After completing their non-conference slate earlier this week, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team will be looking to ring in the new year in positive fashion as they set out for Iowa for the first conference weekend of the year, beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday at Northern Iowa and continuing at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Drake.
The Purple Aces (1-10), who saw a comeback effort fall short to visiting IUPUI on Tuesday, are hoping that the challenging non-conference schedule will have prepared them for Missouri Valley season as the team looks to build on a 2014-15 league campaign that culminated in a pair of MVC tournament wins for the first time since 2009.
If UE is to be successful this weekend, the bulk of the responsibility will likely fall on the shoulders of Sara Dickey, Sasha Robinson and Kenyia Johnson. The trio combined for 48 points in Tuesday’s loss, led by 24 from Dickey, who now ranks eighth in school history with 1,328 career points.
Dickey, who has racked up double-digit points in five straight contests and all but two on the season, has been the unquestioned leader of the Aces offense this season. However, it’s the contributions from Johnson and Robinson that could push the Aces forward in conference play. Johnson, who has shifted over to point guard duties the last two games, responded to the challenge with a combined 22 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, including her first career double-double on Dec. 21 against Ball State. Robinson, meanwhile, is coming off a 12-point, five-rebound performance versus IUPUI.
The Aces will be looking to replicate their recent success in MVC openers, which includes three victories in the four seasons under the direction of head coach Oties Epps.
UNI (5-6) enters Friday on the heels of two wins over the past three games, beating both Akron and Tulsa. The Aces dropped both meetings with the Panthers last season, and the team will be looking for its first win in Cedar Falls since 2008.
Drake, which will take on Southern Illinois on Friday, is 7-4 on the year, and the Bulldogs will be seeking revenge after an 84-79 overtime loss in last season’s MVC tournament. The UE win brought an end to a four-game winning streak for Drake in the series, and the Aces will be looking to replicate the success that saw them pick up wins in Des Moines in both 2013 and 2014.
