UE women’s basketball earns win over IU Columbus on Education Day
The Purple Aces had a season-high 17 steals on Tuesday morning
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team bounced back with an 84-52 win over IU Columbus for its Education Day game at the Ford Center.
After a tough loss on Saturday, the Purple Aces recovered quickly on Tuesday against the IU Columbus Crimson Pride for their annual Education Day. UE particularly shined on defense with a season-high 17 steals and only allowed three IUC offensive rebounds. Sophomore forward Maggie Hartwig (Sauk City, Wis. / Sauk Prairie HS) led Evansville on both sides of the ball for her third double-double of the season.
“What a fun game to be out here with all the local students. They were so loud and created a great atmosphere,” said Head Coach Robyn Scherr following the victory. “These games are always really fun and it was exciting to be apart of it. This game was really good for us as we’ve got a lot of games in a short stretch.
“It was a chance for us to get some players a little more comfortable on the floor. We had some players coming off of injury that were able to get on the floor. That part was really really valuable for us. I was happy with how our kids played overall, especially in the third quarter.”
In front of over 1,400 Tri-State area students the Aces kept it close early as the lead was traded seven times. UE’s first run of the game started with freshman Avery Kelley’s (Evansville, Ind. / Memorial HS) first collegiate three four minutes into the first. Evansville then rattled off a seven-point run to take the lead for the rest of the game. Kelley added another triple to end the quarter for the Aces as they headed into the second up by three.
Both teams struggled to score early in the second quarter as only three field goals were made in the first five minutes. But UE soon found its offensive rhythm with a six-point run to take a double-digit lead. Adding four points in the final minute of the first half Evansville led by 13 at the half break.
The game fully turned the Aces way in the third quarter as UE’s defense didn’t allow a made basket from the Crimson Pride for almost five minutes. In that first four minutes and 53 seconds of the second half, Evansville scored eight straight points growing its lead to 21. After the Aces’ run was broken by a free throw they quickly responded with a seven-point run. UE’s lead grew to 32 with a minute and a half left in the third as freshman guard Kaiden Kreinhagen (Indianapolis, North Central HS) hit her second triple of the quarter. The teams traded free throws to end the third as Evansville held a commanding 63-32 lead.
In the final 10 minutes of the game the Aces removed their more experienced players to have all 11 of their healthy players get time on the floor. Ten of UE’s players scored at least two points as junior forward Mira Hanna (Palm Harbor, Fla. / Little Rock) had her first and-1 opportunity two and a half minutes into the fourth. Evansville had two brief four-point runs in the final seven minutes of the game as the team cruised to an 84-52 win over IU Columbus.
Three Aces set new career scoring highs on Tuesday including Kreinhagen, Kelley, and sophomore forward Claudia Clement (Barcelona, Spain). Hartwig was UE’s leader on the floor with 21 points and 10 rebounds while tying a career-high of three steals. Two other Evansville players ended the game in double-digits as Kreinhagen poured in 15 while guard Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind. / Hamilton Heights HS) had 12.
On the defensive side of the ball forwards Tamesha Dozier (Louisville, Ky. / Wabash Valley) and freshman Elle Snyder (Latrobe, Penn. / Greater Latrobe HS) had eight rebounds each. Snyder also contributed a game-high six steals for two defensive career records. Despite being the Aces’ shortest player on the floor, Kelley recorded the only block of the game for UE.
Evansville will end its non-conference schedule on the road this weekend. The Aces head up to the Windy City to face the Loyola Ramblers for the first time since they left the Missouri Valley Conference in 2022. Tip-off from Gentile Arena on Saturday, December 21st is set for 2 p.m. CT.
