EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team’s hot start wasn’t enough to contain the SIUE Cougars in the 91-83 loss.
It was a bigger offensive game for the Purple Aces as four players scored in double figures against SIUE. Freshman forward Naveah Thomas picked up her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds while guard Kynidi Mason Striverson led the team with 24 points. Freshman forward Maggie Hartwig also had a big game for UE with 23 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
“If you love offense, that was a great game to watch,†said Head Coach Robyn Scherr-Wells following the loss. “The second quarter ended up killing us in the end as we had too many breakdowns on the defensive end. We finally had the offensive game I think we’re capable of, but then we stunk on defense. We still have a lot of games in front of us, so we’ll grow from this one and get better for the next,â€.
The Aces got off to a hot start, leading most of the way in the first quarter. UE traded shots with SIUE early, going back and forth until Evansville pulled away with back-to-back threes from guard Kynidi Mason Striverson. A five-point run in the final two minutes of the quarter for the Aces gave the team breathing room to take a 21-18 lead into the second.
UE’s strong three-point shooting continued in the second as guard Alana Striverson made a trey in the first 40 seconds of the quarter. But the Cougars began to find their shooting in the second, going on a 10-point run in a minute and a half. Despite the quick change in momentum, Evansville came back with another three from Mason Striverson.
It turned into a shot-for-shot game until the Aces went on a six-point run to make it a one-point deficit with under five minutes left in the half. SIUE responded with its own back-to-back threes keeping UE just out of reach as time winded down in the quarter. Evansville went into the locker room down by nine, looking for a big second half.
The Aces post players showed up big to start the second half as Thomas and graduate center Barbora Tomancova chipped in the first two layups. UE put together two five-point runs in the middle of the quarter to only be down by five with three and a half minutes left in the third. The Cougars capitalized on second-chance points to keep Evansville back. But the Aces got the final word of the quarter as Thomas sank a layup with three seconds left.
UE came out hot in the fourth quarter with a big five-point run to get within three. SIUE made a layup thinking they had created distance, but guard Alana Striverson sunk back-to-back treys to put Evansville back on top by one. The Cougars responded with a run to retake the lead. But a three from Hartwig followed by a jumper for Mason Striverson gave the Aces another lead. But a seven-point stretch for SIUE put the game just out of reach for UE as they fell to the Cougars 91-83.
Evansville had its best offensive game of the young season so far, shooting 42.9% from the floor (27-63) and 52.4% from three-point range (11-21). The Aces also shined on fast break points, grabbing 24 in transition. UE also had its best game sharing the ball with 18 assists. On defense, Evansville brought in 33 rebounds with five steals and five blocks from SIUE.
The Aces return to Meeks Family Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Nov. 15 for the final game of the Tri-State Challenge. Eastern Kentucky comes to Evansville for a 6 p.m. matchup as UE looks to win its first game of the season.
