The Purple Aces led for over 25 minutes in their first conference win

VALPARAISO, Ind. – Using its experience in late-game situations, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team came away with a 71-68 win in Valparaiso against the Beacons.

The Purple Aces dominated in the paint on Sunday afternoon, a key factor in earning their first MVC win of the season. Freshman forward Nevaeh Thomas added another double-double to her resume leading UE with 23 points, coming one shy of her career high with 14 rebounds. Sophomore Kynidi Mason Striverson and forward Maggie Hartwig also had double-digit games.

Hartwig hit a three to start the game and set the tone for a fast-paced battle in Valparaiso. The Aces were able to use consistent offensive pressure to keep the lead for all but 30 seconds over the first 10 minutes. UE was helped by early fouls from the Beacons, going to the line on four separate occasions and making all but one shot. Evansville ended the quarter with two at the stripe from Thomas to hold a 14-10 lead going into the second quarter.

The Aces kept up their breakneck offense with a four-point run to take their largest lead of the game ahead by eight. Valpo responded quickly but an and-1 opportunity from Thomas put UE back ahead by seven. Thomas kept Evansville in the lead for the next minute and a half. But at the halfway point of the quarter, the Beacons had their first lead. It turned into a back-and-forth affair heading into the second half until the final minute. The Aces made back-to-back layups to end the first half with a three-point lead.

It was a slow start to the second half for UE as its first basket took over two minutes to make. Valparaiso took the lead back for the first half of the quarter as Evansville struggled to finish its shots. But a three-pointer from guard Julia Palomo spurred a seven-point run for the Aces to grab a five-point lead. The Beacons responded in kind, making it just a one-point lead. A trey from Tené Smith gave UE a four-point lead which they held onto until the final minute. Valpo ended the third on a six-point run putting Evansville back by two.

The Aces tied the game back up in the fourth at the line after both teams struggled to make shots in the first minute and a half. The Beacons hit a layup to take the lead back, but a successful three-point play for Hartwig gave UE a slim one-point lead. Guard Lexie Sinclair had an and-1 opportunity of her own right after, putting Evansville back up by four with 6:05 remaining.

It was back-and-forth free throw opportunities over the next two minutes as neither team made a field goal. Thomas broke the pattern with a layup to give the Aces another four-point lead. The game quickly went back to free throws as another field goal wasn’t made until the 1:47 mark. Valpo was able to tie the game up with back-to-back free throw opportunities, making all four. But UE was able to close out the game with second-chance layups from Hartwig and Thomas. Sinclair sealed the win for Evansville with a steal in the final 10 seconds while making one of two free throws after drawing a foul on the steal for the 71-68 final score.

Thomas led the Aces on both sides of the ball with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and a career-high 3 blocks. Mason Striverson added 16 points and five assists while Hartwig had 10 points along with nine rebounds.  Guard Madlena Gerke also added a season-high three steals against in UE’s win against the Beacons.

Evansville returns home to Meeks Family Fieldhouse for two games next week. The Aces will first welcome Southern Illinois to town on Thursday, Feb. 15. Tip-off against the Salukis is set for 6 p.m.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Tennis (1-3) had a tough outing against Saint Louis University (1-1) in the Screaming Eagles’ lone match of the week Sunday afternoon at the Evansville Tennis Center.

Doubles: USI lost all three doubles decisions with senior Dylan Brown (Evansville, Indiana)/junior Quinten Gillespie (Whiteland, Indiana) combination putting up a fight despite the 6-3 loss.

Singles: Only three singles matches were completed with freshman Eytan Michaeli (Beer Sheva, Israel) falling 6-4, 6-3 at number one, sophomore Mathys Bove (Lyon, France) dropping 6-3, 6-3 in flight two, and sophomore Axel Sabourin (Marseille, France) forcing a tiebreaking round but ultimately losing 6-3, 6-7, 4-6 in the three spot.

Allendale, Mich. – VU sophomore sprinter Desroy Jordan has already earned several spots in the Trailblazers Track and Field record books, now holding five school records after setting a program best time in the 600 meters Friday at the Grand Valley State University Big Meet in Michigan.

Jordan was a member of the Indoor 4×800 and DMR relay teams that set school records last year and set two individual school records during the 2023 Outdoor season in the 200 meters and 400 meters.

Jordan’s performance was a highlight of a very busy weekend which saw the Blazers add four more National qualifiers.

The Trailblazers got off to a very quick start to the weekend Friday with Jordan placing second overall in the 600 meters with a time of 1:18.21.

Jordan was joined in the 600 meters by sophomore Matthew Gray (Washington, Ind.) and freshman Zion Pruitt.

Gray placed 37th overall with a time of 1:26.46 and Pruitt placed 47th at 1:30.84.

Jordan, obviously, surpassed the qualifying mark for the NJCAA Indoor Nationals in the 600 meters.

Freshman sprinters Tumaini Skinner and Olamipo Ladipo were the next best VU men’s finishers Friday, with Skinner placing eighth in the 200 meters with a time of 22.34 seconds with Ladipo close behind at 22.60 seconds, placing him 12th.

Sophomore Cohen Gallant placed 21st in the 60 meter sprint with a time of 6.99 seconds, while freshman Clinton Laguerre placed 25th in the 400 meters at 51.63 seconds.

The VU men’s day on the track was rounded out by sophomore Isaac Stanford (Flora, Ill.) who finished 18th in the mile run with a time of 4:15.19, qualifying him for Nationals and freshman Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) who finished 13th in his heat of the 5000 meters with a time of 15:50.35.

The VU men’s team returned to the track on Saturday and were headlined by another National qualifier in the Distance Medley Relay team of Brahym Sakka, Desroy Jordan, Isaac Stanford and Clinton Laguerre who placed 17th overall with a time of 10:13.73.

Sophomore Olegs Kozjakovs placed 10th in the shot put with a throw of 14.09 meters and later competed in the 60 meter hurdles, placing 15th with a time of 8.94 seconds.

Freshman Brahym Sakka (Tunisia) would also compete in the mile, finishing 21st overall with a time of 4:25.40.

Clinton Laguerre, along with Zion Pruitt and Cohen Gallant each competed in the 200 meter dash, with Pruitt placing 23rd at 22.69, Laguerre coming in 26th at 22.79 and Gallant placing 41st with a time of 23.11 seconds.

Freshmen Bryaun Manuel (East St. Louis, Ill.), Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill.) and sophomore Matthew Gray were in the 800 meters, with Manuel finishing 38th at 2:00.00, Spence close behind at 2:00.25 in 39th and Gray placing 49th at 2:02.94.

The VU men’s weekend came to a close with freshmen Caden Hostetler (LaGrange, Ind.) and Nathan Whitehead (Vincennes, Ind.) competing in the 3000 meters. Hostetler posted a time of 9:02.76 for 51st overall, while Whitehead checked in at 9:36.58 for 80th overall.

“It was a full weekend of track and field at Grand Valley State,” VU Head Track and Field Coach Marty Rogier said. “I thought we had a good effort from everyone but especially the distance crew. They really stepped up and are really starting to run well at the right time.”

“We added four more National Qualifiers over the weekend in the 600 meters, mile and men’s and women’s DMR,” Rogier added. “That brings our total to nine on the men’s side, five of those are top 10 and three on the women’s side, with two of those in the top 10. We have one meet left and I think we might get a couple more.”

“Desroy continued his outstanding season on Friday by breaking the VU school record in the 600 with a very fast 1:18,” Rogier said. “That has him ranked fourth in the Nation. He ran a solid race in only his second time running at that distance. I believe he can take that even lower.”

“This weekend was very exciting,” VU Assistant Coach and Distance Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “Grand Valley State has one of the best atmospheres for track in the Nation and this is their most competitive meet of the year.”

“On the distance side, we got off to a good start Friday with Cody PRing in the 5k,” Steigenga added. “Later that day, Matthew ran the 600 in a three second PR. Isaac ran a very gutsy race to get another National qualifier in the mile.”

“Saturday morning Caden and Nathan got us started in the 3000 meters,” Steigenga said. “Caden ran great and almost broke the nine minute barrier at 9:02. Nathan ran in the heat after him and did well in his first attempt at that distance.”

“Three men also ran well in the 800 meters distance,” Steigenga added. “Tanner and Bryaun narrowly missed getting under the two minute barrio in their heat, with Bryaun running exactly two minutes. Matthew ran a season’s best in his heat.”

“Brahym finished off the night with a solid run in the mile after running a great 1200 meter leg of the DMR earlier in the day,” Steigenga said.

The VU women’s team weekend got off to a very good start with freshman vaulter Sophia Amaral being the only VU women’s athlete competing Friday and setting the tone by placing fifth in the pole vault after clearing a height of 4.02 meters.

The women’s team kept this momentum going on Saturday with the Distance Medley Relay team of Emilly Barbosa, Jasmyn Self (Casey, Ill.), Adi Fuller and Zinzile Gumpo qualifying for Nationals with a time of 12:56.84, good for 19th overall.

Freshmen Emilly Barbosa (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Adi Fuller (Evansville, Ind.) and Grayson Haynes (Sebree, Ky.) would then compete in the 800 meters, with Barbosa leading the pack with a time of 2:22.57 finishing 28th overall. Fuller crossed the line at 2:33.40 for 53rd overall and Haynes placed 67th with a time of 2:50.34.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Tennis (1-4) struggled against Saint Louis University (2-0), falling to the Billikens, 4-1, at the Evansville Tennis Center Sunday afternoon.
 
Doubles: The Screaming Eagles found some success in doubles play with the freshmen combination of Sofia Davidoff (Lagny-sur-Marne, France)/Antonia Ferrarini (Caxias do Sul, Brazil) earning a 6-3 victory at number two. This is the third match the duo has partnered together and the first win of the season.
 
Singles: Senior Lauren Rowe (Terre Haute, Indiana) picked up USI’s lone singles win. At number two, Rowe took down her opponent in tiebreaking fashion (6-1, 3-6, 7-5). This marks her second dual singles win of the season.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball blistered the nets in the second half and flew by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 84-67, on Homecoming Saturday in Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles rise to 7-18 overall and 4-8 in OVC play, while the Cougars are 13-12 overall, 6-6 OVC.

With the win, USI moves back into eighth in the league and the race to secure a spot in the OVC Tournament in March.  The Eagles have a one game lead over Southeast Missouri State University, Tennessee Tech University, and Lindenwood University with six games to play in the 2023-24 season.

The top eight teams at the end of OVC play advance to the league tournament March 6-9 at the Ford Center in Evansville. USI has four games on the road before host the final weekend before the conference tournament.

The Eagles scored seven of the first nine points of the contest and had a 7-2 lead to start the game. SIUE would shrink the early USI lead as the Eagles and the Cougars traded baskets and mini offensive runs through most of the first half.

USI overcame a five-point deficit with 4:01 until halftime and took a 33-31 lead with a 9-2 run. Sophomore guard Jack Campion (Milton, Wisconsin) led USI through the dash with four of the nine points.

Eagles’ sophomore guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois) extended the run to 13-2 with a pair of free throws and a thunderous dunk to end the half, sending USI into the locker room with a 37-31 lead. Smith finished the opening half with 11 points and 10 rebound to record his 11^th double-double of the season.

Smith continued the USI surge into the second half, hitting the first bucket to extend the run to 15-2 and a 39-31 advantage. The Eagles would increase the lead to as many as nine points three times in the first seven minutes of the final half.

USI would take a commanding lead at the 8:00 mark, 65-46, with a 12-1 run on a pair of three-pointers by junior forward Jack Mielke (Downers Grove, Illinois), a three from sophomore guard Ryan Hall (Kettering, Ohio) and an old fashioned three-point play by junior guard Jeremiah Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois). The lead would grow to a game-high 21, 81-59, with 1:55 to play on back-to-back three-pointers by Mielke and Hall and a free throw by junior guard Sam Mervis (Indianapolis, Indiana).

The Cougars cut the USI margin under 20 in the final minute before the Eagles sealed the 84-67 Homecoming victory.

In the game, USI was dominating offensively over the two halves. The Eagles posted a season-high 58.7 percent from the field (27-46), while shooting a blistering 66.7 percent from the outside (16-24) and beyond the arc (8-12) in the second half.

In the scoring column, Smith finished with a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds. The sophomore was a red-hot six-of-nine from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, and three-of-four from the stripe.

Mielke and Hernandez followed with 15 points each, while Campion rounded out he double-figure scorers with 13 points. Mielke was a blistering five-of-six from downtown, including four-of-four in the second half.

Next Up For USI:
USI will be on the road for the next four games beginning Thursday when it visits the University of Tennessee at Martin in Martin, Tennessee, for an 8 p.m. contest. The Eagles finish the first half of the road trip February 17 when a visit to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for a 3:30 p.m. tip in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Skyhawks of UTM rose to 15-10 overall, 8-4 OVC, with a 62-59 win at Western Illinois University Saturday. UTM, which is in a three-way tie for second in the OVC, has won five of its last six games following the matchup with WIU and splitting last week.

UTM leads the all-time series with USI, 5-4, after a season split between the two teams last year. The Eagles took the opening game last year, 80-66, at Screaming Eagles Arena, while the Skyhawks won in Martin, 86-83, in overtime.

The Little Rock Trojans are 14-11 overall and 8-4 in the OVC after taking its only game of this week, winning at Western Illinois University, 63-60. Little Rock, which hosts Morehead State University Thursday before welcoming USI, enters next week’s action on a three-game winning streak and has won six of the last seven. The six of the last seven stretch started with USI on January 18.

USI, which has a 2-1 series lead over the Trojans, lost the opening game of the 2023-24 series with Little Rock,77-75, in a game that came down to the final seconds and possessions. USI junior guard Jeremiah Hernandez led the Eagles in the loss with 28 points, while junior forward Jack Mielke and junior guard/forward Javius Moore (McComb, Mississippi) followed with 17 points and 15 points, respectively.