Junior Sara Dickey scored 25 points while freshman Kerri Gasper poured in 20, but Baleigh Reid scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Miami RedHawks to a 91-85 victory over the University of Evansville women’s basketball team on Monday evening at Millett Hall.
“I thought our kids played hard tonight. Offensively, we had good rhythm and flow,†Aces head coach Oties Epps said. “We were able to create a lot of good shots. Defensively, we continue to improve our rotations from our full court press into a half-court defense. In addition to this, we need to be more committed to being fundamentally sound and blocking out.â€
“We gave ourselves some chances to win the game in regulation and in the first overtime and we will continue to build on the positive things from tonight.â€
Dickey nailed five triples for the Purple Aces (0-2) and hit eight shots overall. Gasper was 6-of-13 from the floor and hit four triples. Camille Coleman recorded 17 points while Aaliyah Gaines finished the night with ten. Reid paced the RedHawks (1-1) with her 29 while Ana Richter notched 19 and Leah Purvis recorded 17.
Down 2-0 in the opening minute, Camary Williams opened the scoring for the Purple Aces with a triple to give UE its first lead of the game at 3-2. Evansville’s first four buckets of the night came via the long ball as a second trey of the night for Sara Dickey gave the Aces a 12-8 lead less than four minutes in.
Camille Coleman hit a layup with 36 ticks left in the first quarter to give UE its largest lead at 22-16 before Miami scored to make it a 22-18 game at the first break. The second quarter was all RedHawks as they outscored UE by a 22-12 margin to take a 40-34 lead at the break.
Miami continued to lead throughout the third stanza as a triple gave them their largest lead at 54-45 with 19 ticks left in the period. Laura Friday hit a jumper in the last two seconds to get UE back within seven.
Out of the 3rd quarter break, Evansville came out of the chute fast, going on an 11-2 run to take a 58-56 lead. Dickey and Gasper each had a triple in the rally. The lead for UE reached six at 66-60, but the RedHawks fought back as a Leah Purvis jumper tied it up at 69-69 with 17 seconds remaining. The Aces did not get a shot off on the ensuing possession, sending the game to overtime.
In the first two possessions of the first OT, the teams traded 3-pointers, setting a tone for the extra session. With 33 seconds left, the RedHawks hit a triple giving them a 79-76 edge. Down to its last possession, UE countered as Dickey nailed one of her own and the game went into a second overtime period.
Back-to-back MU baskets saw them take an 85-81 lead in with 1:43 left in double overtime. Evansville cut it to two on two occasions, but Miami had the late answer and held on for a 91-85 win.
Evansville played tough despite being outrebounded by a 57-27 tally. Miami also finished with a 22-6 advantage on the offensive glass. Four RedHawks notched seven or more boards. The Aces finished the night shooting 41.8% while Miami shot 48.2%.
The trip through the state of Ohio continues for UE as they head to Cleveland State on Wednesday. The Aces face the Vikings in a 6 p.m. CT contest.
