EVANSVILLE, Ind. –Â After getting off to a hot start, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team cooled-off in a 67-43 loss to Illinois State as the Purple Aces hosted their annual We Back Pat game on Friday night inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
“I liked the start we got out to. I thought even though we missed some looks, missed some passes, and some wide-open easy baskets, I still thought we had good control of the game and the gameplan was flowing early on and then the wheels fell off,” said Aces head coach Matt Ruffing. “You have to give credit to Illinois State and their coaching staff. Their kids played hard. Our group has to find a way and have a passion when they play and we have to start making adjustments.”
The Aces were led by graduate guard Hannah Noe who tallied eight points and grabbed a pair of rebounds. Five other Aces scored five or more points in the game, including seven points off the bench by sophomore Crimson Jones. For the Redbirds, Hannah Green led the way with a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds, while Katrina Beck chipped-in 17 points of her own.
After Illinois State jumped out to a 4-2 lead early, the Aces went on a 10-2 run to grab a 12-6 advantage with 2:44 left in the first quarter. The Redbirds responded with a pair of free throws and back-to-back threes by Green to close the quarter and take a 14-12 lead after the opening 10 minutes.
In the second quarter, the Redbirds pushed their lead as large as 15 with a 17-4 margin in the second period. The Aces hit a cold streak during the second quarter as Evansville shot just 1-10 from the field and Illinois State found a rhythm shooting 6-16 (37.5%) as the Redbirds carried a 31-16 lead into the halftime break.
The third quarter was once again marked by runs as an 8-0 spree by Illinois State midway through the frame saw the Redbirds increase their lead to 23 at 45-22 with 5:25 remaining in the third period. Evansville cut its deficit to 20 twice in the final four minutes of the quarter, but each time the Redbirds had an answer as Illinois State held a 53-30 lead after 30 minutes of play.
Evansville held firm in the fourth quarter as the Aces kept pace with the Redbirds. The Aces worked their way back from a 27-point deficit cutting the Redbirds’ lead as low as 22 in the fourth quarter as Illinois State captured the 67-43 win. In the final period, ISU earned a slim 14-13 advantage on the scoreboard while Illinois State’s hot-shooting was doused as the Redbirds shot 26.7% (4-15) from the field to 33.3% (5-15) for the Purple Aces.
For the second-straight game, Evansville limited its turnovers as the Aces recorded just 11 on the night. In the game, Illinois State shot 39.1% (25-64) from the field to 27.3% (15-55) for Evansville.
The Aces wrap-up their home weekend on Sunday when Evansville hosts Bradley at 1 p.m. inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
