Valparaiso (3-3, 0-0 Horizon)
at Miami (OH) (1-3, 0-0 MAC)
Game #7 - Wednesday, December 3 - 11 a.m. CT
John D. Millett Hall (6,400) - Oxford, Ohio
Next Up in Crusader Basketball: It’s a new week and that means another road game versus a Mid-American Conference (MAC) team for the Crusaders. Valparaiso will take on Miami of Ohio in a rare midweek afternoon tilt. The Crusaders defeated NIU in DeKalb on Nov. 20th, but lost at Akron last Tuesday. Wednesday represents Valpo’s third and final matchup versus a MAC school this season. The RedHawks defeated Cincinnati Christian in their season opener, but have dropped three straight since, including a 65-51 loss to Oakland.
Last Time Out: The Cardinals of Louisville proved why they’re the 12th-ranked team in the nation Sunday at the Athletics-Recreation Center. UL’s post players propelled it to an 86-59 win over Valpo. The Crusader guards did an impressive job handling Louisville’s full-court pressure, but the Brown and Gold were unable to overcome a 54-34 points in the paint deficit. Lexi Miller set a career-high in field goals (6) as part of her 14-point afternoon. Freshman Dani Franklin saw limited minutes due to foul trouble, but chipped in 13 points (6-of-9 shooting).
Following the Crusaders: Audio - Valpo Sports Radio Network (WVUR, 95.1 FM, Valparaiso) - Parker Gatewood (PxP), Brandon Vickrey (Color), Renee Turpa (Color). Links for the audio and live stats are available at ValpoAthletics.com. In addition, ValpoGameday.com is a one-stop shop for live video, stats and social media interaction, all on the same page.
Head Coach Tracey Dorow: Tracey Dorow (20-48) is in her third season at the helm of the Valparaiso women’s basketball program in 2014-15. She collected her 250th career victory on Friday, Nov. 14th after a 91-57 walloping of Butler. In her first season, Dorow led the Crusaders to eleven victories overall, including five in Horizon League play. Dorow arrived in Valparaiso after 14 seasons at Ferris State. She compiled a 232-163 record while with the Bulldogs. Furthermore, Ferris State posted the #1 grade point average in all of Division II for the 1999-2000 women’s basketball season as well as the #2 ranking in 2002-2003.
Series Notes: Miami owns a perfect 6-0 record versus the Crusaders in an abbreviated series that began in 1992. Wednesday’s meeting will be the first in nearly ten years (12/11/2004). Two of the six contests have required overtime.
Storylines...
- The Crusaders have not fallen below the .500 mark yet this season.
- Miami head coach Cleve Wright (Gannon) and Valpo head coach Tracey Dorow (Ferris State) squared off seven times while their former schools resided in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Dorow led Ferris State to a 6-1 record in those games.
- Miami’s Jessica Rupright and Valpo’s Abby Dean were teammates on the Junior All-Star Core Team following the 2010-11 prep season.
- Through the Crusaders’ first six games, there have been only seven lead changes.
@ValpoWBB...
- @ValpoWBB shot 77.6% from the free-throw line in 2013-14, the highest percentage ever in school history.
- @ValpoWBB was picked to finish eighth in the Horizon League in the 2014-15 Preseason Poll.
- @ValpoWBB has shot better from the free-throw line than all six of its opponents so far.
- @ValpoWBB has yet to win the turnover battle in any of its first six games.
- @ValpoWBB’s Abby Dean (Valpo’s 2013-14 free-throw champion) hasn’t made a trip to the line since Nov. 22 versus Tennessee Tech.
- @ValpoWBB has finished with an odd-numbered point total in every game thus far.
- @ValpoWBB owns a +59 rebounding differential in games it has won. In losses, that figure is -27.
@MiamiOH_WBB
- @MiamiOH_WBB finished 2013-14 with an 8-22 overall record, and a 4-14 mark in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
- @MiamiOH_WBB lost ten players from last year’s team (five to graduation, five to transfer).
- Two freshmen lead @MiamiOH_WBB in scoring: Raleigh Reid (12.0 PPG), Ana Richter (11.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG).
- @MiamiOH_WBB is shooting just 23.1% (15-for-65) from three-point land.
- @MiamiOH_WBB head coach Cleve Wright is in his 2nd season.
- Former Detroit Titan Megan Galloway transferred to @MiamiOH_WBB this past season. She was named to the Horizon League All-Freshmen team last season.
Jessica Carr
- Collected her 200th career assist at Akron last Tuesday.
- Recorded game highs in points (16) and assists (6) to lead Valpo to a 79-61 win versus Tennessee Tech..
- Drained a career-high six three-pointers in Valpo’s season finale at Green Bay.
Abby Dean
- Registered a career-high 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting vs. Butler.
- Tied for the 4th-highest FG percentage in the Horizon League (50%).
- Led the Brown and Gold in free-throw shooting (85.2%) last year.
Annemarie Hamlet
- Scored 11 points in her Crusader debut vs. Butler on Nov. 14th.
- Has knocked down at least one triple in each of the first six tilts.
Anne Hamilton
- Was a perfect 2-for-2 from the field vs. Butler in her Crusader debut.
Lexi Miller
- Leads the Brown and Gold in assists (20).
- Finished a point shy of her career-high last Thursday as she guided Valpo with 17 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range.
Dani Franklin
- Named Horizon League Freshman of the Week last Monday after averaging 12.0 points and 8.7 rebounds in three games last week.
- Recorded her first career double-double (13 pts., 12 rebs) at NIU.
- Has opened her career with offensive outputs of 11, 12, 13, 13, 14, and 16 points.
Sharon Karungi
- Tallied eight double-doubles in 2013-14.
- Posted a career-high 25 points at Cleveland State on 2/13/14.
Jasmyn Walker
- Team’s leading rebounder (7.3 RPG) and shot blocker (3).
- Has started all six games to open her Crusader career.
- Ripped down 14 rebounds to go with nine points at NIU last Thursday.
Haylee Thompson
- Recorded ten points (4-8 FG) in Valpo’s season-opening tilt over Butler, her first game since the 2012-13 year with Utah State.
- Secured ten boards at Akron.
Jessi Wiedemann
- Has appeared in all 68 games since arriving to Valparaiso.
- Canned multiple three-pointers in 13 games last season.
- Registered a career-high 21 points vs. Cleveland State on 1/27/14.
Roster Breakdown
- Valpo welcomes four new faces (all freshmen) to its team this season.
- Valparaiso boasts players from eight different states and two countries.
- The Crusaders possess five players 6’0’’ or taller.
