Evansville women's basketball one win away from NCAA Tournament
· Yahoo Sports
First it was UIC. Then, an upset win against No. 2 Belmont. And now, the No. 10 Evansville Purple Aces women’s basketball team find themselves one win away from the NCAA Tournament after defeating No. 3 Illinois State in overtime, 75-70, of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament Saturday, March 14.
This will be the Aces’ first conference championship appearance since 2009 when they won four games in four days to win the MVC tournament. It was also the year Evansville last made the NCAA Tournament.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
Evansville (10-24) will face No. 1 Murray State (30-3) on Sunday, March 15 at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2. The Racers won both matchups in the regular season, but with the way the Aces have looked this week, a trip to the NCAA Tournament is well within reach for an Evansville team that is playing its best basketball of the season.
The Aces were lead in scoring by sophomore guard Camryn Runner with 24 points. Not only has Runner been leading Evansville throughout the season, but also in the tournament, she has led the team in scoring in each game.
The Aces had a chance to win this game in regulation. As the fourth quarter winded down, Evansville began to minimize Illinois State’s lead. And it was Mireia Mustaros’ and-one layup that gave the Aces a one-point lead with just under four minutes to play.
A big three-pointer from Sydney Huber, paired with another Mustaros layup, caused Evansville’s lead to grow to as many as six. But Illinois State returned the favor, making a big three-point shot of its own and having a couple trips to the free throw line.
The game was tied with 8 seconds to go in regulation. Jelena Savic had a corner three to win the game for the Aces, but it was short. The game required overtime.
In the extra session, both Evansville and Illinois State came out swinging. But eventually, the Aces did enough to create separation.
Savic would have her chance from three-point range arise once again, and this time, she would make the most of it. The shot went in and momentum began to shift in Evansville’s favor. The Aces led by as many as six points in overtime before the Redbirds reduced the deficit to one with 16 seconds remaining.
But again, Evansville responded.
Not only would they convert on their free throw attempts, but they got stops on the other end. Evansville would grow another lead, and they would not look back.
In college basketball, March requires your best. And that is what the Aces are providing right now.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville women's basketball defeat Illinois State in MWC semifinal