Valparaiso (3-11, 1-2 MVC)
Game #15 - January 9, 2022 - 1 p.m.
Drake (9-5, 1-2 MVC)
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: Coming off an exhilarating come-from-behind victory at the ARC on Friday evening, the Valpo women’s basketball team takes aim at a weekend sweep of the MVC’s Iowa schools when Drake comes to town Sunday afternoon. Please note that masks are required at all home Valpo athletic events until further notice.
Previously: Valpo picked up its first Missouri Valley Conference victory of the 2021-22 season in thrilling fashion Friday evening at the ARC over visiting UNI, overcoming a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter thanks to stout defense and rebounding and getting the game-winning 3-point play from Shay Frederick with 51 seconds to play to edge the Panthers, 60-58. Caitlin Morrison broke Valpo career records for both games played and games started when she stepped into the center circle for the tip-off on Friday.
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Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her fourth year at the helm of the program in 2021-22 and owns a record of 40-60. Evans has made an immediate impact on the program in her first three years, raising the team’s level of play to be competitive in a strong Missouri Valley Conference. Evans’ preferred style of play has been a big part of the program’s turnaround, as Valpo has led the MVC in 3-pointers made per game and in steals per game in each of the last two seasons.
- Please note that while Evans did not attend last weekend’s games due to being in the University’s COVID-19 protocol, per NCAA statistics policy, the results go on her record.
Series Notes: Drake has won all 13 meetings in the all-time series, but the gap has shrunk significantly the last couple years. The Bulldogs’ average margin of victory was 31.9 points in the first seven matchups since Valpo joined the MVC, but in the last four meetings, Drake’s average margin of victory has been just 7.5 points.
@ValpoWBB...
...and @ValleyHoops
- Valpo has been picked to finish in sixth place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 208 points - just one point shy of fifth place.
- Valpo is in its fifth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference in 2021-22.
- The Valley was ranked seventh nationally in conference NET in 2020-21 and was eighth nationally in conference RPI in 2019-20.
...looking back at last year
- Valpo posted a 12-13 overall record during the 2020-21 season and went 7-9 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
- Valpo finished the regular season in seventh place in the MVC standings.
- Included among Valpo’s 12 victories were wins at Illinois and at Purdue, the program’s first Power Five wins since 2012-13.
- Valpo closed the season with a NET of 122 - the program’s best final NET/RPI ranking since the 2003-04 campaign.
- Shay Frederick was a First Team All-MVC honoree as she led the Valley in assists and ranked sixth in scoring.
- Carie Weinman earned Honorable Mention All-MVC notice and repeated on the All-Defensive Team as she led the Valley in steals for a second straight season.
...versus UNI
- UNI converted a four-point play on its first possession of the fourth quarter to pull ahead 53-40, but Valpo held the Panthers to just two points over a stretch of nearly eight minutes to allow the comeback to ensue.
- It was contributions across the board which gave the Beacons an opportunity to nose their way back into contention. The first spurt featured three points from Leah Earnest, a bucket from Maya Dunson and a pair of free throws by Shay Frederick to cut the UNI lead to 53-47 with 7:07 to play.
- The Panthers got a second-chance basket on their next trip to push the lead back to eight points, where it would stay until the clock ticked inside four minutes.
- Grace White broke the two-way scoring drought with a drive and finish, and after the Valpo defense forced a UNI shot clock violation, Ilysse Pitts came up with a big 3-point play with three minutes remaining to bring the Beacons within 55-52.
- After the teams traded turnovers, Valpo forced another Panther miss and came down to tie the game for the first time since 0-0, as Pitts hit White for a triple — the team’s lone 3-pointer of the fourth quarter — to even things up, 55-55, with 2:10 to go.
- UNI split a pair of free throws on its next trip before the Beacons came back and took their first lead of the game, courtesy of an Earnest feed to Olivia Brown for a layup with 1:15 to go.
- The Panthers inched back in front as Karli Rucker connected on a floater on their offensive end at the 1:02 mark, but that just set the stage for the game-clinching basket by Frederick while taking contact to make it a two-point lead with 51 seconds to go.
- UNI missed a 16-foot baseline jumper out of a timeout, and Valpo ran the shot clock all the way down before missing a 3-point attempt. The Panthers had one last shot, but their try from deep was off the mark and the buzzer sounded as the rebound hit the floor, setting off the Valpo celebration.
...at Missouri State
- The Lady Bears led 12-5 at the end of the first quarter, and after Valpo rallied to tie the game in the second quarter, closed the first half on a 12-3 run — including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer — to take a 30-21 lead into halftime.
- Shay Frederick drove for a layup on Valpo’s first possession of the third quarter, but that was immediately followed by a 14-2 MSU run over the next five minutes as the Lady Bears extended their lead to its apex at 19 points.
- Olivia Brown helped curb the Lady Bears’ momentum with three 3-pointers over a stretch of three minutes, and when Caitlin Morrison connected on a triple inside the final minute of the period, Valpo was within 52-39 with 10 minutes remaining.
- Missouri State scored on its first possession of the fourth quarter. Valpo came right back with a bucket from Brown, and in the midst of getting four consecutive defensive stops, converted offensively with an Earnest basket and a Frederick 3-pointer to close to within 54-46 with 6:36 to play.
- The Lady Bears scored on their next trip, however, to push their lead back to double digits. The Beacons cut the deficit to single digits once more on a pair of White free throws with 4:41 remaining, but MSU scored on each of its next three possessions and Valpo would get no closer.
- Brown posted by far her best game in the Valpo uniform to date on Sunday afternoon. The junior went 8-of-10 from the field and was 5-for-6 from behind the arc for a game-high 21 points. It was the fourth 20+ point effort of her career, but her first in the Brown and Gold.
- Frederick added 14 points and went 4-for-6 from 3-point range, setting a season high for made triples.
...looking ahead
- The central Illinois road trip awaits Valpo next weekend, with games at Illinois State (Thursday, Jan. 13) and at Bradley (Saturday, Jan. 15).
...at the ARC
- Friday is the second MVC home game of the season and the sixth of 13 home games in total this year for the Beacons.
- Valpo posted a 5-6 record at the ARC last season and is currently 2-3 at home this year.
@DrakeWBB
- Drake currently sits at 9-5 overall and owns a 1-2 record in MVC play.
- A short-handed Bulldogs squad led Loyola Friday night by nine points at halftime before falling to the Ramblers, 63-46.
- Drake was short its top two scorers Friday evening - the Bulldogs’ leading scorer who played against Loyola was Megan Meyer, who averages 11.3 points/game.
What a Rally
- Friday’s win marked the 11th time in the four-year tenure of head coach Mary Evans that Valpo has rallied from down double digits to win.
- The 13-point comeback in the fourth quarter ties the program’s largest comeback in the final period since the move to quarters — Valpo previously rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter in a 66-64 win over Loyola on Jan. 24, 2020. Ironically, the two-point final margin in that win was also secured by a 3-point play from Frederick.
- The last time Valpo rallied from a larger deficit within the game’s final 10 minutes came at Loyola on Feb. 17, 2011. Valpo trailed that day by 14 points with 8:45 to play and went on to a 72-68 victory.
Who Needs to Lead?
- Valpo’s first lead in Friday’s win came on a basket from Olivia Brown with 1:15 to play.
- The Beacons would lead for just 1:05 in total.
- It marks the first time in at least 20 years Valpo has won a game it has led for fewer than two minutes.
- In that 20-year stretch, the shortest amount of time Valpo held a lead in an eventual win came in the aforementioned 2011 Loyola matchup. Valpo held the lead for just 2:01 in the game.
Top 100 Wins
- Valpo has made a habit of knocking off top-100 opponents in MVC play over the last few seasons.
- Friday’s win came over a UNI team which entered the night ranked #46 in NET.
- It marks Valpo’s sixth top-100 NET/RPI win in Valley action over the last three seasons.
- Prior to its Feb. 16, 2020 win at Illinois State - its first top-100 win in conference play since joining the Valley - Valpo had gone nearly seven years without a top-100 victory.
Setting Records
- Sixth-year forward Caitlin Morrison surpassed a pair of Valpo career records when she stepped into the center circle for the opening tip against UNI.
- Morrison appeared in the 126th game of her Valpo career, breaking a tie with Kathryn Knoester for the most games played in program history.
- It was also the 122nd start of Morrison’s career, breaking a tie with Meredith Hamlet for the most starts by a player in program history.
Frederick Keeps On Scoring
- Senior guard Shay Frederick became the 17th player in Valpo women’s basketball history to reach the 1,000-point milestone for her career last month at South Dakota.
- Frederick passed Carrie Forsman for 16th place in program history at Morehead State and now owns 1,072 career points after scoring 13 in Friday’s win over UNI.
- Next up for Frederick are Suzie Hammel, who sits 15th in program history with 1,077 career points, and Lynda Kukla, who ranks 14th with 1,081 points.
- Frederick also has 407 career assists, good for fourth in program history as she surpassed the 400-assist mark for her career at MSU.
- Frederick is one of just two players in program history with at least 1,000 career points and 400 career assists, and just one of three active MVC players above those marks (Brice Calip, MSU-1489/432; Karli Rucker, UNI-1583/448).
Liv Breaks Out
- Junior Olivia Brown has enjoyed back-to-back standout performances for the Beacons.
- After entering the game with just five made 3-pointers in her first 12 games at Valpo and with a season high of seven points, Brown went 8-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from 3-point range for a game-high 21 points last Sunday at Missouri State.
- It was the fourth 20+ point effort of Brown’s collegiate career, as she previously had three such games for St. Bonaventure.
- Brown’s five made triples were the most by a Valpo player since Shay Frederick hit six 3-pointers last season at Southern Illinois.
- Then, last time out in the win over UNI, Brown again led all players, scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
Limiting the Opponents
- Valpo’s defense limited Missouri State to 29.7% shooting (19-of-64) from the field and just 2-for-22 from 3-point range last Sunday.
- It was the Lady Bears’ second-worst shooting performance of the season and their lowest number of 3-pointers made.
- It was the first time Valpo held an opponent below 30% shooting since limiting Illinois State to 28.8% from the floor last Jan. 15.
- It also was the worst 3-point shooting performance by a Valpo foe since the Lady Bears matched the 9.1% clip from deep last Jan. 30.
- Then, on Friday in the win over UNI, Valpo limited the Panthers to a season-low 58 points.
- The Panthers hit at just a 32.4% clip from the field, their second-worst shooting percentage of the season, besting only their effort against Iowa. The Beacons also sent UNI to the free throw line for just six attempts.
