FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
2024-2025 SIAC ALL CONFERENCE GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM
FIRST TEAM
PLAYER GRADE SCHOOL
Myla Browning 12 Memorial
Bailey Hape 11 Reitz
Carlee Rogers 12 Jasper
Jayden Scott 11 Castle
Maddy Shirley 11 Central
Mya Skelton 12 Central
SECOND TEAM
PLAYER GRADE SCHOOL
Libby Blythe 12 North
Rylee Canaan 10 Memorial
Izabell Grantz 11 Castle
Avery Kelley 12 Central
Kaelyse Mitchell 12 Reitz
Jordan Scott 12 Castle
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Maddy Shirley, Central
COACHES OF THE YEAR
USI finishes 2024-25 on the road – Screaming Eagles visit UTM, TSU
USI finishes 2024-25 on the road
Screaming Eagles visit UTM, TSU
Story Links
- USI Game Notes at UTM, TSU
- USI at UTM Game Information
- USI at TSU Game Information
- OVC Weekly Report
- Stan Gouard on Basketball Show
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball finishes the 2024-25 campaign when it visits the University of Tennessee at Martin Thursday and Tennessee State University Saturday. Game time at UTM is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., while tipoff at TSU is 3:30 p.m.
USI (10-18, 5-13 OVC) looks to stay on track to conclude the season after snapping a seven-game losing streak with an 82-68 victory over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Senior Night. Junior guard Jayland Randall led five Screaming Eagles in double-digits with 20 points, while graduate forward Jack Mielke posted his second career double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
For the final homestand of the regular season, USI was 1-1 and finished the year with an 8-7 record at Liberty Arena.
For the season, junior guard Damoni Harrison, who had 18 points versus Eastern Illinois University before missing the game with SIUE, leads USI with 15.1 points per game. Randall follows with 14.9 points per contest, while sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi rounds out the double-digit scorers with 13.9 points per contest.
UTM (12-17, 4-13 OVC) lost a pair on the road last week and seven of the previous 10 games. The Skyhawks lead the all-time series with the Eagles, 7-4, after winning big at Liberty Arena in December, 77-46. USI was led by Randall, who posted 12 points in the loss.
TSU (14-15, 10-8 OVC) is still trying to make moves in the conference standings and trying to earn a first-round bye. The Tigers are 8-3 in the last 11 games after last weekend.
USI leads the series with TSU, 6-4, after taking the first meeting back in December, 77-75, in Liberty Arena. The Eagles were led in the first meeting by Harrison, who had 19 points. Olowoniyi and Randall followed with 18 points and 15 points, respectively.
All of the USI Basketball action can be seen live on ESPN+. The game can also be heard on ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com) and 95.7FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).
HOT JOBS
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Traffic Alert: Riverside Drive
Both westbound lanes on Riverside Drive are completely closed to all traffic between Cherry Street and Chestnut Street while EWSU investigates a large sinkhole. Westbound traffic on Riverside is being detoured onto Cherry Street. The section of road will remain closed while crews determine the cause of the sinkhole and complete repairs.
Taylor Howe named MVC Player of the Week
Howe hit four home runs in four games last week
ST. LOUIS – Recording four home runs in four contests for the University of Evansville softball team last week, junior Taylor Howe has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week.
Howe completed the week batting .455 with four home runs and nine RBI for the Purple Aces. She hit a home run in each of UE’s four games over the course of the week. She slugged 1.636 while scoring six runs and reaching base 50% of the time.
She opened the week with a 2-run home run in the opening game against Saint Louis before adding another homer in the 11-1 victory to split the doubleheader. In game two, she went 2-4 with a homer, double, and two runs scored.
Sunday’s opening game against Western Michigan saw Howe hit another one out of the park while finishing with three RBI. In the 14-2 win over UT Martin, Howe went 1-2 with another home run, two RBI, two walks, and two more runs scored.
Aces host Drake in final home game of the season Game time set for 7 p.m. Wednesday
Game time set for 7 p.m. Wednesday
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Taking to the floor at the Ford Center for the final time this season, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team welcomes Drake for a 7 p.m. game on Wednesday. Cameron Gehlhausen will be recognized for Senior Day; he is set to graduate following three years at UE. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.
Last Time Out
– It was an entertaining back-and-forth contest before UIC pulled away in the final minutes to take an 82-77 win on Saturday
– Gabriel Pozzato led the way for UE with 23 points while Tayshawn Comer completed the game with 22
– After trailing by eight at the half, UE took multiple leads midway through the second half
Reaching 1K
– Tayshawn Comer scored 22 points at UIC to surpass the 1,000-point mark in his career
– After scoring 539 points in two seasons at Eastern Kentucky, Comer has 467 this season at UE to stand at 1,006 points
– Comer recorded his first double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 assists against Valparaiso
– His 11 assists tied his career mark
– Over the last 16 games, Comer is averaging 20.0 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game over that time and leads UE with his season scoring average of 16.1 PPG
– Against league competition, Comer is averaging 18.9 PPG, which is second
Full 40
– For the third game in a row and eighth time this season, Gabriel Pozzato played all 40 minutes at UIC while pacing the team with 23 points
– Pozzato is 7th in the MVC with 34.7 minutes per game
– He has averaged 22.5 PPG over the last two contests
– The 3-time MVC Freshman of the Week is the #6 scorer in the league with 15.8 PPG
– He earned his third MVC freshman accolade on Feb. 3 as he averaged 25.5 PPG in wins over Murray State and Belmont
– After missing eight games, he returned on Jan. 18 against Belmont
Another Career Game
– Connor Turnbull connected on 12 of his 15 shot attempts on his way to a new career mark of 27 points against Valpo on Feb. 16
– It was the second 20-point game of his career and surpassed his previous mark of 20, which came on Feb. 8 versus Bradley
– Turnbull has recorded multiple blocks in eight of the last 11 games and paces the MVC with his average of 1.86/game while his average in MVC games is even higher at 2.17 per contest
– His total of 54 blocks ranks 25th in the country while his average of 1.86 is 31st
Scouting the Opponent
– Drake continues to pace the MVC with an overall record of 25-3 and a 15-3 mark entering the final week of the regular season
– On Sunday, the Bulldogs recorded a 64-58 overtime win at Northern Iowa
– Bennett Stirtz continues to lead the Bulldogs and MVC with his average of 19.0 points per game
– He also paces the squad with his total of 168 assists, 64 steals, and 39.1 minutes per game
– Daniel Abreu and Mitch Mascari both enter the game with an average of 10.9 PPG
Women’s Swimming and Diving opens MVC Championship on Wednesday
Aces travel to Waukee, Iowa
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s swimming and diving team takes its turn at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships this week in Waukee, Iowa. Beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 26, the championships run through Saturday, Feb. 1.
Waukee CSD Natatorium is the host facility for the event. Action begins on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. CT with the 200-medley relay and the 800-free relay. The final three days will see prelim races begin at 10:30 a.m. with finals starting at 6 p.m.
Evansville last competed against Bellarmine in its Senior Weekend at Deaconess Aquatic Center. Maddie Rollett swept the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. Her score in the 3-meter was a 234.53 while her score in the 1-meter finished at 235.65. Teammate Leah Gardner took second in both dives. She scored a 175.88 in the 3-meter event while posting a 119.40 in the 1-meter.
Sveva Brugnoli, Amanda Denny, Delaney Miller, and Evelyn Chin took top honors in the 400-free relay. Their time of 3:42.86 topped the competition by just under two seconds. Ane Madina, Rafaela Markarewicz, Brugnoli, and Chin swam a 1:50.86 in the 200-medley relay to take second place.
Brugnoli’s stellar outing continued in the 200-fly as she dominated the competition with a 2:09.58. Her time bested the competition by over three seconds. Fellow senior Mari Mueller picked up a runner-up finish in the 200-breaststroke. She recorded a 2:26.30. Ane Madina also had a second-place finish. With a 2:11.39 in the 200-backstroke, she took second out of nine participants.
Aces baseball struggles with red-hot Kentucky offense
The Purple Aces gave up 20+ runs for the first time in three seasons
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Evansville baseball team fell behind early at Kentucky and couldn’t recover in a 24-3 loss on Tuesday afternoon.
Half of the Purple Aces roster saw the field in a midweek loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. UE used eight pitchers in seven innings as only one stayed on the mound for more than an inning. On offense, two players accounted for Evansville’s four hits as senior center fielder Ty Rumsey (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) and freshman shortstop Drew McConnell (Blue Springs, Mo. / Blue Springs HS) had two each.
Rumsey had an early hit for the Aces but was the only batter to make it on base in the first. It was a long bottom of the first inning for UE starter freshman RJ James (Toronto, Canada) as Kentucky’s offense loaded the bases with three straight singles. James threw a strikeout to the Wildcats fourth batter and drew a potential ground out from the fifth. But a throwing error from first over to third gave Kentucky enough time to send two runners home.
The Wildcats scored on the next two at-bats with a double down the left line and a home run over the center field wall had UK up by six with six hits in eight at-bats. Kentucky added one more run in the first on a sacrifice fly three batters later before Evansville’s defense ended the inning with a groundout. The Aces brought in junior RHP Owen Byberg (Barrie, Ontario, Canada) in the bottom of the second after the offense went down in order.
Byberg worked quickly in his first inning on the mound by getting the side with two strikeouts and a groundout. UE had a better offensive inning in the top of the third as the first two batters of the inning made it on base on a hit by pitch and a single. With two on, Rumsey connected on his second hit of the afternoon to help put Evansville on the board as catcher Kaleb Wilkey (Manhattan, Ill. / Lincoln-Way West HS) crossed home plate.
The Aces’ next batter right fielder Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast CC) was walked by the Wildcats starter to load up the bases. Infielder Cal McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis. / Bradley) followed up Taubert’s walk with a sacrifice fly to score McConnell, making it a 7-2 game with two outs. UE ended the offensive half of the inning during the next at-bat.
Byberg added two more strikeouts in the bottom of the third inning. But Kentucky added back a run on a fielding error before the third ended. The Wildcats extended their lead again in the bottom of the fourth with a lead-off home run, two doubles, and a sacrifice fly. Right-handed reliever Kellen Roberts (Monroe, Mich. / Monroe HS) took the mound midway through the fourth allowing a hit and two runs early as it became an 11-2 game. Roberts walked UK’s next three batters but got out of the jam with a strikeout in four pitches.
Evansville got a run back early in the fifth as McConnell hit his first career home run to the Aces bullpen in right field. UE got another runner to first base on a hit by pitch but had three batters either strikeout or groundout to end the top of the fifth. Freshman LHP Jack Wills (Shelbyville, Ky. / Shelby County HS) made his debut on the mound for Evansville in the bottom of the fifth, only an hour southeast of his hometown.
Wills struggled early as the first two batters he faced hit doubles into right center to add another run. The Wildcats widened their lead to 12 runs in the bottom of the fifth, scoring four runs on three hits while eight batters came to the plate. The Aces didn’t answer in the top of the sixth as they went down in order to a new Kentucky pitcher.
Redshirt junior Parker MacCauley (Paducah, Ky. / Tennessee Tech) took over for Wills in the bottom of the sixth. MacCauley added his fourth strikeout of the year facing his second batter. But UE struggled on the mound after using four different pitchers in the sixth as the Wildcats added nine runs. It would be first baseman Jake McGhee who ended the inning on the mound for Evansville, forcing a flyout and a strikeout while facing four batters.
The Aces went down in order in the top of the seventh inning to end Tuesday afternoon’s game by the run rule. UE fell to 1-6 on the season with the 24-3 loss at UK as they continue on a month-long road trip. Evansville will play a four-game series at Missouri over the weekend starting with a 5 p.m. game on Friday, February 28.
Strong starts give Trailblazers doubleheader sweep at Jerry Blemker Field
VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Baseball team returned to Jerry Blemker Field Tuesday morning looking to bounce back from their home opener Monday afternoon with doubleheader action against Morton College and a rematch against NJCAA Division III No. 15 Joliet Junior College.
The Blazers were able to open up fast starts in both games and ride the early momentum to a 5-2 victory over Morton College and an 8-4 victory over Joliet to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Vincennes opened the day Tuesday morning with a showdown against Morton College.
VU opened the scoring on the day in the second inning after a lead off walk by freshman Jarret Phillips (Jeffersonville, Ind.), who advanced on a stolen base and came around to score on a groundout put in play by sophomore Noble Johnson (Terre Haute, Ind.).
Vincennes continued to add in the second after a single by freshman Carter Gricius (Scottsburg, Ind.) was followed by a big two-run home run by sophomore Bryce Gross (Bridgeport, Ill.), his second of the season, to put the Blazers on top early 3-0.
Morton would get a run back and final crack the scoreboard in the fourth, before VU answered back in the fifth on back-to-back singles by freshman Jevan Andrews (Hobart, Ind.) and an RBI single by sophomore Nate Montgomery (Lexington, Ind.).
The two teams would trade runs in the sixth, where Vincennes took advantage of a leadoff single by Noble Johnson, who was driven in on a bases loaded walk by Nate Montgomery, giving him two RBIs on the day and his third time reaching base in four plate appearances.
The Trailblazers pitching would hold in the seventh after Morton looked ready to strike with the bases loaded with only one out but were unable to push the runs across and extend the game as Vincennes closed out the 5-2 victory over the Panthers.
Sophomore JD Bowser (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) got the start on the mound for the Trailblazers, throwing five strong innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits and striking out eight while picking up his first winning decision of the season.
Freshman Ty Stultz (Terre Haute, Ind.) was the first out of the pen for the Trailblazers, throwing one and one-third innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out two.
Sophomore Bryce Gross stepped in in the seventh and closed out the game for the Blazers striking out two in two-thirds of an inning to pick up the save.
“It was a great job by JD Bowser stepping up,” VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. “It was a good bounce back win for us after a tough night last night. We actually swung the bats okay in the first game and did a pretty good job defensively.”
“Bowser pitched well,” Barney added. “Ty Stultz got us a couple of key outs and then we turned around and had Bryce Gross close it out. Multiple guys stepped up with multiple RBIs, so game one was pretty good.”
VU looked to keep this momentum going in the evening portion of Tuesday’s doubleheader, getting a chance at revenge against NJCAA Division III No. 15-ranked Joliet Junior College.
Vincennes again struck early, getting on the scoreboard in the second inning after sophomore Damon Kay (Spencer, Ind.) began the inning with a hit by pitch.
Freshman Jarret Phillips followed that with a walk and the two advanced around the bases by taking advantage of a passed ball and a wild pitch, plating Kay to give the Blazers an early 1-0 lead.
Noble Johnson was able to get on base later in the inning with another walk, stealing second and then coming around to score on a two-RBI broken bat single by sophomore Brody Fessel (DePauw, Ind.) to put the Blazers on top 3-0 early.
Vincennes would get another run in the third inning, scoring after loading the bases by Nate Montgomery being hit by pitch and Damon Kay and Jarret Phillips drawing walks.
Montgomery would score on a groundout put in play by sophomore Yancey Edlin (Pekin, Ind.) to increase the Trailblazer lead to 4-0.
Joliet would respond in the fourth inning with a pair of runs and later cut the deficit to one with a run in the sixth to cut the VU lead down to 4-3.
Vincennes looked to answer back and pick up a few insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth and got the inning started right with a lead off single by Yancey Edlin.
Edlin’s walk was followed by a walk by Brody Fessel and the pair moved up 90 feet on a successful sacrifice bunt by freshman Jakob Hoyer (Georgetown, Ind.).
Edlin would then come in to score on a passed ball as Fessel moved to third and sophomore Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.) kept the inning going with a two-out walk.
Jevan Andrews legged out an infield RBI single and Douglas would come around to score on a passed ball.
VU closed out the inning with a double steal which allowed Andrews to score from third before Nate Montgomery was tagged out in a run down, giving the Blazers a commanding 8-3 lead going into the seventh.
Joliet would look for a big late comeback in the seventh inning and were able to plate one run in the inning but were unable to get more as Vincennes closed out game two of the day 8-4, completing the doubleheader sweep.
Freshman Eastin Whaley (Kokomo, Ind.) got the start on the mound for Vincennes in game two, throwing three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three to pick up the winning decision.
Freshman Wyatt Burris (Farmland, Ind.) entered in the fourth, allowing two runs on three hits in one and one-third innings while striking out two.
Sophomore Colton Okes (Evansville, Ind.) pitched the final two and two-thirds innings of relief, allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits and striking out four while picking up the save.