Aces to host two conference leaders over the weekend

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team will hope to knock off one of four unbeaten Missouri Valley Conference teams at home this weekend.

The Aces look to hand a first loss to either the Belmont Bruins or the Murray State Racers over the week as they host two conference leaders. UE will have a slight change in venue on Friday as they welcome over 1,000 EVSC students to the Ford Center for Education Day. For their game against Belmont, Evansville will host a morning match-up to allow local kids to see a basketball game for free with their classmates. It will be the Aces’ first Education Day game against an MVC team since moving to Meeks Family Fieldhouse full-time in the 2017-18 season.

The Bruins come into Friday’s game on a three-game win streak since entering Valley play at the end of 2023. Belmont has picked up wins over UIC, Illinois State, and Bradley in conference play while adding seven wins against non-conference opponents. On offense, the Bruins are led by forward Tessa Miller averaging 13.8 points while on defense they’re led by forward Kendal Cheesman with 6.3 rebounds a game.

Murray State also comes to the Hoosier state riding a three-game MVC win streak. The Racers picked up big wins over Illinois State, Bradley, and Valparaiso while putting up at least 90 points in all three games. Murray State is the most prolific offense in the Valley, averaging 93.9 points a game for second in the nation behind LSU. The Racers lead the nation in bench points per game at 42.58 and third nationally in three-pointers per game with 10.2. Murray is led on both sides of the ball by senior Katelyn Young at a 17.9-point clip and 7.7 rebounds over 26 minutes a game.

Freshman forward Maggie Hartwig picked up her fourth double-double of the season against Northern Iowa on Thursday. The Sauk City, Wisc. native had 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Panthers in just under 26 minutes of action. Hartwig is now second in the MVC in double-doubles, tied with two other upperclassman players. The freshman is the only underclassman in the Top 5 in the Valley in double-doubles on the season.

Junior guard Alana Striverson had a season-high performance against the Drake Bulldogs on Saturday. The Lindenwood transfer led the Aces with 15 points on offense while shooting over 70% from the floor. It was the second time this season that Striverson was UE’s leading scorer.