Valparaiso (0-0, 0-0 MVC)
Game #1 - November 12, 2023 - 2 p.m.
at Eastern Illinois (0-2, 0-0 OVC)
Lantz Arena (5,300) - Charleston, Ill.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women’s basketball team kicks off the 2023-24 season on Sunday afternoon on the road, as the Beacons travel to Charleston, Ill. to face off against Eastern Illinois for the second straight season. The road game to open the campaign is a harbinger for the nonconference slate, with seven of Valpo’s nine nonconference contests away from home.
Previously: Valpo chose to play a closed scrimmage in the preseason in lieu of open exhibition games.
Following Valpo Basketball: Streaming Video: ESPN+
Radio: None
Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com
Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her sixth year at the helm of the program in 2022-23 and owns a record of 55-91. 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. The 2022-23 season saw Evans lead Valpo to the first win in program history over perennial MVC power Missouri State. The Beacons also won three consecutive road games in Valley play, the first time the program accomplished that feat against three different opponents since 2007.
Series Notes: Valpo holds a 12-5 advantage in the all-time series over Eastern Illinois, including a 6-2 mark on the Panthers’ home court. Valpo had won eight straight meetings in the series dating back to 1996 until the two squads met at the ARC last season in a game which saw EIU 73-67 victors. Olivia Brown paced Valpo with 20 points (4-7 3PT), six rebounds and four assists in that game, while Leah Earnest posted an 11-point, 14-rebound double-double.
@ValpoWBB...
...and @ValleyHoops
- Valpo was picked to finish in 10th place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 162 points, coming in ahead of Evansville and Bradley.
- Valpo is in its seventh season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
- The Valley was ranked 13th in conference NET last season. The MVC ranked 10th in conference NET in 2021-22, seventh in conference NET in 2020-21 and was eighth in conference RPI in 2019-20.
...looking back at last year
- Valpo finished last season with a 7-23 overall record and finished at 5-15 in MVC play, good for 11th in the Valley standings.
- The Beacons earned their first win in program history over perennial MVC power Missouri State.
- Valpo also won three consecutive road games in Valley play, the first time the program accomplished that feat against three different opponents since 2007.
- Ali Saunders was named to the MVC All-Freshman Team.
...looking ahead
- Valpo will play just one of two nonconference home games next time out, as the Beacons welcome Western Illinois to the ARC on Saturday, Nov. 18.
- The Beacons will spend the Thanksgiving holiday on the road, traveling to face Southern Miss Tuesday, Nov. 21 and UAB Saturday, Nov. 25.
...on the road
- Valpo will play 17 games away from home in the 2023-24 regular season, 16 of which will be true road games.
- The Beacons posted a 4-10 record in true road games last season.
...in season openers
- Valpo won its season opener at Central Michigan last season, 71-64.
- Last year was the first time Valpo won a season-opening game against a Division I opponent since the 2014-15 campaign.
@EIUWBB
- Eastern Illinois comes into Sunday’s game with two games under its belt already this year, falling at IUPUI (77-72) and at #9 Indiana (96-43).
- The Panthers have been led by Lalani Ellis through their first two games, as Ellis is averaging 14.5 points/game on 61.1% shooting and also pulls down 6.0 rebounds/game.
- EIU posted a 21-8 overall record last season and finished in second place in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Easing Into the Season
- With such a big group of newcomers joining the program this year, head coach Mary Evans opted to ease into the 2023-24 season and not jump straight into game action on the first permissible day.
- Valpo’s season opener comes on the seventh day of the D-I season, as Monday, Nov. 6 was opening day of the regular season.
- Kent State - which will tip off at 4 p.m. CT on Sunday - will be the only D-I program to tip off its first game later than Valpo’s opener.
- Valpo has just two games in the season’s first two weeks.
Returning Production
- The Beacons return the majority of production from last year’s squad.
- Three of Valpo’s top four scorers from the 2022-23 season are back for the 2023-24 campaign.
- In all, Valpo returns 64.7% of its minutes played, 66.4% of its scoring and 72.1% of its rebounding from the 2022-23 team.
Who’s Back
- This year’s squad features eight returnees from last year’s team.
- Headlining Valpo’s returnees is fifth-year guard Olivia Brown. The Beacons’ leading scorer last year at 12.0 points/game, Brown was one of the Valley’s top shooters, ranking third in the conference in 3-point percentage and sixth in 3-pointers/game.
- Brown enters the 2023-24 campaign just 75 points away from hitting 1,000 points for her collegiate career.
- Senior forward Leah Earnest took a leap forward last season, averaging 9.8 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game — the latter mark good for sixth in the Valley. Earnest was especially proficient on the defensive glass, with a defensive rebounding rate of 28.3% — 13th-best nationally among players with at least 100 defensive boards.
- Junior Olivia Sims was Valpo’s fourth-leading scorer last year, averaging 5.0 points/game.
- Senior Ava Interrante (4.1 ppg, 29 steals), senior Jayda Johnston (3.8 ppg), redshirt senior Emma Tecca (3.0 ppg), junior Katie Beyer (2.0 ppg) and redshirt sophomore Ella Van Weelden (1.6 ppg) all return as well for the 2023-24 season.
Who’s New
- Nearly half the Valpo roster is new to the program this season, with the vast majority of those newcomers true freshmen.
- The lone incoming transfer was fifth-year point guard Jill Harris. Harris most recently played one season at Johnson C. Smith. She was a SoCon All-Freshman Team selection as a rookie at Mercer in 2019-20 and helped the Bears to the NCAA Tournament in 2020-21.
- Valpo welcomes its first Indiana All-Star to the program since 2017, as Indianapolis native Layla Gold earned the prestigious honor last season.
- Gold is one of four All-State high school players new to the roster this season. Twins Nevaeh and Saniya Jackson, out of Northrop [Ind.] H.S., were both First Team All-State selections as seniors, while Raeven Raye-Redmond earned Second Team All-State honors out of Trotwood Madison [Ohio] H.S.
- Kayla Preston joins the Beacons as a true freshman as well after helping lead Millard North [Neb.] H.S. to a state semifinal appearance as a senior.
