Preview: Drake Bulldogs at Evansville Purple Aces EVANSVILLE, Ind. (Interstat) — Two Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball teams seeking momentum will meet Thursday when the Drake Bulldogs visit the Evansville Purple Aces at Ford Center. The matchup features teams with nearly identical struggles this season. Drake (8-18 overall) enters with just one win in its last six games. Evansville (7-20) has fared only slightly better, with two victories in its last seven outings. In their previous meeting on Jan. 23 in Des Moines, Drake secured a 97-82 home victory. The Bulldogs will aim to replicate that offensive success on the road. A key player for Drake is guard Lexi Carlsen, who is coming off a 15-point performance in 19 minutes during a 61-69 loss to Illinois-Chicago on Sunday. Over her last eight games, Carlsen has averaged 7.6 points, including a 12-point effort at Bradley on Jan. 29. Evansville counters with guard Camryn Runner, who has been a consistent force. Runner logged 40 minutes and dished seven assists in a 64-63 overtime win against Northern Iowa on Feb. 21. In the six games prior, she averaged 19.8 points and 6.8 assists, highlighted by a 26-point, 8-assist game against Illinois State and a 22-point, 10-assist double-double at Valparaiso. Drake’s most recent result was a 61-69 home loss to Illinois-Chicago, where Carlsen and Brooklin Dailey (11 points) led the scoring. Evansville is riding the high of its narrow overtime win against Northern Iowa, fueled by Runner’s 15 points and seven assists, alongside 14 points from Jelena Savic. Both teams will look to this conference clash as a chance to build confidence before their next contests. Drake travels to face Southern Illinois on Saturday, while Evansville hits the road to take on Murray State the same day. Thursday’s game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. EST tip-off at Ford Center in Evansville.