Valparaiso (2-9, 0-3 MVC)
Game #12 - Jan. 7, 2023 - 1 p.m.
Indiana State (6-6, 1-2 MVC)
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women’s basketball team closes out its opening weekend of home Valley action as it takes aim at a weekend split on Saturday afternoon, welcoming fellow Hoosier State foe Indiana State to the ARC.
Previously: Valpo took to the court at the ARC for a home game for the first time in nearly a month on Thursday evening, but the Beacons’ second-quarter scoring drought proved too much to overcome as Valpo fell in MVC action to visiting Evansville, 57-45. Ali Saunders paced the Beacons with 14 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Leah Earnest added 11 points and five rebounds.
Following Valpo Basketball: Streaming Video: ESPN3 - R.C. McBride and Kelly Burke on the call
Radio: WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso)
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Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com
Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her fifth year at the helm of the program in 2022-23 and owns a record of 50-77. Evans has made an impact on the program in her first four 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 in each of the last three seasons and in steals per game in two of the last three years.
Series Notes: While Indiana State leads the all-time series over Valpo, 9-6, the matchups have been tipped in Valpo’s favor recently, with the Brown and Gold winning four of the last five meetings between the two teams. Last season, the two programs split their two matchups, with each winning on the other’s home floor - the Sycamores ran out to an 85-65 win at the ARC, but the Beacons turned the tables in Terre Haute, 74-69. Shay Frederick had 19 points, including a 14-for-14 effort from the foul line, and six assists in the win downstate, while Maya Dunson enjoyed her best collegiate game, scoring 13 points - including a perfect 3-for-3 mark from the 3-point line - and grabbing a team-best seven rebounds.
@ValpoWBB...
...and @ValleyHoops
- Valpo was picked to finish in 10th place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 197 points, just 10 points behind Evansville.
- Valpo is in its sixth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
- The Valley was ranked 10th in conference NET last year, 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 finished last year with an 11-19 overall record, but was strong in MVC play, going 9-9 in conference and finishing in sixth place - both of which match the program’s best since joining the Valley.
- The Beacons registered the first win at Drake and the first win at Bradley in program history.
- Valpo swept the season series over Drake, the program’s first two wins ever against the Bulldogs.
- The Beacons also tallied four top-100 wins within Valley play.
- Grace White was named MVC Sixth Player of the Year - the program’s first major postseason award since joining the Valley. Shay Frederick was a First Team All-MVC choice, while White was an All-Defensive Team selection and Olivia Brown earned a spot on the All-Newcomer Team.
...versus Evansville
- Valpo led for most of the first quarter before trailing 18-17 at the end of one. The Beacons then scored just two second-quarter points, trailing 26-19 at the half despite giving up just eight points in the second period.
- Valpo got no closer than the halftime deficit in the second half.
- Valpo’s 45 points were a season low, but the Beacons’ defense also set a season best by limiting Evansville to 57 points.
- While Valpo was limited to just 29.4% shooting (5-of-17) from 3-point range, its struggles inside the arc were most notable. The Beacons entered the game hitting better than 50% on the season from 2-point range, but were just 33.3% (11-of-33) from inside on Thursday evening.
- Ali Saunders came off the bench to contribute a team-best 14 points and was also one of four Beacons to share team-high honors with five rebounds.
- Leah Earnest reached double digits as well, finishing with 11 points to score in double figures for the first time in three MVC games after tallying 10+ points in each of Valpo’s eight nonconference games.
- Valpo went a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line.
...at Murray State
- Valpo trailed the Racers 17-11 at the end of the first quarter and were within 32-28 at intermission.
- The Beacons fell behind by 10 in the third quarter, but were able to erase all but one point off that deficit and went into the fourth trailing just 46-43.
- Valpo went without a field goal for over eight minutes to start the fourth quarter as the Racers pulled away.
- Sunday’s game was Valpo’s second consecutive road game against a top-100 NET team to open up the MVC schedule.
- While the Racers shot at a 50% clip for the game, the second-best mark by a Valpo opponent this season, the Beacons forced a total of 16 MSU turnovers, 9 of which were steals — both just one off the respective season bests.
- Valpo was limited to 34.6% shooting for the game, but was at 42.1% through three quarters to be within three points with 10 minutes to play.
- A relatively clean game, Valpo attempted just nine free throws — a season low — and sent MSU to the stripe just 10 times — the lowest for a Valpo opponent this season.
- Olivia Brown paced the Beacons for a second straight game, knocking down three 3-pointes on her way to 15 points. The senior is averaging 15.5 points/game over her last four outings after averaging just 5.3 points/game in the previous three games.
- Brown was the lone Valpo player in double figures on Sunday, as Earnest was next-best with eight points. The junior grabbed 10 rebounds as well, her fifth double-digit effort on the glass this season.
...looking ahead
- The Beacons make a quick mid-week trip to Chicago to take on UIC Jan. 11.
- Valpo follows with a return to the ARC next Saturday, Jan. 14 to face off with Missouri State.
...at the ARC
- Saturday’s game is the seventh of 15 home games this season for Valpo and the second home MVC game.
- The Beacons are 1-5 at home so far this year and went 6-7 in home games last season.
@IndStWBB
- Indiana State enters Saturday’s game at 6-6 overall and 1-2 in MVC play, snapping a two-game skid on Thursday evening with a 59-48 win at UIC.
- The Sycamores were picked eighth in the MVC preseason poll after going 11-20 overall and 5-13 in the Valley last season.
- Three ISU players average in double figures, led by 11.8 points/game from Del’Janae Williams.
Low-Scoring Affair
- Valpo’s 57-45 loss to Evansville last time out was notable for its low point total.
- The Beacons’45 points were a season low, and only a pair of matchups against UNI (38 in the regular season, 39 in the MVC Tournament) featured lower point totals for Valpo since Dec. 10 of last season.
- On the flip side, Valpo surrendered just 57 points, a season best defensively, besting its previous opponent low of 64 points at Central Michigan.
- The second quarter was especially notable. Valpo gave up just eight points to the Purple Aces, a season low by the Beacons’ opponents for any quarter, but scored just two points - its lowest in a quarter this season and tied for the fewest points in the second period since the move to quarters.
Finally Back Home
- It was nearly a month since Valpo’s last home game when the Beacons stepped on the court at the ARC Thursday evening to face Evansville.
- Despite being within the first week of December, the home game against Western Michigan on Dec. 7 was the Beacons’ last at the ARC in the 2022 calendar year.
- The 29 days between home games is the longest stretch between regular season home games for Valpo since the 1999-2000 team went 35 days between playing Eastern Michigan at the ARC on Dec. 9 and Oakland at home on Jan. 13.
The Hoosier State Crown
- This weekend marks Valpo’s first steps in laying claim to being the top Indiana team in the Valley for a fourth consecutive season.
- The Beacons have owned the best head-to-head record against the MVC’s other two Indiana programs - Evansville and Indiana State - each of the last three years.
- Here are the head-to-head records between the three teams since Valpo joined the Valley:
2021-22 - Valpo 3-1; Indiana State 3-2; Evansville 1-4
2020-21 - Valpo 2-1; Indiana State 1-1; Evansville 2-3
2019-20 - Valpo 4-0; Indiana State 2-2; Evansville 0-4
2018-19 - Indiana State 3-2; Evansville 2-2; Valpo 2-3
2017-18 - Indiana State 4-0; Valpo 2-2; Evansville 0-4
Opening Weekend Redux
- It might be worth it for senior Olivia Brown to pretend that every weekend of action is the opening weekend of conference play.
- Last season, the first weekend of MVC play served as a breakout for Brown on her way to All-Newcomer Team accolades, as she averaged 13.5 points/game after scoring just 28 points combined in nonconference play.
- The highlight of opening weekend last year was a 21-point performance on 8-of-10 shooting, including five 3-pointers, at Missouri State.
- This year, Brown paced the Beacons in both games to open conference play, averaging 16.5 points/game on 64.7% shooting.
- Brown notched 18 points at Belmont on a career-best six 3-pointers, hitting at a 75% clip from deep to move into Valpo’s single-game top-10, and then scored 15 points at Murray State.
Interrante Steps Up
- Junior Ava Interrante entered Valpo’s game at Western Illinois with 27 career points to her credit, but has more than doubled that mark over a three-game stretch.
- Interrante flew past her previous career high with 15 second-half points against the Leathernecks, followed with 14 points in the game at Belmont and connected on a pair of triples for six points at Murray State.
- Interrante also made her first career start against the Bruins.
- The junior entered the WIU game with just one career triple to her credit, but hit three from deep in that contest and then bested that last Friday with four 3-pointers against Belmont before connecting from downtown twice against Murray State.
Setting Career Bests
- Interrante wasn’t the only Beacon player to zoom past her previous career best Dec. 9 at Western Illinois.
- Junior Jayda Johnston raced past her previous high of six points just 2:05 into the second quarter on her way to a team-best 16 points.
- Eight of Valpo’s 11 players who have seen action this season have tied or set career bests for scoring at some point in this season’s first eight games - notably, three separate games have featured multiple Beacons hitting career highs.
- The season-opening win at Central Michigan featured career bests for Leah Earnest (20) and Katie Beyer (11), while Ali Saunders (32) and Olivia Sims (12) hit career highs in the overtime loss to UAB.
Top Scorers Doing So Efficiently
- Valpo’s top three scorers are all doing so at a very efficient clip.
- Olivia Brown is scoring a team-high 11.9 points/game on 44.8% shooting, Leah Earnest is averaging 11.7 points/game on 54.6% shooting and Ali Saunders 11.5 points/game on 48.8% shooting.- Brown and Saunders are both hitting at least 40% of their 3-point attempts as well.
- Valpo has not had even one of its top scorers shoot at least 50% for a season since Sharon Karungi scored 11 points/game on 52.9% shooting in 2013-14.
Earnest Crashes the Boards
- Junior Leah Earnest has been one of the Valley’s most effective rebounders this season and has five double-figure rebounding performances this year - most recently a 10-board effort to pace Valpo at Murray State.
- Earnest’s average of 8.5 rebounds/game is tied for second-best in the conference and ranks among the top-70 nationally.
- Earnest now owns the top-two individual rebounding efforts in head coach Mary Evans’ tenure with 14 against EIU and 13 against UAB.
- Combining her scoring and rebounding, Earnest has registered four double-doubles after recording just one in her first two seasons combined.
- Earnest is the first player in program history to tally three double-doubles in the first four games of a season.
- Earnest already has more double-doubles this season than Valpo has posted as a team in any of the last three seasons. She is the first Valpo player with at least four double-doubles in a single campaign since Addison Stoller tallied four during the 2018-19 season.
A New Rookie Standard
- Freshman Ali Saunders set a new mark for Valpo rookies as she scored 32 points against UAB.
- The previous freshman record is unknown, but there have now been 16 games in program history a Valpo player has scored 32 or more points, and none of the previous 15 came from a rookie.
- Saunders posted the highest-scoring game by any Valpo player since Dani Franklin dropped 33 points against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 3, 2016.
- Saunders was in double figures in the scoring column in each of the first four games of her collegiate career - the first Valpo freshman since Franklin in 2014-15 to do so.
