Graduate guard Hannah Noe scored 29 points as the Aces dropped a close battle to Austin Peay, 82-73, on the road Saturday afternoon in Clarksville, Tennessee.
“Our big emphasis was to attack and I thought we did okay and we made really good reads in that first quarter,” said Aces head coach Matt Ruffing. “We played really hard at the end and that’s positive and that’s something that will serve us really well moving forward. Credit to Austin Peay. They made open shots and pulled down offensive rebounds.”
Noe’s 29 points are the second-most in her career, just four shy of her 33-point outing in the Aces’ season-opening win over Murray State. Senior guard Brooke Dossett added 10 points, four boards, and four assists, while redshirt sophomore guard Marley Miller contributed eight points and six rebounds. Five Governors finished the contest in double figures with Brianah Ferby leading the way with 17 points.
In an opening quarter that featured six lead changes, a late run from the Aces helped provide Evansville with a 23-20 lead after the first ten minutes. Noe helped fuel an 8-2 Evansville run, knocking-down back-to-back three-pointers that tied the game at 10. Tied at 18 with 3:13 left in the quarter, the Aces put together a 5-2 run to earn a 23-20 lead heading into the second period.
Evansville carried its momentum over into the opening stages of the second as the Aces hit a pair of triples to open up a 29-23 advantage. The Governors responded with an 11-0 run that gave Austin Peay a 34-29 lead before the Aces closed back within a point at 35-34 at the half.
The Aces kept pace with Austin Peay to begin the third quarter as the deficit remained just one at 40-39 with 5:43 on the clock. From that point, the Governors mounted a 12-0 run that pushed Austin Peay’s advantage to 52-40 with just over two minutes left in the third.
In the final stanza, the Governors pushed their advantage as high as 17 points, but Evansville responded with pressure late to cut the deficit as thin as nine at 80-71 with 24 seconds remaining in the 82-73 loss.
The Aces outshot Austin Peay, 42.3% to 40.3% from the field and 57.9% to 35.5% from three-point range, while the Governors held a 44-34 advantage on boards.
Evansville wraps up a three-game road swing on Tuesday when the Aces take on No. 22 Kentucky at 6 p.m. in Lexington, Kentucky.
