Valparaiso (4-18, 2-11 MVC)
Game #23 - Feb. 12, 2023 - 1 p.m.
UNI (16-6, 11-2 MVC)
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women’s basketball team will close out a stretch of five home games in a six-game span as the Beacons host UNI Sunday afternoon. Sunday’s game is the program’s annual Play4Kay game, honoring the fight against cancer.
Previously: The visiting Drake Bulldogs came away 71-54 victors over Valpo Friday evening at the ARC in MVC women’s basketball action. Valpo freshman Ali Saunders led all players with 16 points in her first career start.
Following Valpo Basketball: Streaming Video: ESPN+
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 52-86. 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: Valpo trails the all-time series with UNI, 11-5, but the location has made a big difference in the results - Valpo has split eight all-time matchups with the Panthers at the ARC, but is just 1-7 away from home. Earlier this year, UNI came away with an 89-58 victory in Cedar Falls. Olivia Brown led Valpo with 13 points in that contest, while Ali Saunders scored 12 points and Jayda Johnston connected on a trio of 3-pointers.
@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 Drake
- Drake scored the game’s first six points in just 49 seconds, hitting triples on each of its first two possessions. Valpo came back and outscored the Bulldogs 12-5 over the next 3:41 to lead 12-11.
- Drake scored the final eight points of the period to end the first quarter with a 19-12 lead. Valpo went without a point for a stretch of nearly nine minutes spanning the first and second periods, allowing the Bulldogs to extend their lead out to 13 points with a 14-0 cumulative run.
- Drake held a 42-22 lead at halftime and the Beacons were unable to get any closer in the third period, as the Bulldogs held a 59-30 lead with 10 minutes to play.
- The Bulldogs’ lead reached its apex at 62-32 with 6:21 remaining before Valpo closed the game by outscoring Drake 22-9 the rest of the way — a stretch during which the Bulldogs had multiple starters in the game the majority of the time.
- Ali Saunders scored a game-high 16 points, tying her second-highest scoring output of the year. The rookie connected on a season-best four 3-pointers and has scored in double figures four of the last five games.
- Saunders was the only Valpo player to score in double figures, as Sims was the Beacons’ next-highest scorer with nine points.
- Valpo shot 37% from the field Friday and was just 9-for-31 from 3-point range, while Drake hit at a 45.1% clip and was 10-of-22 from deep. The Bulldogs also attempted 15 more free throws than the Beacons, who did not attempt a free throw until 4:01 to play in the fourth quarter.
- The Beacons forced Drake to commit 21 turnovers, a season high for Valpo opposition.
...at SIU
- Leah Earnest scored eight first-quarter points as Valpo was within 13-10 at the first quarter, but the Salukis extended their lead to 33-23 at halftime.
- SIU led by as many as 14 points in the third quarter before the Beacons battled back to within 48-39 with 10 minutes to play.
- SIU opened the fourth quarter on an 11-1 run to put the game away, as the Salukis limited Valpo to just one field goal in the final period.
- Earnest paced Valpo on Saturday with 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
- Ali Saunders scored 10 points off the bench, including a career-best seven made free throws, and handed out a trio of assists.
- Katie Beyer had the second-highest scoring game of her Valpo career, going 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line for eight points.
- Valpo shot just 31% from the field — its second-worst mark in MVC play to date — and was held to a season-low three made 3-pointers. The Beacons were 18-of-23 from the foul line for their second-highest number of made free throws this season.
- The Beacons committed 27 turnovers — just one off their season worst — and forced just 11 SIU miscues. The Salukis held a 32-2 advantage in points off turnovers and a 44-20 edge in points in the paint.
...looking ahead
- Valpo then plays its next four in a row on the road, starting with the swing downstate to visit Indiana State and Evansville next weekend.
- The Beacons then head to Bradley and Illinois State the following weekend.
...at the ARC
- Friday’s game is the 13th of 15 home games this season for Valpo and the eighth home MVC game.
- The Beacons are 3-9 at home so far this year and went 6-7 in home games last season.
@UNIwbb
- UNI enters Sunday’s game with a 16-6 overall record. The Panthers sit one game out of first place in the MVC standings, as they are 11-2 in conference play.
- The Panthers have won four in a row, including a 55-47 win Friday night at UIC.
- UNI head coach Tanya Warren will set the outright MVC record for games coached by a women’s basketball head coach (507) on Sunday.
- Three players average in double figures for the Panthers, led by Grace Boffeli, who posts 16.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Double-Digit Quarters
- For the third time this season, freshman Ali Saunders scored double digits in a single period last time out.
- Saunders connected on four 3-pointers for 12 points in the fourth quarter against Drake.
- Saunders’ previous two double-digit periods both came in the same game - 10 points in the first quarter and 11 points in overtime versus UAB.
- Valpo’s season high for points in a quarter by a single player is 13, accomplished by both Olivia Brown and Jayda Johnston.
- Brown scored 13 in the first quarter against Bradley - her third double-digit quarter of the year, as she previously had 11 points in the second quarter at Drake and 10 points in the fourth quarter against Western Michigan.
- The game previous, Johnston poured in 13 points in just 6:22 of playing time in the third quarter against Illinois State.
- Four Beacons in all have scored double digits in a single period this year, as Maya Dunson had 11 points in the fourth quarter versus Indiana State.
Heartbreaking Losses
- Valpo lost both regular season matchups against UIC by a combined total of three points - a one-point loss in Chicago and a two-point loss at the ARC.
- It is the first time in program history Valpo has lost two games in the same season to the same opponent by a combined three or fewer points.
- Valpo’s loss at UIC on Josie Filer’s 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining was its second last-second defeat this season.
- The Beacons fell in overtime to UAB on Nov. 21 when the Blazers’ Maria Roters hit a layup with 3.3 seconds to play in the extra period.
- Prior to the UAB game, Valpo had not lost a game by a single possession since another heartbreaking defeat - a 74-73 loss to #25 Missouri State on Jan. 31, 2021 on three free throws with 0.8 seconds left.
- This year is the first time Valpo has lost multiple games on a last-second shot (inside the final five seconds) since 2010-11 - that year’s squad fell 69-67 at Evansville on a layup with 1.1 seconds remaining and 70-69 at Milwaukee on a jumper in the paint with 4.9 seconds to play.
Sharpshooting Brown
- Olivia Brown has twice hit 6-of-8 from the 3-point line in Valley play to date, doing so in the MVC opener at Belmont and in the win over Bradley.
- The .750 3-point percentage is tied for seventh-best in a single game in program history (minimum 7 attempts).
- Brown is now the only player to appear twice on that single-game top-10 chart.
- Brown has hit at least four triples five times in MVC play.
- On the season, Brown is hitting at a .434 clip, second-best in the Valley, from deep - a percentage she has bumped to .473 in conference play.
- Brown’s .434 3-point percentage would currently rank fourth in a single season in program history.
- Brown is shooting .418 from downtown in her two seasons at Valpo, a mark which currently sits second in program history for a career.
Earnest Doubles Up
- Junior Leah Earnest has been one of the Valley’s most effective rebounders this season, averaging 7.8 rebounds/game.
- She has posted eight double-figure rebounding performances this year - most recently a 11-board effort in the win over Bradley.
- Earnest now owns the top-three individual rebounding efforts in head coach Mary Evans’ tenure with 14 against EIU and 13 against both UAB and Wisconsin.
- Earnest also scored 19 points, one off her career high, against the Braves, giving her seven double-doubles this season 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 since the 2017-18 season. She is the first Valpo player with at least six double-doubles in a single campaign since Dani Franklin tallied eight during the 2016-17 season.
Extended Homestand
- Last Saturday’s matchup at Southern Illinois was a rare step away from the friendly confines of the ARC for Valpo in its current stretch.
- Starting with the Jan. 27 game against Illinois State, five of Valpo’s next six games were at home, with last Saturday’s game the lone venture away from the ARC in a three-week span.
- The stretch of five home games in 17 days comes after playing just one home game in the last 20 days.
- In fact, Valpo will play as many home games in this 17-day stretch as it played over the previous 66 days.
- Outside of the COVID-affected season of 2020-21, Valpo has not had five home games within a six-game span in league play since joining the Valley. This is the first time since playing five consecutive home Horizon League games Jan. 21-Feb. 6, 2016.
Second Half Scoring
- Remarkably, three different Valpo players have scored 14 or more points in a game this season after entering halftime scoreless.
- Most recently, Jayda Johnston dropped 14 points in the second half against Illinois State after being held without a first-half point.
- Previously, Maya Dunson scored 14 second-half points against Indiana State and Ava Interrante went for 15 in the second half at Western Illinois following scoreless first halves.
- Johnston also did not miss a shot from the field, going 5-for-5 to become the first Valpo player with at least five makes without a miss since Carie Weinman went 6-for-6 against UNI on Feb. 28, 2020.
Improvement on the Glass
- This year’s Valpo team has been the best in terms of rebounding margin in the tenure of head coach Mary Evans, and the Beacons have been even better within conference play.
- In their eight nonconference games, the Beacons were a -5.3 in rebounding margin and surrendered 5.9 more offensive rebounds per game than they grabbed.
- But within MVC play, Valpo has been just -4.3 in rebounding margin and has surrendered just 2.4 more offensive rebounds per game than it has tallied.
- The win over Missouri State was especially notable - Valpo enjoyed a 28-23 advantage on the glass, a +5 edge that came against a Missouri State team which outrebounded the Beacons by a combined 36 boards in last season’s two matchups, and which had enjoyed a double-figure rebounding advantage in each of its last four games.
- The Lady Bears’ 23 rebounds were their lowest total since Feb. 11, 2018.
Setting Career Bests
- Ilysse Pitts’ explosive performance against Missouri State, where she more than doubled her previous career best of 11 points with a 24-point game in the win over the Lady Bears, was just the latest in a string of career-best performances on the offensive end from Valpo players this year.
- A pair of Valpo players have set career highs in the scoring column this season despite being scoreless at halftime of the respective games - Maya Dunson versus Indiana State (14) and Ava Interrante at Western Illinois (15).
- Also in that WIU game, 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.
- Nine of Valpo’s 11 players who have seen action this season have tied or set career bests for scoring - 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.
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.
