#9 Valparaiso (9-20, 5-13 Horizon)
vs. #4 Detroit (15-14, 11-7 Horizon)

Game #30 - Thursday, March 10 - 12 p.m. CT
Horizon League Championship First Round

Kress Events Center (4,018) - Green Bay, Wis.

Next Up in Crusader Basketball: Nine teams will travel to Green Bay this week to take part in the Horizon League Championship. For the second time in three years, Valpo will challenge Detroit in the opening tilt of the tournament. The Titans swept the regular season series with the Crusaders, but the Brown and Gold did oust Detroit from the 2014 Horizon League Championship in their most recent postseason meeting.

Last Time Out: Four Crusaders finished in double figures Saturday as Valpo engineered an 80-74 victory over the host Flames at the UIC Pavilion. Dani Franklin finished with a team-high 16 points while Haylee Thompson was 6-for-9 from the field for 14 points. Senior Lexi Miller added 13 points and six assists opposite zero turnovers. Freshman Meredith Hamlet contributed 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting (3-6 3FG) to record 10 points or more for the 15th time this season.

Following the Crusaders: Audio: WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso) - Brandon Vickrey (PxP), Parker Gatewood (Color), Renee’ Turpa (Color). Video: ESPN3. Links for the audio, video, and live stats are available at ValpoAthletics.com. In addition, follow @ValpoWBB on Twitter for in-game updates and a behind-the-scenes look at the Crusaders throughout the season.

Head Coach Tracey Dorow: Tracey Dorow (32-89) is in her fourth season at the helm of the Valparaiso women’s basketball program in 2015-16. She collected her 250th career victory on November 14th, 2014 after a 91-57 defeat of Butler. 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 2002-03.

Series Notes: Detroit owns a 15-9 lead in an all-time series that began in 1989. The Titans won both contests during the regular season and are on a three-game winning streak against the Brown and Gold. Prior to this current skid, Valpo had been victorious in four of its last five meetings against UDM. Thursday, the 25th affair between the two teams, will be the first conducted at a neutral site.

Storylines
- Thursday’s tourney opener features three players who received Horizon League postseason awards: Meredith Hamlet (All-Freshman Team), Rosanna Reynolds (First Team All-League), and Brianne Cohen (Sixth Person of the Year).
- The Titans have not lost consecutive games since Dec. 30th-Jan. 2nd.
- With a victory, the Crusaders would reach double digits in wins for the first time since 2012-13.
- Over the course of 29 games this season, Detroit was cited for 100 fewer fouls than its opponents. Wright State is the only Horizon League school with a larger discrepancy (122).

@ValpoWBB
- In its 44th season, @ValpoWBB is 511-607 all-time (as of Mar. 9th).
- @ValpoWBB has made two NCAA Tournament appearances (2002-03, 2003-04) and earned one WNIT berth (2001-02).
- @ValpoWBB closed out the 2014-15 season slate with a 6-24 overall record, 2-14 in the Horizon League.
- @ValpoWBB was picked to finish 10th in the Horizon League in the 2015-16 Preseason Poll.
- @ValpoWBB’s Dani Franklin was a Preseason Second Team All-Horizon League selection.
- @ValpoWBB returns its three leading scorers (Franklin, Jasmyn Walker, Lexi Miller) in addition to its two top rebounders (Walker, Franklin).
- @ValpoWBB brings back 1,469 points, 767 rebounds, and 4,304 minutes played from the 2014-15 squad.
- @ValpoWBB reached the eight-win mark for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
- Last season, @ValpoWBB did not record its fifth win until February 5th. It did so on Dec. 30th this season.

@ValpoWBB in the @HorizonLeague
- Since joining the Horizon League in 2007-08, @ValpoWBB is 49-107 (as of Mar. 9th).
- @ValpoWBB has had one First Team All-League selection (Launa Hochstetler, 2008-09) and two Second Team All-League players (Agnieszka Kulaga, 2007-08; Tabitha Gerardot, 2012-13).
- @ValpoWBB also boasts four representatives on the All-Newcomer Team (Lauren Kenney, 2008-09; Gerardot, 2010-11; Dani Franklin, 2014-15; Jasmyn Walker, 2014-15), an All-Defensive Team member (Laura Richards, 2011-12), one Freshman of the Year (Franklin, 2014-15), and one Sixth Player of the Year (Franklin, 2014-15).
- @ValpoWBB’s win at Northern Kentucky on Dec. 30th gave it its first road win in a Horizon League opener since becoming a member.

@Detroit_WBB
- @Detroit_WBB enters Thursday’s tilt with a 15-14 record, and an 11-7 mark in Horizon League play.
- @Detroit_WBB’s Rosanna Reynolds earned First Team All-League honors and Brianne Cohen was named Sixth Person of the Year Tuesday when the Horizon League announced its postseason awards.
- @Detroit_WBB was the only HL team to commit fewer than 400 turnovers on the season (393).
- @Detroit_WBB allowed 74.2 points per game, most in the league.
- @Detroit_WBB boasts three (H. Ristovski [35.3], Reynolds [33.9], Urbanick [33.1]) of the top seven in minutes played in the Horizon.
- Reynolds is sixth in the league in scoring (15.5 PPG), third in assists (4.9 APG), 19th in rebounding (5.7 RPG), and second in FT shooting (.865).
- The redshirt junior averaged 12.5 PPG, 9.0 APG, 5.5 RPG, and 2.5 steals/game versus Valpo in the regular season series.
- No player in the Horizon League made more three-pointers than @Detroit_WBB’s Nicole Urbanick (80).
- Valpo held Urbanick to 2-of-19 shooting from downtown this season.
- Wright State’s Kim Demmings (254) is the only HL player to attempt more treys than Urbanick (226).
- @Detroit_WBB’s Brianne Cohen (15.3 PPG) has averaged 19.4 points over her last nine tilts.
- Cohen is coming off a career game vs. Milwaukee (Mar. 5) where she scored 33 points (9-14 FG, 15-17 FT).
- Cohen’s .578 FG percentage is the 11th-highest in the country.
- @Detroit_WBB’s Haleigh Ristovski is one of the most proficient defensive rebounders in the nation.
- Ristovski’s 8.2 defensive RPG average ranks ninth in D-I basketball.
- 238 of her 261 boards (91.2%) have been on the defensive end.

@UDMCoachScott
- @UDMCoachScott is in his first season as head coach of the Titans.
- @UDMCoachScott enters Thursday’s game with a 15-14 record.
- @UDMCoachScott was an assistant coach for 15 years before being named Detroit’s bench boss on May 5th, 2015.
- Detroit is @UDMCoachScott’s third stop on the sidelines at a Horizon League school.
- @UDMCoachScott was most recently the associate head coach at Cleveland State.
- @UDMCoachScott spent two seasons as recruiting coordinator at Youngstown State (2008-10).
- @UDMCoachScott helped the University of Dayton snap a five-season losing streak in 2006-07 while with the Flyers.
- Following a two-year run at Dayton, @UDMCoachScott worked a season at University of Arizona.
- @UDMCoachScott got his coaching feet wet at Toledo.
- @UDMCoachScott was a member of the Rockets’ coaching staff for four seasons, one of which culminated in a MAC regular season title and a WNIT berth.

Meredith Hamlet
- Named to Horizon League All-Freshman Team on Tuesday.
- Finished in double figures 15 times this season (10.4 PPG).
- Averaging a team-best 11.5 points/game on the road.
- Went off for 22 points at Oakland (Feb. 11) thanks to a season-high six three-pointers.
- Exploded for 29 points at NKU (Dec. 30) on 10-of-11 shooting, the third-highest single-game FG percentage in program history.
- Started in all 29 contests this season.

Hannah Schaub
- Team leader in assists (92) and steals (30).
- Has racked up multiple assists in nine of her last ten tilts.
- Speared a season-high eight rebounds against Detroit on Feb. 13th.
- Canned five three-pointers in Valpo’s only neutral-site contest of the season (vs. Northern Colorado at San Diego).

Abby Dean
- Two games shy of joining Valpo’s Top 10 for career games played (114).
- Logged the most minutes (2,511) of any Crusader on the roster.
- Has shot over 80% from the charity stripe and started 27 games each of the last two seasons.

Annemarie Hamlet
- Has not appeared yet this season.

Georgi Donchetz
- Set season highs in points (4) and assists (2) vs. YSU on Feb. 26th.

Lexi Miller
- Scored in double figures last time out (13) for the first time since Dec. 7th in addition to distributing six assists opposite zero turnovers.
- Possesses a 44:27 assist-to-turnover ratio away from home.
- Tied a career high in assists (8) at Wright State on Jan. 1st.

Imani Scott-Thompson
- Has pitched in 13 points off the bench twice in the last five games.
- Amassed a season-high four steals at Cleveland State (Feb. 29).
- Went off for a game-high 12 points versus Louisville on Dec. 5th.
- Set the NJCAA record for three-pointers in a single season (143) last year at Dakota College at Bottineau.

Amber Lindfors
- Leads the Horizon League in blocked shots per game (2.4).
- Shooting a team-best 51.1% from the field.
- Currently in 3rd place in program history for blocks in a season and 8th on the all-time career list (63).
- Swatted six shots on three different occasions this year.
- Accumulated more blocks through ten games (22) than any Crusader in an entire season over the past eight years.
- At 6’4’’, she is the tallest Crusader since Stefanie Lang (2010-12).

Dani Franklin
- Shooting 44.2% from the field away from the ARC.
- Erupted for 16 points (6-11 FG) at UIC last Saturday, going 4-for-4 from the floor in the second half.
- Averaging 13.3 points per game in four career tilts vs. Detroit.
- Has not missed a free-throw on the road since 3/5/15 (25 for last 25).
- After shooting 50% or higher from the field just once in the first six games of the season, Franklin did so in 12 straight from Dec.7-Jan. 21.
- Named to Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team.
- Has led the team in scoring on seven different occasions this year. She did so 12 times last season.
- Reigning HL Freshman of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year.
- Valpo’s top scorer (13.0 PPG) and field-goal shooter (47.3%) last season.
- Finished in double figures 21 times last season including five tilts of 20 points or more.
- Shot a team-high 85.7% (42-49) from the foul line as a freshman.

Allison Schofield
- Scored five points at Green Bay (2-2 FG, 1-1 3FG) on Jan. 14th.

Jasmyn Walker
- Valpo’s leading scorer (11.8 PPG) and rebounder (8.2 RPG).
- Averaging 12.0 PPG and 9.8 RPG in four career contests vs. UDM.
- Currently in 19th place in career rebounds at Valpo with 488.
- Led the Crusaders in rebounding 20 times this year.
- Cradled a career-high 16 boards vs. Detroit on Jan. 7th.
- Possesses seven double-doubles this season (N. Colorado, Miami, UDM, Oakland, CSU, YSU, WSU).
- Has started all 59 games since arriving to Valparaiso.
- Recorded most rebounds ever by a freshman (250) and the sixth-most ever in a single season in program history.
- Amassed nine double-doubles in Horizon League play in 2014-15.
- Elected to 2014-15 Horizon League All-Freshmen Team.
- Named HL Freshman of the Week three times last season.
- Collected team watermark in rebounds in 14 contests.

Haylee Thompson
- Finished in double figures at Detroit (10 pts on 4-6 FGs) on Feb. 13th.
- Posted a career-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the Crusaders’ 63-62 win over Cardinal Stritch on Dec. 7th.

Jessi Wiedemann
- Poured in 14 points (5-9 FG, 3-5 3FG) in 12 minutes off the bench at Butler.