The Purple Aces will visit UIC and Valparaiso after seeing both teams two weeks ago
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The University of Evansville women’s basketball team heads up to the northernmost Missouri Valley Conference opponents over the weekend.
The Purple Aces will look to get their first conference win of the season on the road as they visit Chicago on Friday and Valparaiso on Sunday. UE saw both teams only two weeks ago on its home court to close out the month of January. Evansville had a close loss to the Flames while the Beacons pulled away for two losses. The Aces hope to use their recent play with both teams to see different results this weekend.
UIC comes into Friday’s game with back-to-back losses following their win over UE in January. The Flames had a last-second loss to Valpo on Sunday in Credit Union 1 Arena as the Beacons hit a baseline layup with 1.3 left in the game. In the team’s last game Evansville saw its first second-half lead of MVC play in a gritty match-up against the Flames. Foul trouble for UE in the game’s final five minutes hindered the Aces in the nine-point loss. Post players center Barbora Tomancova, forward Nevaeh Thomas, and forward Maggie Hartwig all scored in double-figures to lead Evansville on offense.
The Beacons picked up their third Valley win on Sunday in Chicago. Valparaiso is on a two-game win streak that started in Evansville almost two weeks ago. Along with a dramatic win against UIC, the Beacons had their best game behind the arc with 14 made treys. Freshman forward Nevaeh Jackson matched the program’s freshman record for 3-pointers in a game, knocking down six triples, while guard Olivia Brown was four-for-four behind the arc.
It was another fight to the finish for the Aces in a close back-and-forth affair against Bradley. Evansville swapped the lead five times with the Braves while also tying the game up on seven different occasions. But no made shots in the final two and a half minutes signaled the end for UE as they dropped the close contest 79-72 to Bradley. While the result on Saturday night wasn’t what the Aces had hoped for, they did play in an electric environment. For National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Evansville hosted almost 100 local members of the community for a clinic and the evening game. It was a loud and supportive environment for UE while battling with the Braves.
Junior guard Julia Palomo had a season-best game from the floor on Saturday night. Palomo set a new career-high for field goals made in a game by hitting four against the Braves. She also tied her current career-high in scoring with nine points in 22 minutes.
