EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women's basketball team opens the 2025-26 season on Thursday morning, traveling to Cape Girardeau, Mo. to take on the SEMO Redhawks. Tip-off for the regular season opener is scheduled for 11 AM from the Show Me Center.
Season Opener
- Thursday begins the 57th season of Evansville women's basketball
- In 56 previous season openers, the Aces hold a 32-24 record
- Under Head Coach Robyn Scherr, Evansville is 2-2 in season openers
- The last win in a season opener came in 2022 with an 89-81 win at Eastern Kentucky
Series History
- Thursday marks the first time that Evansville has opened the season against SEMO
- SEMO leads the all-time series between the two teams 13-6, with Thursday being the 20th all-time meeting between the Aces and Redhawks
- The Purple Aces are seeking their first-ever win in Cape Girardeau, holding an 0-8 record all-time at SEMO
- Evansville and SEMO are meeting for the fourth consecutive season, with the Purple Aces taking two of the last three match-ups
- Last season, the Aces beat the Redhawks 70-55 in Evansville, with Camryn Runner leading all scorers with 20 points and Kylee Norkus adding 12
Returning Core
- 53% of UE's points and 51% of minutes last season came from six returners to the 2025-26 roster, all of which are sophomores this season – Camryn Runner, Avery Kelley, Logan Luebbers Palmer, Kaiden Kreinhagen, Elle Snyder and Kylee Norkus
- Three of those returners - Runner, Luebbers Palmer, and Norkus - earned spots on the MVC Preaseason Players to Watch list
- Reigning MVC Freshman of the Year Camryn Runner finished last season 10th in the nation in scoring by a freshman with 15.5 PPG
- As Avery Kelley gained experience throughout her freshman season with the Aces, the Evansville native became a large piece of the team's gameplan. After averaging 2.9 points in nine non-conference games, Kelley averaged just shy of 8 points per contest against Valley competition
Exhibition Recap
- In its preseason tune-up on October 28, the Aces defeated Roosevelt inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse
- Luebbers Palmer led all scorers with 23 points, going 10-of-19 from the field and 3-for-3 from three point range
- Avery Kelley and Camryn Runner also scored in double-figures for UE, scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively
- In her first time wearing an Evansville uniform, freshman Georgia Ferguson grabbed a team-best eight rebounds in 18 minutes of action
Scouting the Opponent
- SEMO enters the 2025-26 campaign after going 6-23 last season, including a 4-16 mark in OVC play
- The Redhawks opened their season on Tuesday at Illinois, dropping a 91-67 decision
- Lexi McCully finished last season as SEMO's second-leading scorer at 11.2 points per game and led the Redhawks with 16 points against the Fighting Illini
Follow Along
Thursday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats are available at GoPurpleAces.com.
