The Purple Aces dominated on the offensive glass in the loss

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A quiet second half kept the University of Evansville women’s basketball team from its first conference win in a 70-59 loss to the Valparaiso Beacons.

Three players scored in double-figures for the Purple Aces on Sunday afternoon against the Beacons. Guard Madlena Gerke set a season-high on offense scoring 12 points while center Barbora Tomancova led UE on both sides of the ball. The graduate post player put in 15 points while grabbing 11 rebounds, also adding two assists, two steals, and a block. Forward Neveah Thomas also added 10 points for Evansville.

It took both teams over three minutes to find their offense on Sunday afternoon. But once the offenses got going it was a back-and-forth affair. Guard Madlena Gerke led the Aces with five points as she connected on an and-1 opportunity at the four-and-a-half-minute mark. The and-1 spurred a five-point run for UE to keep the lead. But the Beacons responded to take the lead for a minute and a half. Evansville was able to end the quarter on a six-point run capped by a Tené Smith layup to tie the game at 13 all.

The lead was traded early in the second as Valpo connected on an early three. The Aces took it right back on a five-point run that the Beacons would tie. Guard Kynidi Mason Striverson got UE the lead again with Evansville’s first three of the game with 6:07 on the board. The Aces kept control of the lead for over two minutes. Valparaiso regained the upper hand as the quarter went on, ending on a seven-point run to put UE down by seven going into halftime.

It was a hot start to the third for Evansville as Mason Striverson made a layup in less than 20 seconds. But a seven-point run from the Beacons had the Aces down by 12 points. UE grabbed back-to-back baskets to make it only a single-digit deficit. Valpo responded with a basket, but Evansville broke out on a seven-point run from Gerke and guard Lexie Sinclaire to make it only a three-point game. But following two free throws from Gerke, the Aces went scoreless for three minutes and 35 seconds. Thomas ended UE’s scoring drought on a layup assisted by Tomancova with just over a minute left in the third. Tomancova scored for Evansville at the line in the final second of the quarter to make it 57-43.

The start of the fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair like the beginning of the game. But with a 15-point deficit and only six and a half minutes left in the contest, the Aces couldn’t find their way back to the lead. With no sustained offensive run, UE fell to the Beacons 70-59.

Evansville will have six days off before its next game to close out its current homestand at Meeks Family Fieldhouse. The Aces welcome the Bradley Braves to town for their National Girls and Women in Sports Day game. UE will celebrate with a clinic for local girls’ 8^th grade

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Vincennes University Track and Field teams once again found themselves as one of the only two-year programs competing in a meet this weekend, heading to Louisville, Ky. to take part in the 2024 PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational hosted by the University of Louisville.

The Blazers were up against several NCAA Division I programs, including athletes from Purdue University, Ohio State University, Michigan State University, Florida State University, Texas Tech University and host University of Louisville.

Tough competition aside, the Trailblazers again more than held their own highlighted by five top-10 event finishes.

The VU men’s track and field team was led by sprinter Desroy Jordan who took second place in the 400 meter seeded event, finishing with a time of 47.44 seconds.

Teammates Olamipo Ladipo and Zion Pruitt competed in the 400 meter unseeded event with Ladipo placing 12th with a time of 50.15 seconds and Pruitt finishing 28th at 52.62 seconds.

Those three then competed with Tumaini Skinner in the 4×400 meter relay to place eighth overall with a time of 3:16.58.

Skinner, on his own, took home 17th in the 60 meter dash at 7.24 seconds, while Cohen Gallant placed seventh in the 60 meters at 7.01 seconds.

Gallant then competed in the unseeded 200 meters and placed 26th at 23.50 seconds, while Clinton Laguerre finished 11th at 22.43 seconds.

The Trailblazers men’s distance runners held their own as well, led by Cody Noel and Caden Hostetler in the 5000 meters with Noel placing 15th at 15:54.30 and Hostetler ending at 16:16.49 good for 17th overall.

Tanner Spence and Nathan Whitehead were in the mile with Spence taking 35th at 4:36.76 and Whitehead ending at 4:52.12 for 40th overall.

Bryaun Manuel and Matthew Gray then finished out the men’s track side in the 800 meters with Manuel placing 38th at 2:04.70 and Gray finishing 44th overall at 2:11.56.

In the field events the VU men’s team was led by Jeremiah Ziebert who placed 22nd in the shot put with a throw of 12.32 meters.

Jacob Wickman placed 28th in the shot put at 10.94 meters and took home 27th in the weight throw with a throw of 12.62 meters.

Jacob Smith rounded out the VU throwers with a toss of 10.52 meters in the weight throw, good for 34th overall.

Another major highlight of the weekend for the Blazers was courtesy of Olegs Kozjakovs who took part in his first heptathlon of the year.

Kozjakovs finished sixth overall after accumulating 5,215 points, highlighted by third place finishes in the shot put and pole vault, a fourth place finish in the long jump and a fifth place finish in the high jump.

“We told our team we were going to put them on a big stage and boy did we,” VU Head Track and Field Coach Marty Rogier said. “This meet had 25 schools, seven from Division I Power Five Conferences, as well as professional athletes that were working on qualifying marks and points for World Rankings.”

“I feel fortunate that we were allowed to compete as the only Junior College in one of the top ranked indoor meets in the country,” Rogier added. “Based on the results and the attention we received from several of the top programs, I think we represented VU very well.”