EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In the first matchup between the intrastate foes since 2015, the IUPUI women's basketball team went wire-to-wire, defeating Evansville, 81-75, for its third straight victory over the Purple Aces. Katie Davidson led all scorers with 26 points, going 8-for-15 from the floor. Faith Stinson recorded her first double-double in a Jaguar uniform, pulling down 12 boards and shooting 8-of-14 for 17 points while also adding five assists—all season highs.

The Jaguars (2-7, 0-2 HL) dominated inside the paint in the opening quarter, outrebounding (12-8) and outscoring (14-6) the Aces to take a 19-13 score to the break. Abby Wolterman led all players with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting. Stinson was also a big part of the inside-out approach in the first ten minutes, tallying two assists, two points and two rebounds.

Evansville (1-7, 0-0 MVC) struggled from the field, shooting just 27 percent, but converted seven of nine free throw attempts to stay within striking distance.

After working the offense through the post in the first quarter, IUPUI warmed up from behind the arc in the second ten minutes. Camron Blank, Davidson and Stinson all connected from deep with the team shooting over 40 percent after missing every attempt in quarter number one. Davidson led IUPUI with eight points in the quarter, reaching double digits in the half to lead all scorers. Stinson continued her work in every facet, totaling five assists, five points and seven rebounds in the first 20 minutes, leading her team to a 10-point advantage at the half.

Despite shooting 50 percent from the field in the third quarter, the Jags went 3-for-7 at the free throw line, leaving the door open for the Purple Aces. The hosts garnered a plus-10 rebounding margin in the third quarter, leading to 10 second-chance points to cut the deficit to seven heading to the final quarter.

Following a Davidson three that pushed the IUPUI advantage to double digits, Evansville went on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to three after just two minutes of play in the final quarter. A few minutes later after an IUPUI turnover, Hartwig went straight to the basket and converted a contested layup to tie the match at 71. On the ensuing inbound, Jaela Johnson was called for an offensive foul to give the ball back to the hosts. However, back-to-back IUPUI baskets by Davidson and Stinson to restore the advantage. After another stop on the defensive end, head coach Kate Bruce called a timeout to set up her offense. Out of the timeout the team went back to Stinson who knocked down a mid-range jumper to make it a six-point game. A quick Evansville basket put the pressure on the visitors to again convert on the offensive end. After using most of the shot clock, a Davidson layup all but sealed the victory.

Four Jaguars reached double-digit scoring, led by Davidson and Stinson and followed by Wolterman who finished with 11 points and Jaela Johnson who knocked down 8-of-10 free throws on her way to 10 points. Bruce also got solid play off the bench from Blank and Kace Urlacher who each tallied seven points and combined for three assists 10 rebounds.

IUPUI returns to the Jungle for a matchup against Eastern Michigan next Friday (Dec. 15). Tip set for 7:00 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.