NORMAL, Ill. – A slow first quarter and quiet third kept the University of Evansville women's basketball team from keeping up with Illinois State in a 70-58 loss.
Following a close game at Indiana State on Thursday, the Purple Aces weren't able to keep up their production in a visit to the Redbirds. UE's production was led by forward Nevaeh Thomas with 16 points and six rebounds. Guard Lexie Sinclair also made an impact on Evansville's offense with her second game in double-figures, scoring 10 points at CEFCU Arena.
Offense was slow to come by early, but the Aces had the first point with a free throw. The first field goal of the game came from Illinois State two minutes into the quarter. Forward Tameshia Dozier had the early production for UE, tying the game with a field goal just under the halfway mark. But the Redbirds responded with a seven-point run to take the lead for the rest of the game. Evansville found its way back into the game as guard Julia Palomo made back-to-back free throws followed by the Aces' first triple of the day. It was traded points the rest of the quarter as UE trailed by four.
The second quarter started with a bang for Evansville as forward Maggie Hartwig sunk a three in the first 30 seconds. But the Aces' offense was quiet for the next three minutes as Illinois State grew its lead to 12. UE found its response in the final three minutes of the half, putting up 11 points to close out the first. Evansville's last three shots to go in were all treys from guard Tené Smith and Sinclair to trail by five.
It was a tough third quarter for the Aces as the Redbirds broke the game open with three straight treys in less than two minutes. Thomas ended the first run of the half on a contested layup but was fouled on the next play. Illinois State then had their longest run of the day with 16 straight points. Thomas ended the bleeding with a layup and 3:01 on the clock. Hartwig and Thomas added six more points in the final three minutes, all on layups. But UE faced a 26-point deficit going into the final quarter.
Evansville had its best run of the game to start the fourth quarter, scoring seven in the first two minutes. But the Redbirds were able to subdue the Aces' offense for the next three minutes to lead by 28 with five left in the game. Thomas was able to make it a back-and-forth pace for over a minute until Illinois State put together another seven-point run. UE's offense was able to make small dents in the Redbirds' lead, but it wouldn't be enough as they fell in Normal 78-50.
While Thomas led Evansville on offense, Palomo matched her career-high of six rebounds to help on the defensive side of the ball. Palomo and Thomas also had multiple steals for the Aces with two each across 40 minutes.
UE continues its four-game road swing with stops to the Valley's southernmost schools. Evansville will start with a Friday night match up against the Murray State Racers in Kentucky. Tip-off from CFSB Center on March 1 is set for 6 p.m.
