Cam Haffner sets career mark against Radford

Junior scored a career-high 23 points 

NOVEMBER 17, 2024

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Junior Cam Haffner continued to roll, scoring a career-high 23 points to lead the University of Evansville men’s basketball team in Saturday’s contest against Radford.

After leading by as many as 22 in the first half and 18 at the break, the Purple Aces fell to the Highlanders by a final score of 92-81.  Evansville had it going from outside, tying the program record with 17 3-point makes.  Haffner hit six triples while Gabriel Pozzato and Josh Hughes hit four apiece.  Pozzato scored 20 for UE while Hughes finished with 19.  Leading Radford was Jarvis Moss, who posted 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting.

“This one stings.  Being up as much as we were at home, you have to win these types of games,” UE head coach David Ragland said after the game.  “We need to play a full 40 minutes and have not done that to this point.  We need to look in the mirror and get better individually and as a team.”

Radford opened with a long possession, grabbing three offensive rebounds before taking a 2-0 lead.  Evansville posted the next three with Gabriel Pozzato knocking down a triple.  After the Highlanders battled back to take 10-8 lead, the Aces kicked it into gear.  Over the next five minutes, UE went on an 11-0 run to take a 19-10 advantage.

Connor Turnbull scored four during the run while Tayshawn Comer capped it off with a triple.  On the defensive side, UE held Radford to 0-for-4 from the field while forcing four turnovers.  Kaia Berridge, Cam Haffner, and Josh Hughes added 3-pointers over the next three minutes to give Evansville a 31-15 lead with 8:46 left in the half.  Michael Day played a pivotal role during the rally, earning three assists that resulted in nine points.

A quick spurt by RU cut the deficit to 12 before the Aces flexed their muscle once again, doubling up the Highlanders at 44-22 inside of the 5-minute mark.  Hughes converted two more triples.  Over the final minutes, Radford closed slightly, making it a 50-32 game at the break.  Evansville’s outside shooting made the difference as UE knocked down 12 triples in 21 attempts.

Out of the half, the Highlanders came out hitting on all cylinders.  Hitting seven of their first nine attempts, Radford scored the first 16 points of the period to get within two points.  Evansville missed its first five attempts of the period while turning it over three times.  Josh Hughes ended the stretch with a triple.  Another three by Haffner made it a 56-48 game, but a tenacious Highlander squad continued to battle.

As the half approached its midway point, a flagrant foul turned out to be a 5-point possession as Radford knotted the game at 67-67.  Hughes was the hero once again, breaking the tie, however, the momentum did not last as a triple gave RU the lead with 7:31 remaining.  The teams swapped the lead four times over the next two minutes resulting in a 76-75 Highlander lead.

Holding a 78-76 advantage with 4:14 remaining, Radford scored eight in a row over the ensuing two minutes to go up 86-76.  Evansville was unable to overcome the deficit, falling by a 92-81 final.  Highlighting the comeback for Radford was a 22-for-27 (81.5%) effort from the field in the final 20 minutes as they finished the game shooting 63.6%.  UE finished at 50.0% while going 17-for-35 (48.6%) from long range.  RU wrapped the day up with a 29-24 edge on the glass.

-www.GoPurpleAces.com-

USI begins homestand with win over IU Southeast

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball started its three-game homestand Friday night at Liberty Arena with an 88-41 victory over Indiana University Southeast.

Southern Indiana (3-1) jumped out to a quick lead Friday, and sophomore guard Triniti Ralston picked up where she left off from Tuesday’s road win at Murray State University. Ralston canned a three-pointer just over a minute into the game and shortly followed with a layup to give USI an early 10-0 advantage. The Screaming Eagles’ forwards also had an active presence in the first period, helping push USI ahead 16-0 before IU Southeast (0-3) scored its first points at the 4:24 mark of the first. The Eagles went on to take a 21-6 lead into the second quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, sophomore forward Chloe Gannon saw her first minutes of the season returning from injury. Gannon quickly recorded a layup two minutes into the second stanza. In the middle of the second, graduate forward Meredith Raley scored eight consecutive points for Southern Indiana to increase the Eagles’ lead to 40-11 with 2:28 until halftime. The Screaming Eagles went into the intermission in front, 47-15, as Raley had 10 first-half points and Ralston tallied nine in the first 20 minutes following a last-second layup to conclude the second frame.

Ralston continued to leave her mark in the contest by knocking down a pair of triples in the first three minutes of the second half, building Southern Indiana’s lead to 58-17. The Grenadiers tallied 14 points in the final four minutes of the third quarter, but the Screaming Eagles answered with made baskets of their own to maintain its large lead, 72-31, heading to the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Southern Indiana’s freshman guard Lexi Sepulveda made a charge with eight points in the quarter to reach double figures for the first time in a USI uniform, as the Screaming Eagles closed out the big win.

USI shot for over 57 percent (35-61) with six three-pointers and went 12-16 for 75 percent at the foul line. Southern Indiana outrebounded IU Southeast, 44-21, and had big advantages in points off turnovers, 34-5, and points in the paint, 50-14. Every player found the scoring column for USI Friday night. Ralston topped the squad for the second consecutive outing with 19 points. Raley totaled 13 points and Sepulveda recorded 12 points.

IU Southeast was 14-49 for just under 29 percent from the floor with five treys. The Grenadiers were 8-11 for nearly 73 percent at the free-throw line. Sophomore guard Grace Stapleton was the only Grenadier in double digits with 13 points.

The Screaming Eagles make a quick return to the court at Liberty Arena on Sunday afternoon when USI hosts Saint Louis University at 2 p.m.

On Sunday, fans should arrive early for pregame ceremonies and banner unveilings celebrating the 2023-24 season. Additionally, USI Housing and Residence Life will host a pregame tailgate with food and activities in partnership with Archie’s Army. At halftime, USI Athletics will recognize its teams and student-athletes academic achievements in 2023-24.

Tickets for all home games at Liberty Arena can be purchased online at usiscreamingeagles.com or the USI Ticket Office.

Pricop’s double-double leads Lady Blazers past D-III No. 6 Owens C.C.

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers opened up the 2024 Vincennes Lady Blazer Classic Friday evening inside the Physical Education Complex with a back-and-forth battle with NJCAA Division III No. 6-ranked Owens Community College.

The Lady Blazers came into the game again short-handed, with only seven active players and were able to come away with the 82-73 victory over the Express behind a 21-point 14-rebound double-double by freshman Delora Pricop (Brasov, Romania).

VU got off to a good start in the opening quarter, beginning the game with an early 6-2 lead before Owens answered back to take a 16-12 lead.

Vincennes closed out the first 10 minute period strong though, riding a 10-0 scoring run to take a 22-16 lead after the first quarter of play.

The Lady Blazers would hold their lead throughout most of the second quarter, getting the lead to as many as eight at 33-25 before Owens ended the first half with a flurry of threes to come back and take a 47-45 lead at the halftime break.

Coming out of the locker room in the second half, the Lady Blazers looked to get the momentum back on their home floor, using an 11-3 scoring run to take a 60-54 lead late in the third quarter.

Owens would again battle back, closing out the third quarter strong to head into the final 10 minutes trailing Vincennes 62-61.

Vincennes was able to slowly put the game away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Owens C.C. 8-1 to take a 72-65 lead.

Owens battled to the end, cutting the VU lead down o four at 77-73 but were unable to overcome the deficit as Vincennes closed out the 82-73 victory.

“It wasn’t pretty but a win is a win,” VU Interim Head Coach Ingrida Hartsfield said. “I think in the second half especially we starting playing better defense. Just closing the gaps, closing out and finding the shooters. They still made some shots but it wasn’t as many as in the first half.”

“I think we got to pushing the ball a little bit more up the floor and attacking the basket,” Hartsfield added. “Netala had a big game just from doing what she is best at, which is driving to the basket and attacking. It was a big game for Delora as well and I’m just glad she showed up and I hope we can keep her there.”

“I just think we started finding our roles again and doing our jobs out there,” Hartsfield said. “It was a slow start but just playing better defense helped.”

The Lady Blazers were led offensively by freshman Delora Pricop (Brasov, Romania), who secured her second straight double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds on the night.

Freshman Netala Dixon (Dyersburg, Tenn.) got the VU scoring going early and often Friday night, matching Pricop’s 21 points, while also adding six rebounds and three assists.

Freshman Ahmya Thomas (Phoenix, Ariz.) came off the bench to score in double figures, coming away with 17 points and a pair of assists.

Friday night marked the Lady Blazer debut of freshman Iris Valera (Augusti, Spain) who got the start Friday night in place of the inactive freshman Kiera Gant (Sellersburg, Ind.) and sophomore Kennedy Johnson-Corley (Clarksville, Tenn.).

Valera made an immediate impact with a first quarter three and finished her night with five points, nine rebounds and three steals.

“I’m big on rebounding,” Hartsfield said after her Lady Blazers outrebounded Owens C.C. 45-29. “I’m definitely very pleased with the rebounds. This past week we have spent hours boxing out, rebounding and just working on the things that is clearly paying off right now just from looking at the stats sheet.”

“Ahmya coming in and stepping up, using her speed and aggressiveness to score 17 points was big tonight,” Hartsfield added. “Delora was able to find her layups and started going up strong and that just makes a huge difference.”

The Lady Trailblazers will look to keep this momentum going when they return to the P.E. Complex floor Saturday, Nov. 16 to close out the 2024 Lady Blazer Classic against Moberly Area Community College at 5 p.m. eastern.

VU will look to get some payback against the Lady Greyhounds who defeated the Lady Blazers 73-61 earlier this season in Moberly, Mo.

Saturday night will also be ‘Hurricane Relief Night’ at the Physical Education Complex. Fans can get free admission to the VU men’s and women’s doubleheader tomorrow with a donation of paper towels or toilet paper. Donations will go to support those still in need from the effects of Hurricane Helene.

Other scores from day one of the 2024 VU Lady Blazer Classic include No. 4 Wabash Valley College winning over Moberly Area Community College 95-66.

“I just hope they keep fighting,” Hartsfield said. “It’s not going to be easy but I hope that they keep rebounding, keep attacking the basket and just getting stops on defense, talking on defense. Just the little things. If we just do the little things I think we have a shot. But it’s going to take teamwork and a team effort.”

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

VINCENNES (82): Iris Valera 2-7 0-0 5, Delora Pricop 9-21 3-4 21, Marta Chico 4-11 0-0 8, Yanni Huggins 3-4 0-0 6, Netala Dixon 10-20 0-2 21, Ahmya Thomas 6-9 4-5 17, Emani Washington 1-4 1-2 4, Team 35-76 8-13 82.

Owens C.C. – 16   31   14   12 – 73

VU (2-3) – 22   23   17   20 – 82

Three-point goals: VU 4 (Valera, Dixon, Thomas, Washington). Rebounds: VU 45 (Pricop 14). Assists: VU 13 (Dixon 3). Steals: VU 15 (Huggins 4). Blocked Shots: VU 4 (Pricop 2). Turnovers: VU 21. Personal Fouls: VU 13. Fouled out: Pricop.

Rollett wins again as Aces finish second day

Final day of A3 Invite set for Saturday                              

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Another eventful day saw stellar performances by the University of Evansville swimming and diving teams in the second day of the A3 Invite.  UE’s men moved into 4^th place in the team standings with a score of 244.5 while the women remain in 5^th with a current total of 172.

Patrik Vilbergsson had another strong day in multiple events for the Purple Aces.  In the 100-Backstroke, his time of 50.13 in the A Final gave him a finish of third place.  Boris Tavrovsky was 8^th in the race, posting a 51.62.  Finishing 3^rd in the B Final of the event was Logan Tenison, who posted a time of 51.20.

In the 200 Medley Relay, Vilbergsson along with Tenison, Carlos Souto Vilas, and Daniel Santos Lopez came in third place.  The team finished in 1:30.28.

Santos Lopez had a nice individual performance in the 100-Fly.  Swimming a 48.68, he took third place in the A Final.  Souto Vilas led the way in the 100-Breaststroke.  His time of 55.94 gave him a third-place finish in the A Final.  Joao Pereira came in 6^th in the final, recording a 57.41.  In the B Final, Ben Hasanovic’s 57.54 put him in third place.

Grady Whitson earned a top five finish in the 400-IM.  His 4:22.20 gave him a 4^th in the B Final.

Joseph Capo led the way in the 200-Free race.  Swimming in the A Final, his time of 1:43.42 saw him take 8^th place.  In the B Final, Michael Pruett took third with a 1:42.42 while Wyatt Gallas was victorious in the F Final.  He registered a 1:43.10.

Maddie Rollett continued her dominant start to the season. After winning the 1-meter dive on Thursday Rollett put forth another winning effort in the 3-meter event.  Her score of 244.80 bested the competition once again.

Evelyn Chin paced UE in the 100-Fly.  Racing in the A Final, she took 4^th place with a time of 55.89.  Amanda Denny recorded a top five in the B Final, posting a 58.98.

In the A Final of the 400-IM, Sveva Brugnoli took the 5^th position.  She completed the race in 4:31.81.  Mari Mueller was the top finisher for the ladies in the 100-Breaststroke. Swimming a 1:06.48, she was third in the B Final.  Rafaela Markarewicz was 6^th in the race, finishing in 1:07.64.

Ane Madina was the top finisher in the 100-Backstroke.  Her time of 58.93 gave her the victory in the B Final.  Luana Carrotta was 6^th in the event, completing the race in 1:01.70.

Another solid race saw UE take the 4^th through 6^th positions in the 200-Free C Final.  Hannah Krings came in 4^th place with a time of 2:00.29 while teammates Lilly Yancey and Delaney Miller finished just behind.

Saturday marks the final day of competition at the invitational.

-www.GoPurpleAces.com-