EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team picked up their first MVC win of the season in dominant fashion on Saturday afternoon, dispatching Valparaiso 66-46 inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse. The win was the Aces’ largest in MVC play since March 2, 2017.
It was a balanced offensive effort for Evansville, with 10 Aces finding the scoring column and six Aces scoring six or more points. Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind./Hamilton Heights) led the way with 12 and snagged a career-high 13 rebounds to record her second career double-double. Mireia Mustaros (Barcelona, Spain/Ins Argentona) had her highest-scoring performance as an Ace, scoring 11 points to go with six rebounds. Elle Snyder (Latrobe, Penn./Greater Latrobe) enjoyed a strong afternoon with nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from three-point range while adding eight rebounds and four assists.
Mustaros came out of the gates hot, scoring the Aces’ first five points of the game, while a three-pointer by Sydney Huber (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Mount Vernon) and a layup by Logan Luebbers Palmer (Union, Ky./Randall K. Cooper) gave the Aces a 10-3 lead and forced an early timeout by the Beacons. Valpo battled back to make it 14-12 at the 2:51 mark in the opening quarter, but another run, highlighted by a three by Snyder and four points from Runner, gave the Aces a 21-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
Evansville’s run continued to begin the second period, with a three from Jelena Savic (Melbourne, Australia/Kurunjang Secondary College) and buckets by Georgia Ferguson (Waterloo, Ontario/Cairine Wilson Secondary School) and Huber ballooned the lead to 16. The Aces continued to control things for the remainder of the half, heading into break with a 37-24 advantage.
Strong defense marked the third quarter for the Aces as they held the Beacons to seven points, matching a season-best, and kept Valpo off the scoreboard for the final 3:51 of the period.
Evansville opened up their largest lead of the day with 4:48 to go in the fourth quarter, as another three from Snyder made it 61-35. The Aces cruised from there, taking home a decisive 66-46 victory.
Valpo’s 46 points was the lowest mark allowed by the Aces this season, while the Beacons’ 27.1% shooting percentage was the lowest allowed by the Evansville defense this year.
Evansville is off until Thursday, when they hit the road next to take on Southern Illinois in Carbondale. Tip-off is set for 6 PM.
