Valparaiso (5-17, 4-9 MVC)
Game #23 - February 17, 2024 - 4 p.m.
at Illinois State (15-8, 8-5 MVC)
CEFCU Arena (10,000) - Normal, Ill.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: Coming off its third consecutive road win last time out, the Valpo women’s basketball team goes after four wins in a row away from home Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. when it plays at Illinois State.
Previously: Valpo never trailed Thursday evening at Bradley, shooting 81.8% in the first quarter to get out to a 12-point lead and rolling from there to a 68-50 victory to complete a season sweep of the Braves. Leah Earnest led the Beacons with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Nevaeh Jackson added 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, four steals, four rebounds and three assists.
Following Valpo Basketball: Streaming Video: ESPN+
Audio: Online streaming only, via WVUR YouTube channel
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 2023-24 and owns a record of 60-108. Evans has made an impact on the program in her first five 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: Illinois State leads the all-time series over Valpo, 12-4, including wins in each of the last five matchups. In this season’s first meeting, Nevaeh Jackson exploded for a 17-point second quarter to help Valpo to a 37-35 lead at intermission before the Redbirds outscored the Beacons 21-12 in the third quarter on their way to a 77-68 win. Leah Earnest led Valpo in that game with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Jackson finished with a season-high 19 points.
@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.
...at Bradley
- The Beacons opened the game by hitting 9-of-11 from the floor over the opening 10 minutes, pulling out to a 24-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
- Valpo opened the second quarter just like it started off the first, as Nevaeh Jackson drilled another triple. A couple possessions later, the Beacons got back-to-back layups from Leah Earnest and Olivia Brown to extend the lead to 31-14 and force another Bradley timeout with 7:48 remaining in the half.
- The Braves got no closer than 12 points the remainder of the half. A basket from redshirt senior Emma Tecca in the final minute of the period gave Valpo a 39-22 edge at intermission.
- Bradley got no closer than 13 points in the second half and Valpo led by as many as 20 points on its way to the win.
- Thursday’s win closed out Valpo’s third consecutive season sweep of the Braves, as the Beacons have won the last six matchups in the series.
- Valpo shot a season-best 50% (26-for-52) from the field in the victory while limiting Bradley to 38.3% (18-for-47) shooting.
- The Beacons hit at better than a 40% clip from the 3-point line for the fourth time this year, finishing the night 8-for-21 from deep.
- Valpo held a +10 advantage on the glass, grabbing 33 caroms to the Braves’ 23.
- For the second time in as many matchups with Bradley this season, Earnest led all players across the board, as she finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists
- Jackson posted 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and adding four rebounds and three assists without a turnover. The freshman also came away with a season-high four steals.
- Freshman Saniya Jackson scored in double figures for the third straight game, tallying 10 points, while Interrante hit 3-of-4 from the floor for eight points.
...versus Evansville
- The Purple Aces held a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 34-31 lead at halftime.
- A six-point spurt in the final minute of the third quarter - courtesy of a 3-point play from Saniya Jackson and a 3-pointer from Olivia Brown - gave Valpo a 54-52 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
- With the game tied and under two minutes to play, Evansville retook the lead with a putback basket, answered by Brown with a driving layup for the Beacons with 1:16 to play to tie the score at 68-68.
- Layla Gold came up with a big blocked shot on the defensive end to give Valpo the chance to take the lead, but the Beacons were unable to convert.
- With each team set for potentially one more possession and the clock at 20 seconds, Valpo forced the missed shot it needed, but the scramble for the rebound saw Evansville’s Nevaeh Thomas come out with it and lay it back up and in with 13 seconds remaining.
- The Beacons turned the ball over on the ensuing inbounds play and were forced to foul. The Purple Aces split the pair of free throws, giving Valpo one more chance with the deficit at three points, but the Beacons’ potential game-tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds was off the mark.
- Brown paced Valpo on Sunday with 19 points, her second-highest scoring output of the season. It marks the fourth time this year she has led the Beacons in scoring.
- Earnest registered her fifth double-double of the year, posting 17 points and a team-best 12 rebounds. Over half of Earnest’s points came at the foul line, where she was a perfect 9-for-9. It was the best individual performance at the charity stripe by a Valpo player since Shay Frederick went 14-for-14 at Indiana State Feb. 20, 2022.
- Saniya Jackson rounded out the trio of Valpo players in double figures with 16 points — tying her season best — on 6-of-10 shooting.
- Gold set season highs across the board with seven rebounds, six blocked shots and four steals.
- Valpo shot just 36.5% from the field, compared to a 43.9% clip for the Purple Aces. The Beacons did go 16-for-17 from the foul line, a season-best 94.1% from the charity stripe.
...looking ahead
- The Beacons come back to the ARC next week for a pair of games, starting Thursday, Feb. 22 with their lone matchup versus Belmont this season.
- Valpo follows by hosting UIC Sunday, Feb. 25 for the program’s annual Play4Kay game.
...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 are 3-11 away from home so far this year and posted a 4-10 record in true road games last season.
@RedbirdWBB
- Illinois State enters Saturday’s game with a 15-8 overall record this year and is tied for fourth place in the Valley standings.
- The Redbirds snapped a brief two-game losing skid last time out on Thursday night, rallying for a 64-61 win over UIC with a 13-0 run late.
- DeAnna Wilson leads ISU with 15.5 points/game, while Maya Wong adds 11.8 points/game and has handed out a team-best 90 assists.
A Road Winning Streak
- Valpo’s win over Bradley Thursday evening was the team’s third straight on the road, as the Beacons previously won at Evansville and at UIC.
- It is the second straight season that Valpo has won three straight conference road games, as last year’s team reeled off consecutive road wins at Indiana State, at Evansville and at Bradley.
- Prior to last season, the program had last won three straight conference road games against three different opponents in January 2007.
Hitting the Glass
- Valpo finished Thursday’s win over Bradley a +10 on the glass, pulling down 33 rebounds to the Braves’ 23.
- The +10 is the program’s best effort on the glass since outrebounding Evansville by 10 on the road, 38-28, on Feb. 18, 2022.
- This is the second straight year the Beacons have held Bradley to 23 total rebounds on its home court. The last time a Valpo opponent grabbed fewer than 23 boards came when it limited Youngstown State to 22 rebounds on Jan. 12, 2013.
- Only two of Bradley’s rebounds came on the offensive glass, the fewest offensive boards surrendered by Valpo since giving up just two at Youngstown State on Jan. 14, 2017.
Gold-en Defense
- Freshman Layla Gold enjoyed a pair of stellar performances on the defensive side of the court last weekend.
- Gold opened the weekend with a four-block effort against Indiana State.
- It was the first four-block game by a Valpo player since Grace White tallied four blocks versus Evansville in January 2022, and the first four-block effort by a Valpo freshman since Bryce Blood totaled four rejections at Purdue in December 2017.
- She topped that against Evansville, racking up six blocks - tied for fourth-most in a game in program history - and four steals.
- Gold is one of just eight D-I players this season to post at least six blocks and four steals in a single game, and is the only freshman among that group. The last D-I freshman to hit both those marks in a single game was DePaul’s Aneesah Morrow in November 2021.
- Gold is the first Valpo and the first MVC player to reach both those marks in one contest since Caitlin Morrison did so against Chicago State Dec. 28, 2019.
A Dramatic Win
- The Beacons’ win at UIC went right down to the wire, as Leah Earnest converted a layup at the buzzer to give Valpo the 71-70 win.
- It was Valpo’s buzzer-beating victory first since Meredith Hamlet connected on a layup at the buzzer for a win at Chicago State Nov. 16, 2016.
- The one-point win was the program’s first victory by a single point since a 61-60 win at Northern Kentucky Dec. 30, 2015.
Hitting From Downtown
- Valpo had its best shooting day of the season from behind the 3-point line in the win over the Flames.
- The Beacons went 14-for-29 from downtown, season bests for both 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage (.483).
- The 14 triples are tied for ninth-most in a single game in program history.
- Valpo has hit 14 or more 3-pointers in a single game 22 times in program history, 13 of which have come in the tenure of head coach Mary Evans.
- The Beacons have connected on at least 10 triples five times this season, three of which have come in wins.
A Freshman Standard
- Leading the barrage from deep in the win over UIC was freshman Nevaeh Jackson, who finished the game 6-of-9 from 3-point range.
- Jackson hit three of her triples in the fourth quarter, including her final 3-pointer with five seconds to play which tied the game and set the stage for the eventual buzzer-beater.
- The six 3-pointers were the most by a Valpo player in a single game this year and came up just one shy of cracking the program’s single-game top-10 chart.
- Jackson matched Valpo’s record for 3-pointers in a game by a freshman with her six triples, last accomplished by Meredith Hamlet at Oakland Feb. 11, 2016.
- Jackson became the first MVC freshman to hit at least six 3-pointers in a win since Bradley’s Lasha Petree at Omaha Dec. 14, 2018. She is the first to do so in a conference win since UNI’s Madison Weekly at Loyola Feb. 21, 2014.
A Big Win
- There was no drama in Valpo’s first Valley win of the year, as the Beacons led Bradley by as many as 34 points in the second half on their way to the 79-55 victory.
- Valpo’s 24-point margin of victory was its largest since beating Western Michigan 75-51 in December 2020.
- It was the program’s largest margin of victory in MVC play since a 93-49 win over Evansville in January 2019.
Another Leap Forward
- Senior Leah Earnest’s recent efforts have been part of a stellar step forward this season.
- Over Valpo’s last seven games, Earnest is averaging 19.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
- She has paced the Beacons in each of the last 10 games in rebounding.
- Earnest enters Thursday’s game ranked seventh in the conference in scoring (15.3) and 10th in rebounding (7.1), while also averaging a team-best 2.9 assists/game as well.
- Earnest is on pace to become the first Valpo player since Debbie Bolen in 1991-92 to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists.
- Earnest has been consistent, scoring in double figures in 20 of 22 games to date.
- Earnest entered this season with a career high of 20 in the scoring column, but has hit that mark or better six times this year, including a career-best 26 points at UAB.
- Earnest surpassed the 500-rebound mark for her career in the MVC opener at Missouri State, becoming the 19th player in program history with 500 career boards. She enters Saturday’s game ranked 14th in program history with 584 career rebounds, 10 boards shy of 13th position.
- Earnest is also on the verge of hitting 1,000 career points, coming into Saturday’s game just 58 points shy of reaching the milestone.
- Earnest posted 24 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in Valpo’s home win over Bradley - in single-game records dating back to the late 1980’s, no Valpo player has ever hit all three of those marks in the same game.
- Earnest is one of just four Division I players this season to reach all three of those marks in the same game — Iowa’s Caitlin Clark did so against Loyola, LSU’s Angel Reese against Alabama and Abilene Christian’s Bella Earle against California Baptist. She is also one of just two MVC players to post a stat line like that in the last 13 seasons.
Jackson Jackson
- The twins from Fort Wayne have been a big part of the Beacon squad this season.
- Saniya Jackson ranks third on the team with 8.9 points/game, having scored in double figures 11 times this year.
- She also ranks third on the team in rebounding and second in steals.
- Meanwhile, Nevaeh Jackson is fourth on the team in scoring with 7.0 points/game, reaching double digits on six occasions.
- She also ranks second on the team in rebounds, assists and blocked shots.
- Both twins scored in double figures last time out in the win at Bradley, with Nevaeh tallying 14 points and Saniya 10.
Youth in the Lineup
- The Beacons’ starting lineup has been 60% comprised of freshmen since Valpo’s second game of the MVC slate.
- Layla Gold made her first collegiate start at Southern Illinois, joining Saniya Jackson and Nevaeh Jackson in the starting five.
- It was the first time Valpo has started three freshmen since March 11, 2016, when Hannah Schaub, Meredith Hamlet and Amber Lindfors were in the starting lineup against Northern Kentucky.
- Gold’s insertion into the lineup was necessitated after Olivia Brown suffered an injury in the fourth quarter of the previous game at Missouri State which kept her out against the Salukis. It was the first game Brown had missed in her three years at Valpo, snapping a streak of 71 consecutive games played.
Thievery Abounds
- Valpo averages 9.8 steals/game and has been in double figures in steals in 11 games this season, highlighted by an 18-steal effort against Western Illinois Nov. 18.
- The 18 steals was the program’s best single-game mark since tallying 21 steals at Evansville on Jan. 12, 2020, and is tied for the second-highest output in Evans’ tenure as head coach.
- Freshman Raeven Raye-Redmond currently ranks ninth in the Valley with 1.8 steals/game.
- Two Beacons have had an eight-steal game this season - freshman Saniya Jackson did so Nov. 25 at UAB and Raye-Redmond did so in her collegiate debut in the aforementioned Western Illinois game.
- The duo are now tied for second on Valpo’s single-game steals chart, just one off the program single-game record.
- Prior to this year, the last Valpo player to tally eight steals in a game was Jeanette Gray against Houston in the 2002 WNIT.
- Raye-Redmond was the first MVC player to record eight steals in a game since UNI’s Ellie Herzberg did so against Indiana State on Feb. 19, 2017.
