Valparaiso (5-12, 0-6 Horizon)
at Green Bay (15-2, 6-0 Horizon)

Game No. 18 – Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017 – 7 p.m. CT
Kress Center (4,018) – Green Bay, Wis.

Next Up in Crusader Basketball: The Valparaiso University women’s basketball team will face the toughest of Horizon League tests on Tuesday night at the Kress Event Center in Green Bay, Wis. as the Crusaders clash with first-place Green Bay, which is unbeaten in league action so far this season. A scheduling quirk pits the Crusaders up against the Phoenix for the second time this year despite the fact that they have not yet faced three other Horizon League squads. The Crusaders clash with the Phoenix for the second time in a five-game span. In addition, Valpo dealt with a quick travel turnaround, returning from the two-game Ohio swing late Saturday and departing for Green Bay early Monday. 

Last Time Out: Meredith Hamlet turned in her best performance in a Valpo uniform on Saturday in Youngstown, Ohio, but her first-career double-double of 29 points and 10 rebounds didn’t translate to a victory as the Penguins prevailed 76-70. The Crusaders did a stellar job rebounding the basketball for the second consecutive game, limiting Youngstown State to two offensive boards.

Following the Crusaders: Tuesday’s game and every game for the remainder of the season will be available on ESPN3, WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app. In addition, the hometown call can be heard on 95.1 FM Valparaiso with Jordan Morandini (play-by-play) and Brandon Vickrey (color commentary) describing the action. Links to live video, audio and stats for Saturday’s game are available on ValpoAthletics.com.

Head Coach Tracey Dorow: Tracey Dorow is in her fifth season at the helm of the Valparaiso women’s basketball program in 2016-17. She collected her 250th career victory on Nov. 14, 2014 with a 91-57 win over Butler. In her first season, Dorow led the Crusaders to 11 victories, including five in Horizon League play. Last year, Valpo again reached a double-figure win total by notching 10 triumphs, including an upset of Detroit Mercy in the Horizon League Tournament. Dorow arrived in Valparaiso after 14 seasons at Ferris State. She compiled a 232-163 record while with the Bulldogs. Ferris State posted the No. 1 grade point average in all of Division II for the 1999-2000 women’s basketball season as well as the No. 2 ranking in 2002-03.

Series Notes: Green Bay blitzed Valpo 75-36 at the Athletics-Recreation Center in the first meeting of the year on Jan. 5. Meredith Hamlet and Haylee Thompson scored eight points apiece to lead the way as Green Bay became just the second team to hold Valpo leading scorer Dani Franklin out of double figures this season. The Phoenix held the Crusaders to single digit scoring in three of the four quarters and forced 26 Crusader turnovers. That allowed Green Bay to extend its lead in the all-time series to 36-4. The Phoenix have won 22 straight meetings dating back to February 2008. Valpo hasn’t won in Green Bay since March 8, 1991 and have lost 16 straight in Green Bay since that 72-69 victory.

The Justin Rees File

• In his third season as an assistant coach at Valpo and his 18^th in women’s college basketball.
• Will coach Tuesday’s game in place of head coach Tracey Dorow, who is recovering from neck surgery.
• Also serves as Valpo’s recruiting coordinator.
• Has developed three All-Americans and 32 all-conference award winners.
• Specializes in instructing forwards and has helped 13 post players earn individual success.
• Served as the head coach at Missouri Valley College during the 2013-2014 campaign, an assistant at William Jewell in 2012-2013, the head coach at Lake Superior State in 2011-12, spent four years as an assistant at Maine and spent five seasons as an assistant under Dorow at Ferris State.

Worth Noting

• Valpo is 0-11 when allowing opponents to score 70 points or more, but 5-1 when holding opponents to 69 points or fewer. In addition, the Crusaders are 1-9 when they score 69 points or fewer.
• Meredith Hamlet averaged 7.0 point per game over the first 10 games this season and has scored 14.9 points per game over the last seven.
• Entering the Jan. 7 game against Milwaukee, Hamlet had no more than six rebounds in any of her 44 career games. Since then, she’s pulled down more than six boards in three consecutive contests.
• Dani Franklin enters Tuesday’s game needing 11 points to reach 1,000 for her Valpo career. She is on the brink of becoming the 14^th member of Valpo’s 1,000-point club.
• Franklin is four points away from leaping over Shari Toelke (1990-94) for 14^th on Valpo’s all-time scoring list.
• With her next point, Franklin will have already scored more points than she did all of last season (312). She has 127 rebounds, 13 more than she finished with a season ago.
• Grace Hales needs three more points to hit 100 for the season.
• Statistically, Saturday’s game against Youngstown State was Valpo’s best performance in conference play. They had their best rebounding performance of league play (+11) and held the deficit to single figures for the first time in league action. The Penguins pulled down just two offensive rebounds.
• Amber Lindfors leads the league in blocked shots per game at 2.38, ranking 25^th in the nation. As a team, the Crusaders lead the league in blocked shots with 4.2 per contest.
• The Crusaders have rebounded well of late, putting together a stretch of three straight games with 40 or more team rebounds for the second time this season.
• Valpo has averaged 12.6 turnovers per game over the last three games, a clear improvement after averaging 23.3 turnovers per game over their first three Horizon League games.

Historical Tidbits

• In its 45th season, Valpo is 517-618 all-time.
• Valpo has made two NCAA Tournament appearances (2002-03, 2003-04) and earned one WNIT berth (2001-02).
• The Crusaders have had more all-freshman team honorees in the last two years (3) than they did in the previous 12 seasons combined (2).
• Valpo reached double-figure wins for the first time since 2012-2013 a year ago with 10 victories. They also captured five league wins for the first time since ’12-13.
• Valpo has seven players on the roster listed at 6-foot or taller. The last time Valpo had that many players measure in at 6-foot or taller was the 2010-11 season.
• The five freshmen are also Valpo’s most since 2010-11.
• Valpo 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).
• Valpo also boasts five representatives on the all-newcomer team (Lauren Kenney, 2008-09; Gerardot, 2010-11; Dani Franklin, 2014-15; Jasmyn Walker, 2014-15; Meredith Hamlet 2015-16), 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).

Inside the Phoenix  

• The preseason favorites to win the Horizon League for the ninth straight year.
• Have won 18 consecutive regular season titles.
• Ranked first in the NCAA Women’s Mid-Major Top 25 on CollegeInsider.com. Received all 31 first-place votes in the most recent poll.
• Received 14 votes in last week’s AP Poll, putting them 29^th in the nation.
• Coming off an 89-47 win over Oakland during which Mehryn Kraker and Allie LeClaire combined to outscore Oakland with 53 points between the two players.
• Went 28-5 last year including a 16-2 conference mark while securing the program’s 17^th straight 20-win season and 39^th consecutive winning season, the second-longest active streak in the nation.
• Have the No. 29 RPI in the nation.
• Kraker, the 2016 Horizon League Tournament MVP, leads the league in scoring with 19.1 points per game and field goal percentage at 57.9.
• The Phoenix lead the league in scoring defense (49.1), scoring margin (+19.2), field goal percentage (46.1), field goal percentage defense (33.4), and rebounding defense (27.8).
• Green Bay’s scoring defense (49.1 points per game) ranks second in the nation, behind only Campbell at 46.3 points per game. Nationally, the Phoenix are 20^th in field goal percentage, 13^th in scoring margin and fourth in field goal percentage defense.
• Lost three of their top seven players with Tesha Buck, Kali Lukan and Mariah Monke all departing. Lukan graduated, while Monke had one season of eligibility remaining but chose to forgo her final season and begin her career in education. Buck elected to transfer to New Mexico to play for former Wright State head coach Mike Bradbury and is sitting out this season due to transfer rules.
• Every player on the roster is from the state of Wisconsin.

Green Bay Head Coach Kevin Borseth

• Received a contract extension through 2020-21 during the offseason.
• In his fifth season of his second stint at Green Bay. Previously guided the Phoenix from 1998-2007, leading Green Bay to the NCAA Tournament seven times in nine years.
• Spent five seasons as the head coach at Michigan between his two stints at Green Bay.
• Has been the Horizon League Coach of the Year in eight of his 13 seasons in charge of the Phoenix.

Meredith Hamlet

• Fast Facts: Has started all 47 games since joining the program… Has scored eight points or more in each of her last seven games after being held below that mark in five of the previous seven games... Only a sophomore, reached the 500-point plateau for her collegiate career on Jan. 14 at Youngstown State… Has multiple steals in four straight games.
• Last Time Out: Exploded for her first career double-double with 29 points and 10 rebounds on Jan. 14 against Youngstown State. Matched a career high in scoring and steals (3) while establishing new career watermarks in rebounds and made field goals (12).
• Season Highlight: Went off for 18 points at Oakland on Dec. 31, setting a season high at the Horizon League school closest to her hometown of McBain, Mich.
• Career Highlight: Exploded for 29 points at Northern Kentucky on Dec. 30, 2015. Went 10-of-11 shooting, the third-highest single-game field goal percentage in program history.
• Worth Noting: Made a game-winning layup at the buzzer to beat Chicago State on Nov. 16… Made 69 3-pointers last season, tying for the fifth most in a single season in school history. In addition, she set the record for the most 3-pointers by a freshman… Finished in double figures 16 times a year ago and is Valpo’s leading returning scorer at 10.6 points per game.
• Awards & Honors: Named to Horizon League all-freshman team last year… Team Captain this season.

Hannah Schaub

• Fast Fact: Led the team in steals (32) and assists (101) last season.
• Last Time Out: Scored five points on Saturday at Youngstown State, her highest total in league play so far this season. Connected on a triple, snapping out of a 3-point slump after going 0-for-12 over her previous nine games.
• Season Highlight: Dished out nine assists against Liberty on Nov. 25 to match a career best and set a new career watermark against Division-I competition. The nine assists marked the most by an individual Horizon League player in a single game this season at that point, but has since been surpassed by Indiya Benjamin’s 10 against Point Park on Dec. 21.
• Career Highlight: Went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc on Nov. 28, 2015 against Northern Colorado, tying for the 10^th best 3-point field goal percentage in a single game in program history. Also knocked down five triples against Detroit in the Horizon League quarterfinals later that season.

Georgi Donchetz

• Fast Fact: Has three rebounds or more in four straight games for the first time in her collegiate career… Six of her seven rebounds in the last two games have come on the offensive boards.
• Last Time Out: Held to three points on 1-of-8 shooting on Jan. 14 at Youngstown State.
• Season Highlights: Reached double figures for the first time in her Valpo career on Dec. 4 at No. 1 Notre Dame by scoring 10 points… Matched a career-high 10 points on Jan. 12 against Cleveland State. Established a new personal watermark in made field goals with five.
• Worth Noting: Had a career-high eight rebounds on Dec. 29 at Detroit Mercy to lead the team in rebounding for the first time in her Valpo career. Also scored six points to surpass the 100-point mark for her career in that game… Picked up her first career block on Jan. 5 against Green Bay.
• Awards and Honors: Named a team captain this season.

Imani Scott-Thompson

• Fast Fact: Has made three in two of her last three appearances… Hasn’t played since Jan. 5 against Green Bay.
• Last Time Out: Did not play on Saturday at Youngstown State.
• Season Highlight: Made her season debut on Nov. 21 against IU Kokomo and turned in seven points.
• Career Highlight: Rose up to the competition against Louisville on Dec. 5, 2015, leading the team with 12 points.
• Worth Noting: Set the NJCAA record for 3-pointers in a single season (143) in 2014-15 at Dakota College at Bottineau.

Amber Lindfors

• Fast Facts: Recorded three blocks on Dec. 29 against Detroit Mercy, becoming the third player in Valpo history with 100 career block… Leads the league in blocked shots per game at 2.38, ranking 25^th in the nation.
• Last Time Out: Scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds on Jan. 14 at Youngstown State. Had four blocks, her highest total in the last six games.
• Season Highlight: Matched a career high with six blocks on Nov. 16 against Chicago State. That marked the fourth time she’s blocked six shots in a game in her Valpo career. There have only been 10 individual six-block performances in Valpo history, and four of them belong to Lindfors. The six blocks in a single game ties for third in program history. The six blocks are the most in a single game by any player in the Horizon League so far this season.
• Career Highlight: Had a career-high 17 points on Dec. 10, 2016 against Grace College. Her previous career high of 15 had stood since Dec. 21, 2015 against IU Kokomo.
• Worth Noting: Finished the 2015-16 season with 71 blocks, the second most in a single season in program history… Was the first Crusader to reach 70 blocks in a single season since Michelle Mader in 1991-1992… Led the Horizon League with 2.4 blocks per game in 2015-2016.

Dani Franklin

• Fast Facts: Enters Tuesday’s game needing 11 points to reach 1,000 for her Valpo career… On the brink of becoming the 14^th member of Valpo’s 1,000-point club… Is four points away from leaping over Shari Toelke (1990-94) for 14^th on Valpo’s all-time scoring list… With her next point, Franklin will have already scored more points than she did all of last season (312). She has 127 rebounds, 13 more than she finished with a season ago… Leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage at 45.0.
• Last Time Out: Finished in double figures for the 15^th time in 17 games on Saturday at Youngstown State, scoring 12 points.
• Career Highlight: Set a career high and notched Valpo’s best individual scoring performance since 1992 and fifth-best in program history with 34 points at Stetson on Nov. 12, 2016… Franklin bested her previous career high by nine points, a mark that was established on Dec. 30, 2014 against Purdue Calumet and matched on Feb. 11, 2016 against Oakland… Only two players in program history have reached the 34-point mark before Franklin. Debbie Bolen did so three times, while Stephanie Greer owns the all-time single-game scoring record with 39 in 1990… The 34-point night is the best individual scoring performance in the Horizon League so far this season.
• Season Highlight: Scored 33 points on Dec. 3 against Eastern Illinois, finishing one shy of a career high. She became just the third player in program history who has scored 33 points or more in at least two games. Matched a career best with 12 made field goals, and went 6-of-7 at the free-throw line, with the misfire just her second of the year.
• Awards & Honors: Horizon League Freshman of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year in 2014-15. Team captain this season.
• Worth Noting: Shot 43.3 percent from 3-point range as a freshman in 2014-2015, the fourth best single-season mark in program history …Owns the two highest individual single-game scoring outputs in the Horizon League this season.

Allison Schofield

• Fast Fact: Has seen an uptick in playing time, playing double-figure minutes in four of the last five games after doing so just once (at Notre Dame) over the first 12 games… Entered last week’s road trip with eight total rebounds in 13 games this season and pulled down seven boards over the two games.
• Last Time Out: Had a career-high four rebounds on Saturday at Youngstown State but did not score in 11 minutes.
• Career Highlight: Set a career high with eight points including two made 3s on Dec. 4, 2016 against Notre Dame.

Haylee Thompson

• Fast Fact: Made the first 3-pointer of her collegiate career on Dec. 11 at Indiana, then followed with her second career trey on Thursday against Green Bay.
• Last Time Out: Scored four points in eight minutes on Saturday at Youngstown State.
• Worth Noting: The longest-tenured Crusader as she enters her fourth season with the program. Only her third year playing after sitting out one season due to transfer rules. Came to the Crusaders from Utah State… Led the team in field goal percentage at 51.9 percent last season.

Caitlin Morrison

• Fast Facts: The lone freshman in the starting lineup for each of Valpo’s first 10 games this season.
• Last Time Out: Returned to full force for the first time since leaving the Jan. 5 game against Green Bay with an ankle injury on Saturday at Youngstown State, as she played 19 minutes and scored four points including a made 3.
• Season Highlight: Reached double figures for the first time in her Valpo career with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting against Grace College on Dec. 10.
• Worth Noting: Father Scott Morrison is a former Valparaiso men’s basketball player.

Maya Meredith

• Fast Fact: Notched her first-career made basket against a Division-I opponent on Jan. 14 at Youngstown State. Did so in style, finishing an important layup despite being fouled… Has pulled down two rebounds or more in each of her last four games despite limited minutes.
• Last Time Out: Had a career-high four points, all coming in the first half, on Jan. 14 at Youngstown State.  Played 12 minutes, the second-most action she’s seen this year.
• Season Highlight: Scored her first collegiate point on Nov. 16, making a free throw in the win over Chicago State.
• Worth Noting: Received honorable mention all-state recognition as a senior in high school.

Grace Hales

• Fast Fact: Knocked down three 3s in her Crusader debut, becoming the first player to do so since Annemarie Hamlet in 2014. Hales became the first freshman to pour in three 3s in a season opener in the last decade… Enters Tuesday needs three more points to reach 100 for the season as a freshman.
• Last Time Out: Scored three points in five minutes on Saturday at Youngstown State.
• Season Highlight: Scored nine points at Stetson on Nov. 12, marking the third straight year a Valpo freshman has scored nine points or more on opening night. Meredith Hamlet and Dani Franklin did so each of the last two seasons, and both went on to make the Horizon League all-freshman team.
• Career Highlight: Opened conference play in style with a career-high 13 points on Dec. 29 at Detroit Mercy, her second consecutive game in double figures.
• Worth Noting: Father Ross played football and basketball at Indiana University…. 11-for-11 at the free-throw line in the last six games.