Second-half comeback falls just short for UE women’s basketball
The Purple Aces increased their second-half shooting percentage by almost 20%
NEW ORLEANS – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team ended its time at the Big Easy Classic with a 65-54 loss to the Delaware Blue Hens.
The Purple Aces offense struggled to find its rhythm during the first half of their final game during Feast Week. UE only shot 14% in the first 20 minutes but was able to turn things around in the final 20. Yet Evansville couldn’t catch up to Delaware after they opened up a 23-point lead near the end of the first half. Freshman guard Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind. / Hamilton Heights HS) exploded in the second half with 16 points to lead the Aces on offense, scoring 22 points after 40 minutes against the Blue Hens.
UE opened the game’s scoring with a second-chance layup from sophomore guard Maggie Hartwig (Sauk City / Sauk Prairie HS). A free throw by senior guard Júlia Palomo (La Seu D’Urgell, Spain) a minute after Delaware went to the line put Evansville back up by one. But the Aces offense would go cold for the next six minutes as the Blue Hens built an 18-point lead. UE didn’t score another bucket from the floor until the quarter’s final minute as senior forward Anica Skrivan (Trebinje, Bosnia & Herzegovina) made a jump shot.
Evansville’s offensive struggles from the floor continued in the second quarter. Freshman guard Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind. / Hamilton Heights HS) made two free throws early, but the Aces’ first field goal came over four minutes into the quarter. Hartwig broke an over two-minute stretch with no points from either team with a driving layup. Runner went back to the line soon after to cut UE’s deficit to 17 points. Evansville only scored two more field goals in the first half as they headed into halftime down by 21 points to Delaware.
The Aces got things going quickly to start the second half with five straight points. It was a back-and-forth game for most of the third quarter. UE had one other brief run with three minutes to go in the third to bring the deficit down to 16. The Blue Hens were able to get their lead back to 19 as neither team scored in the final two minutes of the quarter.
Evansville had a big start to the final frame at the Big Easy Classic with a seven-point run in the first three minutes. The Aces held Delaware from making any runs until the final minute of the game, bringing the Blue Hens shooting percentage down to 18.2%. During the middle of the fourth quarter, it was a back-and-forth game. UE got within 12 points of Delaware on three separate occasions in the fourth. But Evansville wasn’t able to catch up with the Blue Hens in the 65-54 loss.
Along with Runner, Hartwig ended the night in double digits with 11 points after only scoring four in the first half. Runner made 12 of her 22 points at the charity stripe for the Aces for her second-best game at the line. While not scoring in double digits, Palomo was a big part of the Aces offensive turnaround in the second half, leading the team with three steals.
UE returns home to Meeks Family Fieldhouse for a single game next weekend. Evansville will welcome SIUE to the River City on Sunday, December 8th. Tip-off against the Cougars is set for 1 p.m. at Meeks.
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