Wright State (13-5, 2-1 Horizon)
at Valparaiso (2-13, 0-2 Horizon)
Game #16 - Saturday, January 18 - 4 p.m.
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) -
Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Crusader Basketball: The Horizon League’s Preseason Player of the Year comes to town this weekend when Kim Demmings and the Wright State Raiders take on Valpo at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Demmings has lived up to the billing as the junior is currently averaging 20.4 points per game. The Crusaders are in the middle of a stretch where they play four Horizon League games in eight days.
Last Time Out: An ambush of first-half three-pointers gave Oakland all the cushion it needed Wednesday night. The Golden Grizzlies were 12-for-21 from downtown in the first twenty minutes alone as a 50-23 halftime lead carried OU to an 88-55 win in its first Horizon League home game. Elizabeth Hamlet scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting in her return to Oakland. Abby Dean matched Hamlet’s 4-for-5 effort en route to a 10-point evening. It was the seventh game this season that the sophomore finished in double digits. The Crusaders boosted their HL-leading free-throw percentage to 80.2% thanks to a 14-for-15 night from the foul line.
Following the Crusaders: Audio - WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso) - Brandon Vickrey (play-by-play) and Parker Gatewood (color). Video - Horizon League Network. Links for the audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com. In addition, ValpoGameday.com is a one-stop shop for live video, stats and social media interaction, all on the same page.
Head Coach Tracey Dorow: Tracey Dorow (13-33) is in her second season at the helm of the Valparaiso women’s basketball program in 2013-14. In her first season, Dorow led the Crusaders to eleven victories overall, including five in Horizon League play. Dorow arrived in Valparaiso after 14 seasons at Ferris State. She compiled a 232-163 record while with the Bulldogs. Furthermore, Ferris State posted the #1 grade point average in all of Division II for the 1999-2000 women’s basketball season as well as the #2 ranking in 2002-2003.
Series Notes: Valparaiso leads the all-time series 12-10 over Wright State. The two teams have been in the same conference three separate times (North Star Conference, Mid-Continent Conference, Horizon League). The Crusaders won eight of the first nine meetings during the 90’s, but Wright State is 9-4 versus the Brown and Gold since joining the Mid-Con in 2008.
Storylines...
- Wright State assistant coach Keith Freeman was head coach at Valpo from 1994-2012.
- Valpo and Wright State started playing each other back in 1990, the season prior to the Raiders joining the North Star Conference.
- Despite competing against each other in three different conferences, the schools have met in the postseason just once (2009).
- One of last year’s games between the two teams was decided by one point (67-66 WSU). The other went to overtime (83-78 WSU).
- The Crusaders are looking avoid to an 0-3 start in HL play for the third time in the last four seasons.
- Wright State is in the top 20 nationally in four categories (scoring offense, 3-point FG, turnover margin, fewest turnovers per game).
- Nine of Wright State’s 14 players are from Ohio.
@WrightStateWBB
- @WrightStateWBB leads the HL in scoring offense with 81.7 PPG.
- @WrightStateWBB’s +191 turnover margin is the best in the country.
-Only nine teams in the nation commit fewer turnovers per game than @WrightStateWBB (12.3 turnovers/game).
-@WrightStateWBB is averaging over 26 three-point attempts/game.
- @WrightStateWBB is undefeated when leading at the half.
- @WrightStateWBB has gone with a starting lineup of Demmings/James/Mingo/Elkins/Stanton each of the last 15 games.
- Mike Bradbury is in his fourth season as head coach of the Raiders.
- Bradbury served as an assistant at Xavier, Cincinnati, VCU, East Tennessee State and Chattanooga before his first head coaching job at Morehead State in 2007.
Jessica Carr
- Scored 12 points and had four assists in just her second game of the season.
- Made her season debut versus Western Michigan on Dec. 29th, where she scored five points and notched an assist, steal, and rebound.
Elizabeth Hamlet
- Scored a season-high 12 points versus her alma mater (Oakland) on Jan. 15.
- Shot 3-for-5 from the field in Valpo’s 63-61 defeat of Toledo at the Toledo Invite.
Abby Dean
- Has made 19 of her last 20 free-throw attempts.
- Leads the Horizon League in free-throw percentage (91.9%).
- Has knocked down five field goals in five different contests.
- Has compiled 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 17-point games this season.
- Has started every game for the Crusaders.
- Registered a career-high 17 points at Tennessee Tech on 11/24/13.
- Scored first collegiate points at Cameron Indoor Stadium on 11/23/12.
- Made collegiate debut on November 14th versus Purdue-Calumet.
- Tossed in 11 points in 19 minutes vs.Western Michigan last season.
Lexi Miller
- Returned Wednesday vs. Oakland after missing the last four games with a concussion.
- Tallied 13 assists to five turnovers during the Toledo Invite.
- Scored a career-high 18 points vs. Tennessee Tech.
- Owns best assists/turnover ratio of any Crusader (32:30).
- Accumulated 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals (all career highs at the time) at Saint Louis on 11/10/13.
- Made collegiate debut against the Indiana Hoosiers 11/9/12.
- Made first start in Hinkle Fieldhouse versus the Butler Bulldogs.
- Scored 13 points in Valpo’s 88-62 victory over UIC on 2/16/13.
Charae Richardson
- Has scored 13 or more points in six of team’s 15 games.
- Scored a career-high 23 points versus Montana State.
- Dished out a season-high seven assists at Tennessee Tech.
- Leads team in points/game (11.2) and total assists (40).
- Scored 15 points in the season opener at Saint Louis on Nov. 10th.
- Played in all 31 games for the Crusaders last season, including 28 starts.
- Carried an 84.1 free-throw percentage.
- Finished second on the team last season in 3-pointers (24) and assists (95).
Liz Horton
- Made five of six three-point attempts en route to a career-high 20 points at Tulsa on 1/4/14.
- Snapped an eight-game three-point streak Wednesday at Oakland.
- Shot 23-of-45 from the field in December including 10-for-19 from behind the arc.
- Leads team in three-point field goal percentage (42.6%) and in total FG% (46.2%)
- Has scored exactly 11 points on four different occasions this season (Illinois, #6 Notre Dame, Montana State, Toledo).
- Appeared in 30 games for the Brown and Gold a season ago.
- Named Crusaders’ Most Improved Player in 2012-13.
- Scored 19 points, including 3-for-3 shooting from behind the arc, at Western Michigan on Dec. 19th.
Sharon Karungi
- Scored a career-high 21 points in her first HL game (1/9/14).
- Leading rebounder (8.0) for the Crusaders.
- Averaging 10.7 points per game.
- Tied for third in Horizon League with most double-doubles (5).
- Grabbed 14 rebounds in both games of the Toledo Invite en route to Most Valuable Player recognition.
- Scored the game-winning put-back with three seconds to play against Toledo.
- Registered 17 points and 14 boards versus FIU for her third double-double of the season.
- Tallied her second double-double at Tennessee Tech, scoring 11 points and collecting 10 rebounds.
- Recorded her first double-double at Illinois on Nov. 12th, throwing in 15 points and grabbing 12 boards.
Jessi Wiedemann
- Has logged 32 or more minutes in all but three games this season.
- Named to Toledo Invite All-Tournament Team after scoring 15 versus Chicago State and 14 against Toledo.
- Double-digit scorer in seven games for the Crusaders.
- Has made multiple three-pointers in six games in 2013-14.
- Notched a career-high 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting at Tennessee Tech.
- Snapped a season-starting 0-14 slump from behind the arc at #6 Notre Dame, nailing three treys in a nine-point game.
- Played all 40 minutes in the season opener at Saint Louis on Nov. 10th, 2013, and set career highs in blocks (4) and steals (3) while scoring six points.
- Appeared in all 31 games including four starts as a freshman.
- Made collegiate debut versus Indiana.
- Scored 13 points off the bench versus Detroit on Mar. 9th, 2013.
Roster Breakdown
- Valpo welcomes six new players (two freshmen, four transfers) to its team this season.
- Haylee Thompson and Annemarie Hamlet will sit out this season per NCAA transfer eligibilty rules.
- The Brown and Gold boast players from six different states and two countries.
- Liz Horton is the only true senior on this year’s squad.
