CARBONDALE, Ill. - Again showing fight in battling back, the University of Evansville worked itself back within striking range late in an 80-66 loss to Southern Illinois on Saturday afternoon in Carbondale, Ill.

A trio of Aces finished in double-figures, scoring 42 of Evansville's 66 points. Leading the way was senior Myia Clark, who scored 19 points to go along with seven boards, scoring _ of her points in the second half. Joining Clark in double-digits was junior Je'Naiya Davis with 13 points, while senior Anna Newman finished with 10 points, hitting all eight of her attempts from the free throw line.

It was an efficient start to the contest for both teams, the difference being the giveaways for the Aces. Both sides shot above 45% in the opening quarter with Evansville owning a 55.6% to 45.5% advantage on shooting from the field, but the Aces turned the ball over seven times inside the first 10 minutes of action resulting in 10 points for the Salukis coming off turnovers as SIU held a 24-13 lead after the first period.

The hot-shooting quickly tapered off in the second as the Aces and Salukis combine to shoot 5-of-23 from the field in the second period. Despite the cold shooting, SIU was able to get to the free throw line and convert all eight of its foul shots as the Salukis took a 38-20 lead to the break.

As has been true for Evansville all season, the fight never quits as the Aces continued to battle in the third quarter. A key stretch during the midpoint of the third was capped-off by a layup in transition by Myia Clark cut the deficit to 16 and forced a Saluki timeout. After the timeout, SIU went on a run, building their largest lead of the afternoon at 58-34 in the waning moments of the period. Evansville would again make a small run to get back within 20 at 60-40 and poised for a fourth-quarter run,

Evansville would put a scare in the Salukis late as the Aces crept back into the contest. Trailing by 20 with 10 minutes remaining, the Aces got back within 10 with 58 seconds left on a pair of freebies by Newman. The Aces would continue to apply pressure late, but could not draw any closer in the 80-66 loss.

The Aces return to Meeks Family Fieldhouse for the final weekend of the regular season, beginning with a matchup with Drake on Thursday night and concluding with a Saturday afternoon contest against UNI.
 

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