Valparaiso (5-22, 4-14 MVC)
Game #28 - March 7, 2024 - 6 p.m.
Southern Illinois (9-19, 4-14 MVC)
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women’s basketball team returns to its home court at the ARC for the final weekend of regular season play, starting with a big conference matchup Thursday evening against Southern Illinois.
Previously: Despite a season-high 19 points from freshman Saniya Jackson leading all players, the Valpo women’s basketball team was unable to overcome MVC regular season champion Drake on Saturday afternoon in Des Moines, falling to the Bulldogs by an 82-62 final. Olivia Brown connected on five 3-pointers in a 17-point effort, while Leah Earnest added 13 points.
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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 60-113. 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: It’s a brief series between SIU and Valpo, as the two programs did not meet prior to Valpo joining the MVC in 2017-18. SIU won the first five meetings, followed by Valpo winning four of the next five matchups. Most recently, the Salukis improved their series record to 8-4 with a 75-66 victory in Carbondale in early January. Saniya Jackson led the Beacons in that contest with 15 points and six rebounds, while Ella Van Weelden knocked down four 3-pointers for 12 points in the fourth quarter as Valpo got as close as seven points late after trailing by as many as 21 in the final period.
@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 Drake
- Drake led 17-11 at the end of the first quarter and was up 36-28 at halftime.
- Saniya Jackson drilled a 3-pointer on Valpo’s first possession of the second half to make it a five-point game, and another triple by the freshman just over three minutes into the quarter had Valpo within 40-34.
- Drake came back with 12 points on its next five possessions for a 12-2 run which pushed the Bulldogs’ advantage out to 52-36.
- Valpo trailed 62-49 at the end of the third quarter and was unable to get any closer in the final period.
- Jackson led all players with her career-high effort of 19 points, going 7-of-10 from the field — including 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
- Jackson has scored in double figures in seven of Valpo’s last eight games and 15 times overall this year.
- Brown came off the bench to hit her first five 3-point attempts, ending the game 5-of-7 from 3-point range and finishing the afternoon with 17 points.
- Earnest added 13 points, extending her double-digit scoring streak to 13 consecutive games.
- The Beacons shot 41.5% (22-of-53) from the field Saturday, but Drake connected at a 54.5% (30-of-55) clip.
- Valpo did excel from behind the arc, going 11-of-20 from 3-point range. The 55% clip was the Beacons’ best from deep since hitting 55.6% of their 3-point attempts last February at Evansville.
- Drake held a substantial 41-21 advantage on the glass and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to Valpo’s five. The Bulldogs finished with a 20-6 edge in second-chance points and a 42-20 advantage in points in the paint.
...at UNI
- The game started on a sporting note, as Valpo yielded the opening tip to the Panthers so that UNI’s Emerson Green — who had suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the month — could make an uncontested layup and join classmates Grace Boffeli and Maya McDermott in reaching the 1,000-point career milestone this season. UNI returned the favor to the Beacons, allowing an uncontested basket of their own to even the score before the game got going in earnest.
- A 3-pointer from freshman Layla Gold with a minute to play in the quarter helped Valpo to a 15-13 lead at the end of the first period.
- The Panthers put together an 11-0 run in the second quarter to lead 28-18 with 5:27 to play in the half.
- Valpo scored the next four to get back to within six, and it was still just a nine-point game with a minute to play in the half after a 3-pointer by senior Ava Interrante. The Panthers scored four points in the final minute, however, to take a 40-27 lead into the locker room.
- A personal 7-0 run by freshman Saniya Jackson cut what was a 17-point UNI lead to just 46-36 with 6:33 to play in the third quarter. That was as close as the Beacons would get in the period, though, as UNI led 61-44 at the end of the third.
- Valpo was unable to get any closer than 13 points in the fourth quarter.
- Valpo held a big advantage from the 3-point line, going 11-of-28 from deep versus UNI’s 2-of-14 clip. It was the sixth time this year the Beacons have hit at least 10 triples in a game.
- The Panthers more than made up that deficit inside the arc, however. UNI held a 48-18 advantage in points in the paint and was 29-for-44 from 2-point range, as opposed to the Beacons’ 9-for-26 mark inside the arc.
- Valpo dished out 17 assists on its 20 baskets, led by a career-best and Valpo season-high seven helpers from Interrante.
- On the flip side, the Beacons committed 26 turnovers — their second-highest total of the season — which led to 27 UNI points.
- Jackson led Valpo on Thursday with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, her 14th double-digit scoring effort of the year. Jackson also tied for team-high honors with a season-best nine rebounds and led all players with four steals.
...looking ahead
- Valpo finishes up the regular season Saturday afternoon on Senior Day when it hosts Missouri State at the ARC.
- Jill Harris, Emma Tecca, Ava Interrante and Olivia Brown will be honored prior to the game.
...at the ARC
- Valpo will play 12 regular season home games during the 2023-24 campaign. Thursday is the Beacons’ 11th home game of the season.
- The Beacons are 2-8 at home so far this year and posted a 3-12 record at home last season.
@SIU_WBasketball
- Southern Illinois enters Thursday’s game at 9-19 overall and tied with Valpo in the MVC standings at 4-14.
- The Salukis snapped a three-game losing streak last time out, defeating Bradley by a 70-54 final.
- Laniah Randle leads SIU, averaging 18.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Jaidynn Mason adds 14.4 points per game as well.
Looking at the Standings
- With just one weekend of play remaining in the regular season, Valpo can finish as the ninth, 10th or 11th seed at Hoops in the Heartland.
- While the Beacons could tie Indiana State for eighth place, the Sycamores would earn the eighth seed by virtue of the season series.
- With a win over Southern Illinois, Valpo would be the ninth seed unless Valpo loses to Missouri State and SIU beats UIC on Saturday, in which case Valpo would be the 10th seed.
- With a loss to Southern Ilinois, Valpo would be the tenth seed unless Valpo also loses to Missouri State, Evansville wins both its games this week and Bradley loses at least one of its games, in which case Valpo would be the 11th seed.
- Notably, if the Beacons are not the 11th seed, Valpo will avoid playing the latest game of the day on its first day of action for the first time since the 2019 tournament.
Knocking Down Triples
- Valpo enjoyed a big advantage from the 3-point line at UNI last Thursday, going 11-of-28 from deep as compared to the Panthers’ 2-of-14 clip.
- It was the second time this year the Beacons have connected on nine more 3-pointers than their opponent, as they did so as well in the win at UIC.
- While the advantage wasn’t nearly as pronounced Saturday at Drake, it wasn’t because the offense lacked, as the Beacons went 11-of-20 from 3-point range against the Bulldogs.
- The .550 clip from deep was the program’s best percentage from downtown since hitting 10-of-18 (.556) last February at Evansville.
- Valpo has hit 10 or more 3-pointers seven times this season, highlighted by a season-best 14 in the aforementioned UIC game.
- The Beacons have tallied 212 total triples this year, already 10th in a single season in program history. They are just 14 3-pointers away from the fourth-highest single-season total in Valpo history.
Reaching Milestones
- Senior Leah Earnest hit a pair of milestones late last month.
- With her third rebound against Belmont, Earnest hit 600 rebounds for her career, becoming just the 12th player in program history to hit that mark.
- Earnest currently owns 621 career rebounds, 21 shy of 11th place in program history.
- Meanwhile, with her eighth point against UIC, Earnest reached the 1,000-point milestone for her career, becoming the 18th member of Valpo’s 1,000-point club.
- Earnest has scored 1,034 career points, 17th-most in program history - she is 43 points shy of 16th all-time at Valpo.
- Earnest is just the 10th Valpo player all-time with both 1,000 career points and 600 career rebounds - of the seven players currently eligible, five of them are members of the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame.
- Earnest also ranks 10th in program history in career field goal percentage.
Downing the Braves
- There was little drama in either of Valpo’s wins in its season sweep of Bradley this year, as the Beacons led by double figures for the entirety of the second half of both their 68-50 win at Bradley and their 79-55 home win over the Braves.
- The 18-point road win was Valpo’s largest road win since an 88-66 win at Evansville Jan. 12, 2020.
- Valpo’s 24-point margin of victory in the home win 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.
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.
Sharp Shooter
- Fifth-year guard Olivia Brown enjoyed another stellar shooting performance last time out at Drake, knocking down each of her first five 3-point attempts and finishing 5-of-7 from deep.
- The effort against the Bulldogs pushed her season 3-point percentage to an MVC-best .424, a mark which would rank ninth in a single season in program history.
- Brown has been especially proficient within conference play, hitting half of her 3-point attempts (27-of-54) since MVC play began.
- Brown is currently 136-of-329 from deep in her three years at Valpo - her .413 3-point percentage ranks second in program history, while she is 15 made triples shy of the career top-10 chart in that category.
Another Leap Forward
- Senior Leah Earnest has taken a stellar step forward this season.
- Earnest enters Thursday’s game ranked fifth in the conference in scoring (15.9) and ninth in rebounding (7.2), while also averaging a team-best 2.8 assists/game as well.
- Earnest’s 15.9 points/game would rank eighth in a single season in program history, while she is just 14 points away from cracking Valpo’s single-season top-10 in total points scored.
- 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 25 of 27 games this season.
- Earnest entered this season with a career high of 20 in the scoring column, but has hit that mark or better seven times this year, including a career-best 32 points at Illinois State to go with 13 rebounds.
- The 32 points are tied for the most by a Valpo player in the last seven seasons. Earnest came up just one point shy of cracking the program’s single-game top-10 chart.
- She is the first Valpo player with a 30-point double-double since Tabitha Gerardot went for 33 and 18 versus Wright State Feb. 28, 2013.
- The performance at Illinois State was just the latest of Earnest’s impressive stat lines this year. She posted 24 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in Valpo’s home win over Bradley - the first player in Valpo history to reach those marks in the same game, and one of just four D-I players this year (a group which includes Iowa’s Caitlin Clark [2x] and LSU’s Angel Reese) to hit those marks.
- Earnest tallied 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Beacons’ win at UIC. Only three times this year has an MVC player hit those marks in the same game, and Earnest’s efforts against Bradley and at UIC account of two of those instances.
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 9.4 points/game, a mark she has bumped up to 10.4 points/game - second-best on the team - in Valley play.
- Jackson has scored in double figures 15 times this year. She also leads the team and ranks among the top-10 in the Valley with 48 steals, and ranks second on the team in rebounding as well.
- Jackson enjoyed a strong week last week. At UNI, she scored a team-high 14 points, tied for team-high honors with nine rebounds and led all players with four steals. She followed at Drake by hitting 7-of-10 from the floor for a game-high 19 points.
- Meanwhile, Nevaeh Jackson is fourth on the team in scoring with 6.9 points/game, reaching double digits on seven occasions. Her scoring average has increased to 8.3 points/game in MVC play.
- She also ranks second on the team in assists and blocked shots, as well as third in rebounding.
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 9.5 steals/game and has been in double figures in steals in 13 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.
- Two Beacons have had an eight-steal game this season - freshman Saniya Jackson did so Nov. 25 at UAB and fellow rookie Raeven 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.
