Box Score EVANSVILLE - In a game that the Aces stayed in with tenacity and an unwillingness to quit, the University of Evansville women's basketball team was done in by cold-shooting spells in a 73-56 loss to Illinois State on Thursday evening inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.

The Aces were led by a pair of double-figure scorers on the night with senior guard/forward Abby Feit tallying 14 points and sophomore guard Elly Morgan tying a season-best with 12 points. For the Redbirds, Paige Robinson (26 points) and Deanna Wilson combined for 49 points to help lead the visitors to the win.

Both sides struggled to get into a rhythm offensively in the opening period with the Redbirds shooting just 4-11 (36.4%) and Evansville hitting just 18.8% (3-16) from the field. The Aces owned a 5-4 lead with just over six minutes left in the first quarter, but the Redbirds responded with an 8-2 run over the rest of the frame to grab a 12-7 lead after 10 minutes of action.

A polar opposite second quarter saw both sides combine for 49 points in the period. Evansville scored four-straight points out of the quarter break to close within one of the visitors, but another answer from Illinois State gave the Redbirds a 10-point lead at the break.

The lead would balloon as large as 20 for Illinois State late in the third, but the Aces again showed their resiliency. A strong open to the fourth quarter saw Evansville chip its way within 13 at 62-49 on a pair of free throws from fifth-year guard A'Niah Griffin with less than three minutes into the final period. As was true much of the evening, Illinois State would again muster a response after Evansville's challenge holding its lead in double figures en route to the 73-56 win for the Redbirds.

In the game, Evansville was limited to just 29.2% shooting from the floor, while Illinois State hit 42.9% of its attempts from the field.

The Aces will close the regular season and celebrate Senior Day at 1 PM on Saturday afternoon as Evansville plays host to Bradley inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse. As part of Fan Appreciation Day, all tickets to Saturday's game are free.
 

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