Monday, February 28, 2005

Carrie Myers (Stickleyville, Va./Lee H.S.) made a school record nine three-pointers and Valparaiso shot 68.2% from beyond the arc for the game as a team as the Crusaders defeated UMKC 80-56 in the regular season finale for both teams Monday night at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

Myers, who broke Lynda Kukla and Suzie Hammel's record of eight, finished 9-of-12 from long range on her way to a career high 29 points. Valpo finished the game 15-of-22 as a team from three.

After UMKC scored the first basket of the game, Valpo scored the game's next 14 points as Myers drained two quick triples. The lead swelled to 20-4 after back-to-back threes by Lauren Bechtold (Hebron, Ind./Hebron H.S.) and Jamie Gutowski (Crown Point, Ind./Andrean H.S.) and Valpo never looked back.

The Kangaroos used an 8-2 run to close within 12, 31-19, at the 6:01 mark but did not get any closer the rest of the way. Valpo took a 49-27 lead into the break as Myers had 15 points and Gutowski ten in the first stanza.

Valpo's biggest lead in the second half was 29, 71-42, before ten straight points by UMKC cut into the margin.

Myers finished the game 10-of-14 overall from the floor to lead four Crusaders in double-figures. Bechtold, Gutowski, and Tamra Braun (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake H.S.) all added 11 for the Brown and Gold. Braun also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds in just 24 minutes of action.

Katie Houlehan led UMKC (8-19, 5-11 Mid-Con) with 14 points but shot just 5-of-20 from the floor, including 2-of-10 from three-point range. Jowan Ortega added ten for the Kangaroos while Alysa Klein added nine.

Valpo shot 50% for the game from the floor while holding UMKC to 37.7% shooting. The Kangaroos went a perfect 11-of-11 from the line and held a 35-33 advantage on the boards.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament. Valparaiso (18-9, 12-4) finished the regular season tied for second in the Mid-Con with Oakland but won the tie-breaker to earn the second-seed. UMKC enters as the seventh seed. Tip-off in Tulsa, Okla. is set for 2:30 p.m.