Purple Aces drop 66-47 decision to Missouri State

A 35-point second half wasn’t enough to fuel a comeback for the University of Evansville women’s basketball team as the Purple Aces fell 66-47 to visiting Missouri State at The Ford Center on Sunday afternoon.

“The last two games our kids have gotten a little down on themselves because they aren’t seeing the ball get in the basket, and as a coaching staff, we have to keep encouraging them to stay confident,” UE head coach Oties Epps said. “You’re going to have bad shooting days sometimes, and you have to continue to trust the work you put in, and put more value in your defense. If you’re drawing some of that confidence from your defense too, it’s only going to help you on both ends.”

The Aces (2-23, 1-13 Missouri Valley) weren’t able to overcome early shooting woes versus the Lady Bears (18-9, 11-4 MVC), who would take a 23-12 lead into the half. For the game, UE was held to 28.1% shooting from the field while the visitors out of Springfield, Mo., shot 41.4%.

The trio of Camille Coleman, Sara Dickey and Camary Williams led the Aces on the day as each racked up eight points. Both Dickey and Coleman also tied for the team lead in rebounds with six.

Meanwhile, MSU’s Lexi Hughes led all scorers with 15 points, going 5-of-9 from the field, and both Tyonna Snow and Kenzie Williams chipped in another 11 apiece for the Lady Bears.

UE will return to action next week with its final road trip of the regular season. The Aces will take on Indiana State on Friday before setting out for Normal, Ill., to face Illinois State Sunday.

NOTES: UE is 12-36 all-time vs. Missouri State … In home contests, the Aces are 9-14 … For the fifth time this season, Sara Dickey failed to register double-digit points … Dickey has 1,540 career points, the third-best mark in school history … Shyla McKibbon-Puelston is the next target on the all-time scoring list for Dickey. McKibbon-Puelston entered the UE Athletics Hall of Fame last month, and she finished her Aces career in 2002 with 1,626 career points … Sasha Robinson is five rebounds away from moving up to ninth all-time in the Aces history books.