Jess Willsey hits game-winner in 7th

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Freshman Jess Willsey hit a 2-out home run in the top of the seventh to lift the University of Evansville softball team to a 4-3 win over Saint Louis in the opening game of the DePaul Dome Classic.

Willsey finished the day 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and a RBI. Alexa Davis picked up two hits and an RBI of her own.  Zoe Frossard knocked in two runs and finished 1-for-3.  Erin Kleffman made the start for the Purple Aces and allowed two runs on five hits in four innings.  Megan Brenton earned the win, tossing 2 1/3 scoreless frames.

Evansville wasted little time in taking the lead as Frossard hit a 2-RBI single in the top of the first.  Taylor Howe and Willsey hit leadoff singles before Frossard scored both with two outs.  The Billikens tied it right up in the bottom half of the first but UE would strike again in the 4^th.

Hannah Hood reached on a 1-out single before stealing second.  With two outs, Alexa Davis singled to center to put the Aces back in front at 3-2.  Once again, Saint Louis tied the score as an RBI groundout by Gabbie Kowalik.

Things remained tied until the top half of the 7^th when Willsey hit a 2-out home run to left field that proved to be the game winner.  Brenton allowed a baserunner in the bottom of the frame but was able to clinch the victory for UE.

Friday’s action will feature the Aces matching up against St. Thomas at 10 a.m. before facing Eastern Kentucky at 3 p.m.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball ran into a hot-shooting Tennessee Tech University squad on Thursday, as the host Golden Eagles picked up a 79-59 win against the Screaming Eagles.
 
With only a handful of regular season games remaining, Thursday’s result moved Southern Indiana’s record to 10-14 overall and 4-9 in Ohio Valley Conference play, landing USI into a tie for eighth in the conference standings. With Thursday’s win, Tennessee Tech improved its record to 15-8 overall and 9-4 in the OVC, good for third place.
 
The Screaming Eagles got off to a blazing start, connecting on their first four attempts from the field. Sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) scored right from the opening tip-off, and senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) recorded a pair of layups. USI led 8-3 within the first couple of minutes. After a called timeout by Tennessee Tech, the Golden Eagles clamped down defensively and went on a 16-0 scoring run to surge ahead, 19-8. USI was held scoreless for over seven minutes until junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) scored a second-chance layup. Tennessee Tech led 22-12 after the first quarter.
 
Trailing by 12 early in the second period, USI turned to Raley for two big baskets. Raley cashed in on a layup and a three-pointer to get USI back within seven, 24-17, just over two minutes into the second quarter. During the middle portion of the second, Tennessee Tech built its lead back up to double digits. Behind 33-19 near the halfway point of the second quarter, Southern Indiana’s defense tightened up on Tennessee Tech. USI got back within 10, 35-25, with a minute remaining in the first half, but Tennessee Tech scored twice before halftime to take a 39-25 advantage into the intermission.
 
Both teams had a relatively cool start on the offensive end to begin the opening minutes of the second half. Near the six-minute mark, Shafford buried a pull-up three-pointer in transition for USI, as Tennessee Tech led 44-30. The Golden Eagles increased their lead to 19, 53-34, over the course of the next three minutes before USI’s graduate forward Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio) canned a corner triple. With just under three minutes left in the third quarter, Raley capitalized on a three-point play to bring the deficit down to 15, 55-40. Tennessee Tech ended the third quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 63-40 lead into the fourth period.
 
The Golden Eagles’ scoring run carried over into the start of the fourth, reaching a 13-0 stretch and leading to a 68-40 lead. Both defenses forced tough shots in the fourth quarter, as each side endured a scoring drought during the middle minutes of the fourth. Near the three-minute mark, sophomore guard Aubrey Burgess (Linton, Indiana) converted on a basket and a foul. Burgess continued her aggressive play down the stretch, finishing with a career-best nine points off the bench for USI.
 
Southern Indiana had three players tally double figures, as Haithcock had a team-high 14 points with Raley scoring 12 points and Brown posting 11 points. USI was 19-51 for 37 percent from the field, including three triples, and went a perfect 18-18 at the free-throw line.
 
Tennessee Tech was led by senior guard Maaliya Owens, who had a career night for the Golden Eagles. Owens dropped 29 points, draining nine three-pointers along the way. Tennessee Tech had two other players register double digits. The Golden Eagles shot 28-56 for 50 percent overall with 11 made threes and went 12-17 for 70.6 percent at the stripe. Tennessee Tech won the rebounding battle 34-31.
 
The Screaming Eagles return to Screaming Eagles Arena Saturday against Lindenwood University at 5 p.m. Saturday’s game is Senior Day, and USI Women’s Basketball will host its annual Play4Kay game. The Screaming Eagles will wear pink uniforms, and fans are encouraged to join USI’s efforts in raising breast cancer awareness by wearing pink at the game and making Screaming Eagles Arena a SEA of Pink. Plus, special pink t-shirts will be on sale at the game while supplies last. T-shirt proceeds will benefit cancer research.
 
The Play4Kay game, which is named after the late Hall of Fame coach Kay Yow (North Carolina State), who passed away in 2009 following a 22-year battle with cancer, is the WBCA’s breast cancer awareness initiative. For more information on the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and to join the fight, go to https://wbca.org/about/kay-yow-cancer-fund.

VINCENNES, Ind. – The No. 9 Vincennes University Trailblazers faced their toughest test this season Wednesday night at the P.E. Complex in No.  4 John A. Logan.

VU battled all night and had the game tied with under seven minutes to go before the Volunteers pulled away late to pick up the 78-68 win over Vincennes.

This game lived up to the standard of a top-10 NJCAA showcase, with the two Region 24 squads trading baskets throughout.

John A. Logan grabbed the early momentum with a seven-point first half lead, before VU quickly erased this lead and would outscore the Vols 19-9 to take a 29-26 lead.

The score was tied six times in the opening half and the lead changed hands nine times in the opening 20 minutes of play, including at the buzzer when VU sophomore Caleb Johnson (N. Preston, Nova Scotia) sank a three to give the Trailblazers a 39-38 halftime lead.

Vincennes looked to make their move in the second half and built a four-point, 52-48 lead midway through the second half.

John A. Logan would rally back to even the game at 60-60 as we headed into the under seven minutes media timeout.

Coming out of this time out, the Volunteers took their game to another level, going on an 11-1 run and grabbing all of the momentum from the big Vincennes crowd.

Vincennes would battle to the end but were unable to put together a scoring run to get back into it as John A. Logan closed out the game at the free throw line and picked up the 78-68 win over the Trailblazers.

The lead changed a staggering 16 times Wednesday night, with the score being tied 10 times in this tough top-10 NJCAA matchup.

UE leads from start to finish

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Leading from start to finish, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team put together its best performance of the season, defeating Northern Iowa by a final score of 71-59 on Wednesday at the Ford Center.

After jumping out to an 11-4 lead, the Purple Aces held a 43-26 advantage at halftime before taking the 12-point win.  Four UE players finished in double figures led by Yacine Toumi, who had 15 points while adding a team-best nine rebounds.  Kenny Strawbridge Jr. picked up 14 points while Gage Bobe and Preston Phillips added 12 and 10, respectively.

“I thought we did a good job coming out and being locked in on our defensive game plan.  We caught them off guard and kept them on their heels and won with our defense,” UE head coach David Ragland exclaimed following the victory.  “We put together a complete game and got the job done.  Over the last few games, we have been building towards this and I feel so good for the guys in the locker room and to see the smiles on their face.”

Tytan Anderson and Landon Wolf paced the Panthers with 14 points apiece.  Anderson recorded a game-high 12 caroms.

Evansville drained five of its first six shots to take an 11-4 lead just over three minutes in.  The Panthers countered with four in a row as the Aces missed their next three attempts, but it was Yacine Toumi connecting on a triple to end the run.

Up by a 17-13 score, Marvin Coleman II connected from downtown to open a 7-0 stretch that pushed the lead into double figures at 24-13 at the 9:07 mark.  Preston Phillips turned a steal into a field goal two minutes later to make it a 16-point game and with exactly one minute remaining in the half, Kenny Strawbridge Jr. turned another turnover into a make to take a game-high 19-point lead (43-24).

UE wrapped up the half with a 43-26 lead – its largest halftime lead of the season.  The Aces shot 60% from the field and 50% from outside.  Just as impressive was the defensive, who turned 11 UNI turnovers into 16 points while holding the Panthers to just two points off turnovers in the period.  Toumi scored 13 in the period.

Northern Iowa took over on the defensive end to open the second half, forcing 11 missed shots as they cut the lead to just seven at 43-36.  Chris Moncrief ended the stretch with a dunk to get his squad back on track.  Fortunately for the Aces, the deficit would not get below nine for the remainder of the evening.

Holding a 47-38 advantage as the second half reached its midway point, Phillips hit a basket to push the lead back into double figures.  His field goal began a 6-0 run that went back up to 15 with a Strawbridge triple.  His outside shot made it a 55-40 game.  Over the final minutes, the Panthers closed to within nine points but it was Evansville taking the win, 71-59.

For the first time this season, UE shot 50% from the field.  The Aces finished right at the mark with 28 of their 56 attempts finding the bottom of the net.  UNI shot 39.3% for the game.  Coleman led the Aces with seven assists while grabbing eight boards.  Phillips had a notable performance as he went 4-for-4 from the field while picking up three steals, three rebounds and two assists.  On Sunday, the Aces are right back at the Ford Center for a 1 p.m. game against Missouri State.

VINCENNES, Ind. – Vincennes University sophomore Cherrelle Newsom (Indianapolis, Ind.) etched her name into the VU record books Wednesday night by setting a new Lady Blazers record for three-pointers made in a career with 172.

Newsom surpassed two-time NJCAA All-American Ashley Buis who set the record back in 2010.

Newsom also moved into a tie with Chelsea Jellison for most three-pointers in a single season in VU history Wednesday night with 88 long range makes on the year.

The Lady Blazers got going early against the Lady Vols, using an 11-2 scoring run to take a quick seven-point lead.

VU would continue to add on throughout the opening period to end the first quarter with a 19-9 advantage.

The second quarter began as a back-and-forth battle before VU would close out the first half with a 13-2 scoring run to take a 38-23 lead into the locker room.

Vincennes continued to add to their lead in the second half, building a 20-point lead late in the third quarter and taking a 58-37 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Lady Trailblazers looked to close out the game strong and continue to pull away late, aided by four Cherrelle Newsom three-pointers in the fourth quarter as VU built their largest lead of the game at 79-52 with just over three minutes to play.

John A Logan could not wrestle the momentum back late as VU closed out their 10th Region 24 win of the season, winning over John A. Logan 81-56.

VU was led offensively by another double-double by freshman Elikya Baseyila (Paris, France), her ninth of the season, ending with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Cherrelle Newsom came on late, scoring 12 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter and hitting 15 points naturally with five three-point makes. Newsom also led the Lady Blazers with eight assists.

Freshman Maycee Lange (Vincennes, Ind.) also had a big game from behind the three-point line, ending with 13 points on three made three’s, six rebounds and a team-high three steals.

Sophomore Daylynn Thornton (Lafayette, Ind.) finished her night with 10 points and four rebounds, while fellow sophomore Chanice Willis (Champaign, Ill.) hit double-figures off the bench with 12 points and a team-high three steals.

The Lady Trailblazers will have a week to prepare for their next opponent when VU hosts Lincoln Trail College, Wednesday, Feb. 15 in the annual Play 4 Kay game at Vincennes.

Fans are encouraged to wear pink next Wednesday to show their support as the VU women’s basketball program continues their partnership with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Play 4 Kay t-shirts will be sold at the gate next Wednesday and the VU women’s basketball team will be taking donations for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers have partnered with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund for 10 years and have helped raise over $30,000 in the fight against cancer.