EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The University of Evansville women's basketball team kicks off its postseason path tonight at the Ford Center, where they will compete in the 2025 Credit Union 1 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Tournament. Having concluded the regular season with three consecutive home games, the Purple Aces face the challenge of starting the tournament at the formerly neutral venue, which is not their home court but holds familiarity for them.
Entering the tournament, UE holds the 10th seed after finishing with a 3-17 record within the Missouri Valley Conference. This marks the sixth time the Aces have been designated as the 10th seed, most memorably when they achieved remarkable success during the 2016 MVC Championship, defeating the Illinois State Redbirds 61-59 in overtime—one of the few MVC Tournament games decided by just one possession.
The Purple Aces are set to meet the UIC Flames, who earned the seventh seed. A little rivalry brews between the two as they have never clashed before during the MVC Tournament since UIC joined the conference for the 2022-23 season. The Flames have had the upper hand, winning both regular-season encounters, thereby evening the overall series. Both teams currently sit at 10 wins each against one another, and as the old saying goes, "it’s hard to beat the same team three times in one season"; the Aces are hopeful this will work to their advantage.
On the court, the Flames wrapped up their regular season with a match against Drake on Saturday, March 8, losing 69-49. Graduate forward Keimari Rimmer put forth commendable efforts, scoring 13 points and securing 8 rebounds during the contest.
Bright spots for Evansville this season include the emergence of freshman sensation Camryn Runner, recognized as the MVC Freshman of the Year on March 12. This accolade marks the fourth time for the Purple Aces to have received this honor and the first time since five seasons ago. Runner achieved 473 points this season and boasts impressive averages, including 15.3 points per game and 87 assists, marking one of the best freshman seasons for the Aces since Sara Dickey’s accomplishments.
Another standout player, sophomore forward Maggie Hartwig, also made significant contributions, achieving her 500th career rebound during a match against Belmont—a remarkable statistic, being the first underclassman to reach this milestone since the Aces’ all-time leading rebounder, Christy Greis, during the 1990-91 season. Hartwig concluded the regular season with 276 rebounds, ranking her sixth all-time for single-season rebounds at Evansville. Should she gather at least 13 rebounds during the tournament, she’d surpass Shayla McKibbon-Puelston’s record of 288 rebounds set back in 1998-99.
With both teams eager for victory, the heated matchup of Evansville against UIC promises to be intense. The Aces look to capitalize on the momentum from their successful past performance as the lower seed, with memories of the 2016 tournament victory fueling their aspirations for this year’s playoffs.
Fans will witness the first round of the 2025 Credit Union 1 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Tournament tonight, and the Aces hope to stir excitement and capture the attention of their supporters on this neutral ground, striving with every ounce of strength to carve their path forward.