over the final 100 seconds, Evansville had chances to cut its deficit further, but shots did not fall as SIU hit shots at the foul line to secure the 75-62 win.

Evansville goes back on the road next week for a rare three-game MVC road trip, beginning on Friday, February 4 at Illinois State, followed by Bradley on Sunday, February 6, and finishing with Northern Iowa on Tuesday, February 8.

 

• INFO: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville athletics, log on to the sport page on GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics.

 

• 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

 

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