EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women's basketball team begins the final week of regular season play on Thursday, taking on Bradley in Peoria. Tip-off for Thursday's game is set for 6 PM.
Series History
- Thursday's matchup marks the 64th all-time meeting between Evansville and Bradley
- The Braves lead the all-time series, 42-21
- Bradley won the first meeting between the two teams this season, a 79-68 win in Evansville on February 13
MVC Player of the Week
- Camryn Runner earned her first career MVC Player of the Week honor on Tuesday
- In two games last week, Runner averaged 29 points, six rebounds and six assists while shooting 65.3% from the field, 66.7% from three and 88.9% from the free throw line
- Entering the final week of regular season play, Runner ranks third in the Valley in scoring (18.2 ppg), second in assists (5.4), and first in free throws made (182) and attempts (216)
- As of Wednesday, Runner is on pace to become just the second player in the nation since the 2021-22 season to average 18.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 0.5 blocks per game, joining Iowa legend Caitlin Clark
Stepping Up
- Kylee Norkus had her two best games of the season last week, scoring an average of 17 points per game
- Against Drake on Thursday, Norkus put up 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field while grabbing a season-high six rebounds
- Norkus notched a career-best scoring day on Saturday against Murray State, contributing 19 points while going a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line
Tournament Implications
- Entering the final two games of the regular season, Evansville sits in ninth place in the MVC standings at 5-13
- The Aces are a half game ahead of Indiana State and a half game behind Southern Illinois, who Evansville will take on this Sunday in the regular season finale
- The Aces could earn anywhere from the 8-10 seed in next week's MVC Tournament
Scouting the Opponent
- Bradley enters Thursday's game with a 19-10 record and a 12-6 mark in MVC play
- The Braves are tied with Illinois State for third place in the Valley standings
- Bradley is coming off a 66-53 loss at UIC last Thursday
- Offensively, the Braves are led by Kaylen Nelson, who ranks fifth in the MVC in scoring at 17.5 ppg
Follow Along
Thursday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats are available at GoPurpleAces.com.
