SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The University of Evansville women's basketball team hits the road for stops in Missouri and Southern Illinois over the weekend.
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The Purple Aces will get another long road trip done early in Missouri Valley Conference play as they head to Missouri State and Southern Illinois for games on Friday and Sunday. UE will play the Lady Bears on Friday evening, looking for their first win against Missouri State since a Hoops in the Heartland thriller in 2017. Evansville then makes its way to Carbondale for a clash with the Saluki's on Sunday afternoon. Both teams are currently in the middle of tough Valley stretches and will be hungry for a win.Â
The Lady Bears are looking for their 11th straight home win on Friday night when the Aces come to town after a win against UE began the win streak in Great Southern Bank Arena last year. Point guard Lacy Stokes is currently leading Missouri State and is grabbing some national attention as well. The junior ranks 17th nationally and second in the MVC with a 2.73 assist-to-turnover ratio this season while also putting up an average 10.3 points a game.
Southern Illinois has lost its last two games with its lone Valley win coming against Valparaiso at home two weeks ago. The Salukis fell just short to Bradley in their prior contest as the Braves hit a buzzer-beater bucket to seal the win. Southern is hoping its turnover creating defense will lead the way to a new winning streak this weekend as they average 20.5 turnovers over 40 minutes. Junior forward Laniah Randle leads the Salukis on offense with 17.3 points a game and leads the team in rebounding at 8.3. Randle has had at least 20 points in seven games this season leading SIU to a record of 4-3 in those contests.Â
It was another close weekend game for Evansville as it was a back-and-forth battle with the Murray State Racers until the end of the fourth quarter. UE came a possession away from the lead with eight minutes on the clock but ultimately fell 90-72. While the Aces weren't able to pick up the win on Sunday, Evansville did set a season high in assists. UE shared the ball 22 times for baskets in four quarters. The Aces previous season high came against SIUE and UT Martin with 18.
In her return to the court last week, freshman forward Nevaeh Thomas made an immediate impact with two double-digit performances. Thomas put up 10 points against both Belmont and Murray State while averaging 15 minutes of playing time. The Kenosha, Wisc. native also set a career-high in assists in Sunday's game with the Racers, helping on three shots.Â
