A strong defensive effort and a key 10-0 fourth-quarter run propelled the Valpo women’s basketball team to a 54-47 road victory over Indiana State in MVC action in Terre Haute, Ind. on Friday evening.
How It Happened
- Indiana State led 9-4 past the halfway mark of the first quarter, but Valpo came back with seven of the period’s final eight points — courtesy of a 3-pointer by redshirt junior Emma Tecca (Tallamadge, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban [Akron]) and two layups from senior Olivia Brown (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids [St. Bonaventure]) — to claim a slim 11-10 edge at the end of the period.
- The Beacons pushed their advantage to four early in the second quarter before the Sycamores scored seven in a row to force a Valpo timeout.
- Indiana State earned its largest lead of the period at 24-19 with 3:53 to play in the first half. Much like the end of the first quarter, however, Valpo held the Sycamores down to end the opening half with a 6-1 spurt to go into halftime tied at 25-25.
- It was a defensive battle to start the third quarter, with the teams combining for just six points over the first five minutes of the quarter. In fact, Valpo ended up taking the lead for good while sitting on the bench during the third-quarter media timeout — after entering the stoppage tied at 29-29, a review during the timeout overturned an ISU basket from earlier in the period due to a shot clock violation.
- Brown got the offense going with six points in a two-possession stretch, hitting a 3-pointer and then converting an old-fashioned 3-point play to push Valpo’s lead to 35-30 with 3:14 to play in the quarter. The Beacons ended up leading 38-34 at the end of the third.
- Indiana State cut the edge to two points early in the fourth quarter before 3-pointers on consecutive possessions by Brown and sophomore Olivia Sims (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy [Oakland]) gave Valpo its largest lead at 44-36 with 7:20 to play.
- Just over two minutes later, fifth-year Maya Dunson (Dayton, Ohio/Wayne [Loyola]) drained a corner triple with the shot clock nearing zero to cap a 10-0 Valpo run and make it 48-36 Beacons with 5:13 to play.
- ISU scored on its next two possessions to close to within 50-41 with 3:13 to play, but Valpo kept the Sycamores off the board on their next three trips — including a charge drawn by redshirt freshman Ella Van Weelden (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Marion) — and ISU got no closer than nine points until the final seconds.
Inside the Game
- The win was the Beacons’ third consecutive over Indiana State at the Hulman Center.
- Valpo limited the Sycamores to 47 points on Friday, the season low for a Valpo opponent, as ISU shot just 35.4% from the floor and was 3-for-14 from 3-point range.
- The 47 points allowed was the lowest by a Valpo squad since a 52-47 win at Purdue on Dec. 6, 2020. It was the Beacons’ best defensive effort in conference play since beating Indiana State 61-45 on Feb. 8, 2020.
- Brown came off the bench to lead the Beacons in scoring for the 10th time this year. The senior led all players with her 16 points, as she shot 5-of-8 from the floor and knocked down 2-of-4 from the 3-point line.
- Sims tied her career best for the fifth time in her career and the third time this season, pouring in 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-3 from deep.
- Dunson posted yet another strong performance against the Sycamores. This meeting saw her knock down a pair of 3-pointers en route to nine points, while Dunson also led all players with seven rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.
- Led by Dunson’s efforts on the glass, Valpo outrebounded Indiana State on the night, 35-29. The Beacons outrebounded the Sycamores, who own a positive rebounding margin on the season, by six in both matchups this season.
- Freshman Ali Saunders (Depauw, Ind./North Harrison) posted game highs with four assists and three steals.
Next Up
Valpo (5-19, 3-12 MVC) goes for a sweep of the weekend swing downstate on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. when the Beacons play at Evansville. That game can be seen live on ESPN+.
