CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Evansville sophomore Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind./Hamilton Heights) led all scorers and notched her first career double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds, but the Purple Aces dropped their season opener by a score of 71-66 at SEMO on Thursday.

Georgia Cox (Ballarat, Australia/Eastern Illinois) and Avery Kelley (Evansville, Ind./Memorial) also scored in double figures for the Purple Aces, tallying 11 points each, while Elle Snyder (Latrobe, Penn./Greater Latrobe) grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. Runner's 26 points serve as her second-highest single game scoring total, while her 11 rebounds are a career-best.

The Redhawks opened the game on a 5-0 run, but the Aces fought back, with Avery Kelley knocking down a transition three to give Evansville their first lead of the day at 8-7 with 5:52 to go in the first quarter. Evansville pushed the lead to six on a three-pointer by Elle Snyder with 3:20 remaining in the quarter, while Kelley splashed another three-pointer at the 1:43 mark to make the score 19-12. SEMO battled back at the end of the quarter, cutting the UE lead to four heading into the second.

Playing her first game with the Purple Aces, Eastern Illinois transfer Georgia Cox made her presence felt early in the second quarter, scoring seven points in the first 3:39 of the period to help Evansville take a 28-22 lead. Both teams went cold near the end of the quarter, as the final 3:29 of the half did not see a made field goal, and the Aces took a 32-25 advantage heading into the break.

SEMO started the second half hot, using a 10-0 run in the first 3:48 of the third quarter to grab a 35-32 lead. After a pair free throws from Snyder snapped the Redhawks' run, Runner took control, scoring eight consecutive points for the Aces to help her team regain the lead at 42-40. With the Aces holding the final possession of the quarter, Cox knocked down a jumper on the baseline as time expired to make it a four-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Just as they started the second half, SEMO got red-hot once again to begin the fourth quarter, outscoring Evansville 17-5 in the first 4:47 of the period to build their largest lead of the day to that point at 59-51. With 2:25 to go, the Redhawks brought their lead to 11, but consecutive three-pointers by Kelley and Runner cut UE's deficit to seven with 1:23 remaining. Another three by Runner with 0:13 to play brought the Aces back within four, but SEMO was able to salt the game away and take a 71-66 win.

The Aces return to action on Sunday, heading to Iowa City to take on 21^st-ranked Iowa. Tip-off from Carver-Hawkeye Arena is set for 2 PM and will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus.