Jan. 3, 2014
Box Score
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Troy Hambric posted the third double-double (26 points, 10 rebounds) of her career but Evansville used an 11-0 run spanning the first and second halves to defeat Loyola, 75-57, this evening in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. Evansville gets back to the .500 mark overall at 6-6, while Loyola falls to 4-9.
Hambric started her night off early, scoring on Loyola's first possession to give the Ramblers an early lead. The Purple Aces answered with an 18-2 run, capped off by a Kat Taylor free throw, to take an 18-4 lead with six minutes gone in the first half. Slowly but surely, the visiting Ramblers began to settle in on both ends of the floor. Becca Smith, coming off a career outing against Chicago State on New Years Eve, scored the final five points during a 9-0 Loyola run that trimmed the deficit down to a single point (24-23) at the final media timeout of the half. Evansville responded, scoring the final eight points of the half to take a 36-25 lead into the locker room.
The lead ballooned up to 17 (46-29) in the early stages of the second half before Loyola attempted to mount another comeback. Ten unanswered points, five from each Hambric and Smith, brought the Ramblers back within striking distance at 46-39 with 15:22 remaining. That would be as close as Loyola could get though, as Evansville pushed the lead back out of reach and cruised to its first conference victory of the season.
Hambric paced the Loyola offense and was joined in double-figure scoring by Smith, who finished with 14 points and a team-high four assists. Mallory Ladd led the way for the homestanding Purple Aces, finishing with 17 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
Loyola will return to action on Saturday afternoon when it takes on Southern Illinois. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from the SIU Arena in Carbondale, Ill.
