Iowa Women's Basketball Tip Time Preview: Evansville Purple Aces

EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES (0-1, 0-0) AT #21 IOWA HAWKEYES (1-0, 0-0)

TIME: 2:00pm CT

TV: BTN+ – AJ Reisetter and Sam Kupres

SERIES: 4th Meeting – Iowa leads series 3-0 – Iowa program record 115 points (’23)

BY THE NUMBERS (2024-25)

OFFENSE: IOWA: 74.4 PPG, 46.4% FG, 35.3% 3PT, 16.1 TO EVANSVILLE: 61.6 PPG, 36.2% FG, 30.8% 3PT, 19.7 TO

DEFENSE: IOWA: 65.8 PPG, 39.4% FG, 33.3% 3PT, 15.6 TO, +5.8 REB MARGIN EVANSVILLE: 74.4 PPG, 43.7% FG, 30.0% 3PT, 15.3 TO, -4.0 REB MARGIN

IOWA HAWKEYES PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Chit-Chat Wright	Point Guard	5-4/ Soph.	Georgia Tech transfer. Averaged 7.2 PPG, 2.6 AST and 25.3 MIN last season. Made 43 threes and posted a 2.21 assist-to-turnover ratio. 9 pts, 7 ast vs Southern
Taylor McCabe	Guard	5-9/ Sr.	Averaged 6.7 PPG, 23.5 MIN last season. Career-high 68 made threes at 40.5% shooting. 12 games with 3+ made threes. 6 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast vs Southern
Kylie Feuerbach	Guard	6-0/ Grad	Averaged 6.7 PPG, 2.3 AST and 25.4 MIN last season. Career-high 38 made threes and 78 assists. 4 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast vs Southern
Hannah Stuelke	Forward	6-2/ Sr.	Averaged 12.7 PPG, 7.7 REB and 27.5 MIN last season. Scored 10+ points in 25 of 32 games. Recorded seven double-doubles. 20 pts, 9 reb vs Southern
Ava Heiden	Center	6-4/ Soph.	Averaged 5.0 PPG, 2.6 REB and 9.7 MIN last season. Scored in double figures in three of last four games. 21 pts, 14 reb vs Southern

EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Camryn Runner	Guard	5-8/ Soph.	Averaged 15.5 PPG, 4.8 REB, 2.8 AST and 33.5 MIN last season. Scored 20+ points in eight games. MVC Freshman of the Year. 26 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast vs SEMO
Logan Luebbers Palmer	Guard	5-9/ Soph.	Averaged 6.5 PPG, 2.3 REB and 22.3 MIN last season. Scored in double figures in six games in MVC play. 7 pts, 4 reb vs SEMO
BreAunna Ward	Guard	5-10/ Fr.	True freshman. Rated as the #8 player in MO by Prep Girls Hoops. 5 reb, 2 ast vs SEMO
Jelena Savic	Forward	5-11/ Fr.	True Freshman from Melbourne, Australia. Played with Keilor Thunder in the Victorian Youth League. 5 reb vs SEMO
Georgia Cox	Center	6-4/ rSoph.	Eastern Illinois transfer. Averaged 2.3 PPG and 5.1 MIN last season. Season-high 18 points vs Morehead State. 11 pts, 5 reb vs SEMO

EVANSVILLE PLAYER TO WATCH: Guard Camryn Runner

The MVC Player of the Year last season, guard Camryn Runner was one of only a couple bright spots during an otherwise rough season for the Purple Aces. In her first year with the program, out of Cicero, Indiana, Runner averaged 15.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. She struggled with her efficiency shooting 35.5% from the floor and 33.1% from three-point range, but frequently got to the free-throw line, averaging 7.81 free throw attempts per game. Runner scored 20+ games in eight games, including a season-high 30 points against Lindenwood, while she also attempted 10+ free throws in ten games. She put up 26 points and 11 rebounds in the season-opener against SEMO.

IOWA PLAYER TO WATCH: Forward Hannah Stuelke

It’s still really early in the season and we’ve only seen Hannah knock down one three-pointer, but one area of her game that does look to be improved is her efficiency in and around the painted area. She’s looked more comfortable finishing in traffic and through contact, totaling 43 points on 18-of-27 (66.7%) shooting. This should be another matchup that gets her feeling comfortable. With 6’4 center Georgia Cox going up against Ava Heiden in the post, the Purple Aces next best option is 6’3 true freshman forward Georgia Ferguson, and she played just 14 minutes against SEMO. I think Hannah Stuelke goes for a 20-10 double-double tomorrow afternoon.

SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES

It’s been quite some time since the Purple Aces program has had notable success. They haven’t finished above .500 in conference play since 2014 and have reached double-digit wins in just one of their last eight seasons. Last season, Evansville finished with a 7-25 overall record, including a 3-17 mark in MVC play. The Purple Aces defeated DII Roosevelt University in an exhibition game but fell 71-66 to SEMO in their season opener on Thursday.

Although guard Camryn Runner is the top player to watch for the Purple Aces, there are a couple more names to keep an eye on tomorrow, starting with Eastern Illinois transfer center Georgia Cox. As a true freshman for the Panthers last season, Cox averaged just 2.3 points and 5.1 minutes per game, although she did put up a season-high 18 points against Morehead State. Standing at 6’4, Cox will at least gives Evansville a post presence in the paint. She put up 11 points and five rebounds in the opener against SEMO.

Another sophomore on a roster with 12 underclassmen, guard Logan Luebbers Palmer was a part time starter for the Purple Aces last season, averaging 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 22.3 points per game. She shot just 31.8% from the floor, but scored 10+ points in six games, including a season-high 17 points against Illinois State. She put up 23 points on 10/19 (52.6%) shooting in their exhibition against Roosevelt University.

Off the bench, sophomores Avery Kelley and Elle Snyder are the names to know. It wouldn’t even be a surprise if they were to slot into the starting lineup in place of the two freshman guards that combined for zero points against SEMO. Last season, both as true freshman, they combined to average 10.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while Kelley totaled 65 assists. Kelley had some solid scoring games, putting up 10+ in eight games, including a season-high 18 points against Missouri State and Southern Illinois. The Kelley/Snyder duo combined for 18 points, 14 rebounds and four assists against SEMO.

A deeper look at the advanced stats (2024-25) behind the matchup between the Hawkeyes and Purple Aces…

THE PICK

Warren Nolan Projection: IOWA 89 EVANSVILLE 54

Bart Torvik Projection: IOWA 95 EVANSVILLE 55

Another tune-up game for the Hawkeyes as they get the early part of the season going, both Warren Nolan and Bart Torvik expect this to be at least a 35-point victory. The Purple Aces have lost 28 in a row against Power 4 opponents, with their last win coming against Kentucky all the way back in 2002. There are couple of stats for this matchup that should really worry Evansville. First off, the Purple Aces didn’t mind getting up and down the floor last season, ranking 27th in possessions per 40 minutes. However, if a team is going to do that, they either need to score efficiently or be decent defensively. They did neither of those, ranking 302nd in effective field goal percentage, 296th in defensive turnover rate and 320th in points per 100 possessions allowed. None of that is part of a recipe for success against an AP Top 25 team. IOWA 95 EVANSVILLE 50