Complete PDF Notes
Game #3: Friday, November 16, 3 p.m. CST
Valpo (0-2, 0-0 Horizon)
at Cincinnati (0-1, 0-0 Big East)
Fifth Third Arena (13,176) - Cincinnati, Ohio
Coming Up in Crusader Hoops: Valparaiso heads to The Queen City this weekend for a pair of games beginning on Friday afternoon as the Crusaders battle Cincinnati. Valpo looks to rebound from a heartbreaking three-point loss on Monday evening at 20th-ranked Purdue while also looking for the Brown and Gold’s first victory of the 2007-2008 season.
On the Air: Friday’s game at Cincinnati will be carried live on WVUR (95.1-FM, Valparaiso) and online at www.valpo.edu/athletics. Nick Kovatch and Matt Engelbrecht will call all the action live from Fifth Third Arena. All 29 regular season games will be broadcast live over the internet in addition to many games on the radio. The game will also be televised on WXIX Fox 19 in Cincinnati.
Series Notes: Valparaiso and Cincinnati are meeting for the first time ever on the hardwood on Friday afternoon.
Wrapping Up Purdue: The Crusaders nearly pulled off the upset of the #20 Boilermakers on Monday evening in West Lafayette, Ind. before Lakisha Freeman’s basket with 19.8 seconds remaining put Purdue in front as the hosts went on to a 65-62 victory. The game saw 11 ties and 18 lead changes. Launa Hochstetler scored 17 points to lead four Crusaders in double figures while Aimee Litka added 13 points and six rebounds. Sarah Ott had a team-high seven boards to go along with 10 points and Agnieszka Kulaga also tallied 10 points. Valpo shot 64.7% (11-of-17) from three-point range, including hitting its first five of the game, on the way to a five-point halftime advantage.
Scouting Cincinnati: The Bearcats opened their season on Tuesday evening dropping a 55-46 decision to Michigan in Cincinnati. Tenishia Benson led Cincinnati with 11 points while Jill Stephens had 10 points and eight boards. The Bearcats made just 3-of-20 three-point attempts in the opener. Cincinnati was picked to finish 14th in the 16-team Big East this season.
Freeman Winningest Coach in Valpo History: Head coach Keith Freeman’s 229 victories are not only most in Valpo history, but also ranked him a top the Mid-Continent Conference prior to the Crusaders’ move to the Horizon League.
Litka Starts Year Strong Offensively: Aimee Litka leads the Crusaders in scoring, averaging 12.0 points per game after posting double figures in both of the first two contests of the year. She is shooting 45.0% from the field and is 5-of-10 from long range.
Launa Hochstetler Comes Up Big Against Boilermakers: Launa Hochstetler had her second highest scoring day of her career Monday against Purdue. The junior guard tallied 17 points, including three three-pointers. She also had four steals, her second most in her career.
Leah Hochstetler Has Career Day in Opener: Leah Hochstetler turned in her finest performance in her three year career in the opener against Bowling Green, tying for a team-high 11 points. She entered the year with just 20 career points, never scoring more than three in a game until then. In addition, she recorded her first career blocked shot against the Falcons.
Crusaders Continue Shooting Well from Long Range: After setting a school record shooting 37.4% from three-point range last year, Valpo has picked up where it left off, shooting 52.9% (18-of-34) from long range in the first two games. The Crusaders made their first five triples against Purdue on the way to making 11-of-17 (64.7%) on the night.
Ott Has Career Night on the Boards: Sarah Ott posted a new career high with her seven rebound performance at Purdue. The redshirt-junior previously had grabbed six boards four times.
Valpo Picked Fifth in Horizon League Race: Valparaiso has been tabbed to finish in fifth place in the Horizon League in its inaugural season according to the preseason poll conducted of the league’s head coaches, sports information directors, and selected media outlets. Milwaukee was picked to win the league followed by nine-time defending regular season champion Green Bay.
Who Made This Schedule?: Valparaiso is set to play 10 of its 29 regular season games against teams that participated in either the 2007 NCAA Tournament or the WNIT. In the preseason polls (USA Today and Associated Press), seven of Valpo’s opponents were either ranked or receiving votes in at least one of the two. Bowling Green was receiving votes while Purdue was ranked 20th in the USA Today coaches poll.
