Valparaiso (5-4)
at Indiana (6-3)

Game No. 10 – Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016 – 1 p.m. CT
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,472) – Bloomington, Ind.

Next Up in Crusader Basketball: The Valparaiso University women’s basketball team travels to Bloomington, Ind. on Sunday to compete at historic Assembly Hall against instate foe Indiana. The Crusaders are back in action less than 24 hours after Saturday’s game against Grace College. With a victory on Sunday, the Crusaders can notch six nonleague wins for the first time since joining the Horizon League.

Last Time Out: The Crusaders downed Grace 71-49 on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center. The Crusaders had four players finish in double figures for the first time this year, led by Dani Franklin and Amber Lindfors with 17 points each. The Crusaders outscored the Lancers in the paint 45-24 and won the turnover battle for the second time this season, committing 13 to Grace’s 18.  

Following the Crusaders: Live video of Sunday’s game will be available via BTN Plus (subscription only). Valparaiso’s flagship radio station, 95.1 FM Valparaiso, will carry the game. It can also be accessed via the TuneIn Radio app. Jordan Morandini will describe play-by-play, with Brandon Vickrey adding color commentary. Links to live video, audio and stats can be found on ValpoAthletics.com.  

Head Coach Tracey Dorow: Tracey Dorow (38-94) is in her fifth season at the helm of the Valparaiso women’s basketball program in 2016-17. She collected her 250th career victory on Nov. 14, 2014 with a 91-57 win over Butler. In her first season, Dorow led the Crusaders to 11 victories, 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. Ferris State posted the No. 1 grade point average in all of Division II for the 1999-2000 women’s basketball season as well as the No. 2 ranking in 2002-03.

Series Notes: The Crusaders and Hoosiers will hook up for the first time since Nov. 18, 2014, when the Hoosiers won 81-49 at Assembly Hall. Then freshman Dani Franklin was playing in the second game of her collegiate career and led the team with 11 points and eight rebounds. The Hoosiers lead the all-time series 7-2 and are 6-0 against the Crusaders in games played at Assembly Hall. Six of the nine meetings between the two teams occurred before 2006, including the first meeting between the two squads back on Jan. 20, 1972. Tracey Dorow’s first game as Valpo head coach came against the Hoosiers on Nov. 9, 2012. The Crusaders prevailed 64-52 at the Athletics-Recreation Center behind 17 points from Shaquira Scott and double figures from Gina Lange and Tabitha Gerardot, who later transferred to Indiana.

Worth Noting

• Valpo already has five nonleague wins, the most since 2012-2013 and matching the most since joining the Horizon League. With still two nonleague games remaining, Valpo needs one more nonleague victory to secure the most since 2006-2007, when they won six nonconference games in the final year in the Mid-Continent Conference. A win on Sunday would also allow Valpo to equal its highest nonconference win total since 2002-2003, when it won seven nonconference games.
• With a victory on Sunday, the Crusaders would hold their best record through 10 games since 2001-2002.
• The Crusaders have had a better shooting percentage than their opponent in eight of their nine games this season, with the only exception coming on Dec. 3 at No. 1 Notre Dame.
• Amber Lindfors is coming off a career-high 17-point performance on Saturday against Grace College. Her previous career high of 15 had stood since Dec. 21, 2015 against IU Kokomo.
• Meredith Hamlet is coming off a season-high 16 points on Saturday against Grace College. She went 6-of-9 from the floor.
• Dani Franklin scored 17 points to share the team lead with Lindfors on Saturday. She has held or shared the team lead in scoring in eight of the nine games this season. Franklin has reached double figures on eight occasions in nine contests.
• The Crusaders have not won the turnover battle against a Division-I team this season.

Inside the Crusaders

• In its 45th season, Valpo is 517-611 all-time.
• Valpo has made two NCAA Tournament appearances (2002-03, 2003-04) and earned one WNIT berth (2001-02).
• The Crusaders have had more all-freshman team honorees in the last two years (3) than they did in the previous 12 seasons combined (2).
• Valpo reached double-figure wins for the first time since 2012-2013 a year ago with 10 victories. They also captured five league wins for the first time since ’12-13.
• Valpo has seven players on the roster listed at 6-foot or taller. The last time Valpo had that many players measure in at 6-foot or taller was the 2010-11 season.
• The five freshmen are also Valpo’s most since 2010-11.
• Valpo has had one first-team all-league selection (Launa Hochstetler, 2008-09) and two second team all-league players (Agnieszka Kulaga, 2007-08; Tabitha Gerardot, 2012-13).
• Valpo also boasts five representatives on the all-newcomer team (Lauren Kenney, 2008-09; Gerardot, 2010-11; Dani Franklin, 2014-15; Jasmyn Walker, 2014-15; Meredith Hamlet 2015-16), an all-defensive team member (Laura Richards, 2011-12), one Freshman of the Year (Franklin, 2014-15) and one Sixth Player of the Year (Franklin, 2014-15).

Inside the Hoosiers

• Playing their second straight game against a Horizon League opponent after hosting Northern Kentucky on Thursday. This is the second of three consecutive contests against Horizon League opposition as the Hoosiers host Oakland on Dec. 17.
• Opened Thursday’s game on a 25-0 run in an eventual 100-49 win over the Norse. Senior Karlee McBride poured in a career-high 16 points, while Tyra Buss and Alexis Gassion recorded double-doubles to help the Hoosiers hit the 100-point mark for the second time under third-year coach Teri Moren and the first time since 2014-2015. The Hoosiers held the Norse scoreless for the first 5:58.
• Tied for third with Michigan State in the Big Ten preseason poll. Maryland and Ohio State are projected as the conference’s top teams.
• Return all five starters from last year’s team, including all-Big Ten guard Tyra Buss and forward Amanda Cahill, who earned second-team all-conference a year ago. They have 10 total letterwinners back from last year.
• Have 93 percent of their scoring and 91 percent of their rebounding back from last year.
• Buss, who was named to the Big Ten preseason all-conference team this year, scored 22 points the last time these two teams met, which was the second game of her Indiana career. She now ranks 18^th on Indiana’s all-time scoring list and is four points away from moving into a tie for 17^th.
• Have strung together 18 straight wins at Assembly Hall, tied for the seventh-best active home winning streak in the NCAA.
• Amanda Cahill has at least six rebounds in every game this season and has scored in double figures in eight of the nine contests.
• Rank 10^th in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing 63.6 points per game. However, the Hoosiers are second in field goal percentage at 50.1. They rank third in rebounding margin at plus-10.4 and second in steals at 8.8 per game.
• Buss leads the Hoosiers in scoring and is tied for fifth in the Big Ten at 20.3. She is second in the conference in steals with 3.0 per game. Cahill is the team’s leading rebounder with 7.9 per game, eighth in the Big Ten.

Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren

• In her third season in charge of the Hoosier program.
• Reigning Big Ten Coach of the Year.
• Led the Hoosiers to the most regular season wins in program history with 20 last year. They also matched the school record for most overall wins with 21.
• Led the team to its first NCAA Tournament berth in 14 years last season.
• Led her team to a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten last year, marking the school’s highest conference finish in 18 years.
• Previously spent four years as the head coach at Indiana State.
• Began her coaching career at the University of Indianapolis, then served as an associate head coach at Georgia Tech for three years.

Meredith Hamlet

• One of three team captains for the 2016-17 season. Holds the rare distinction of serving in that capacity as a sophomore.
• Named to Horizon League all-freshman team last year.
• Finished in double figures 16 times a year ago and is Valpo’s leading returning scorer at 10.6 points per game.
• Poured in 21 points (8-13 FG) in the Crusaders’ 94-91 Horizon League Tournament win over Detroit on March 10, 2016. Her 71.4 percent 3-point performance in that contest tied for 10^th in program history.
• Exploded for 29 points at Northern Kentucky on Dec. 30, 2015. Went 10-of-11 shooting, the third-highest single-game field goal percentage in program history.
• Started in all 31 contests as a freshman, one of three Crusaders to start every game during the 2015-16 season.
• Made 69 3-pointers last season, tying for the fifth most in a single season in school history. In addition, she set the record for the most 3-pointers by a freshman.
• Older sisters Annemarie and Elizabeth also played for Tracey Dorow at Valpo.
• Reached double figures for the 17^th time in her Valpo career on Nov. 12 at Stetson, scoring 12 points.
• Hit a buzzer-beating layup to defeat Chicago State on Nov. 16, 2016.
• Posted double figures for the first time since the season opener by reaching 10 points on Nov. 30 against Evansville.
• Had 16 points against Grace College on Dec. 10 to set a season high. She went 6-of-9 from the floor and knocked down two triples while also hauling in five rebounds.

Hannah Schaub

• Led the team in steals (32) and assists (101) last season.
• Had multiple assists in 11 of her last 12 games to close the 2015-2016 campaign.
• Appeared in all 31 games and made 28 starts as a freshman.
• Went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc on Nov. 28, 2015 against Northern Colorado, tying for the 10^th best 3-point field goal percentage in a single game in program history.
• Dished out eight assists in this year’s season opener at Stetson on Nov. 12.
• Contributed a season-high eight points on Nov. 21 against IU Kokomo.
• Dished out nine assists against Liberty on Nov. 25 to match a career best and set a new career watermark against Division-I competition. The nine assists marked the most by an individual Horizon League player in a single game this season.
• Matched her career best again on Dec. 3, once again handing out nine assists in the victory over Eastern Illinois.

Georgi Donchetz

• One of three team captains for the 2016-2017 season.
• Appeared in 10 games as a freshman and nine games as a sophomore. Has seen an uptick in playing time this season.
• Racked up a career-high seven assists on Nov. 12 at Stetson. After playing no more than nine minutes in any one game a year ago, she played 22 minutes off the bench in the season opener.
• Had five rebounds against Liberty on Nov. 25 to match a career high. Finished the game with eight points, including 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Hit two clutch free throws to tie the game late, then provided the assist on the game’s final play by floating an inbounds pass into the lane, where Amber Lindfors received the pass and finished a buzzer-beating layup.
• Equaled a career high with nine points on Nov. 30 against Evansville.
• Made it back-to-back games with nine points on Dec. 3 against Eastern Illinois. Utilized two triples to reach that total, her first made 3s of the season. The two made 3s in a game marked a career high.
• Reached double figures for the first time in her Valpo career on Dec. 4 at No. 1 Notre Dame by scoring 10 points.

Imani Scott-Thompson

• Rose up to the competition last season against Louisville on Dec. 5, 2015, leading the team with 12 points.
• Set the NJCAA record for 3-pointers in a single season (143) in 2014-15 at Dakota College at Bottineau.
• Sat out the first three games of the season due to illness.
• Made her season debut on Nov. 21 against IU Kokomo and turned in seven points.

Amber Lindfors

• Finished the 2015-16 season with 71 blocks, the second most in a single season in program history.
• Was the first Crusader to reach 70 blocks in a single season since Michelle Mader in 1991-1992.
• Led the Horizon League with 2.4 blocks per game in 2015-2016.
• Blocked six shots in a game on three separate occasions last season (Miami of Ohio, IU Northwest, Cleveland State), becoming the first player in program history to notch six blocks or more in three different games.
• At 6-foot-4, she is the tallest Crusader since Stefani Lang (2010-2012).
• Turned in eight points and hauled in eight rebounds in the season opener at Stetson on Nov. 12.
• Matched a career high with six blocks on Nov. 16 against Chicago State. That marked the fourth time she’s blocked six shots in a game in her Valpo career. There have only been 10 individual six-block performances in Valpo history, and four of them belong to Lindfors. The six blocks in a single game ties for third in program history.
• The six blocks were the most in a single game by any player in the Horizon League so far this season.
• Reached double figures with 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting on Nov. 16 against Chicago State. The 11 points marked a career high against Division-I opposition.
• Scored 13 points and hauled in 12 rebounds on Nov. 21 against IU Kokomo, notching Valpo’s first double-double this season and third of Lindfors’ career. She established a new career high in boards, bettering her previous best of 11, set a year ago against IU Kokomo.
• Had a buzzer-beating layup in a win over Liberty on Nov. 25. Grabbed 12 rebounds to match a career best and establish a new career high against a Division-I team.
• Sat out the game against Evansville on Nov. 30 with an ankle injury.
• Returned to the court on Dec. 3 against Eastern Illinois and pulled down eight rebounds.
• Had a career-high 17 points on Dec. 10 against Grace College. Her previous career high of 15 had stood since Dec. 21, 2015 against IU Kokomo.

Dani Franklin

• One of three team captains for the 2016-2017 season.
• Played in all 31 games last season as a sophomore, coming off the bench on each occasion. Made three starts as a freshman. She’s a regular starter for the first time this season.
• Horizon League Freshman of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year in 2014-15.
• Shot 43.3 percent from 3-point range as a freshman in 2014-2015, the fourth best single-season mark in program history.
• Set a career high and notched Valpo’s best individual scoring performance since 1992 and fifth-best in program history with 34 points at Stetson on Nov. 12.
• Franklin bested her previous career high by nine points, a mark that was established on Dec. 30, 2014 against Purdue Calumet and matched on Feb. 11, 2016 against Oakland.
• Only two players in program history have reached the 34-point mark before Franklin. Debbie Bolen did so three times, while Stephanie Greer owns the all-time single-game scoring record with 39 in 1990.
• The 34-point night is the best individual scoring performance in the Horizon League so far this season.
• Franklin went 12-of-19 shooting and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. The 71.4 single-game 3-point shooting percentage tied for 10^th in program history. The 12 made field-goals and five made 3-pointers marked career bests.
• In the first half on Nov. 12 against Stetson, Valpo went on an 11-0 run during which Franklin scored all 11 points.
• Scored 24 points on Nov. 21 against IU Kokomo.
• Made eight free throws on Nov. 25 against Liberty to set a career high.
• Matched a career-best with five made 3-pointers against Liberty on Nov. 25, equaling her mark set at Stetson this season. Had her first double-double of the year with 29 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Flames.
• Set a rebounding career high with 16 against Evansville on Nov. 30. Bettered her previous watermark, which had stood since her third game in a Crusader uniform in 2014, by four boards.
• Scored 33 points on Dec. 3 against Eastern Illinois, finishing one shy of a career high. She became just the third player in program history who has scored 33 points or more in at least two games. Matched a career best with 12 made field goals, and went 6-of-7 at the free-throw line, with the misfire just her second of the year.
• Has led the team in scoring in eight of the team’s nine games.
• Owns the two highest individual single-game scoring outputs in the Horizon League this season. 

Allison Schofield

• Appeared in 13 games as a freshman a year ago.
• A four-year letterwinner at Heritage Christian High School, where she led the Eagles in 3-point shooting and free throw shooting every season. The team went 57-4 with her in the starting lineup.
• Made her first appearance of the season at Chicago State on Nov. 16.
• Scored her first points of the season on Dec. 3 against Eastern Illinois.
• Set a career high with eight points including two made 3s on Dec. 4 against Notre Dame.

Haylee Thompson

• The longest-tenured Crusader as she enters her fourth season with the program. Only her third year playing after sitting out one season due to transfer rules.
• Came to the Crusaders from Utah State.
• Led the team in field goal percentage at 51.9 percent last season.
• Missed the exhibition game against Indianapolis with concussion-like symptoms. Returned to the court in time for the season opener at Stetson on Nov. 12.
• Matched a career high with 16 points on Nov. 21 against IU Kokomo.
• Made her first start since Jan. 7, 2016 against Evansville on Nov. 30. She scored eight points on 4-of-9 shooting.
• Had a career-high four assists on Dec. 4 at No. 1 Notre Dame. Previously, she had reached three assists on five occasions.

Caitlin Morrison

• The lone freshman in the starting lineup for each of Valpo’s first two games this season.
• Father Scott Morrison is a former Valparaiso men’s basketball player.
• Second-team all-state last season after averaging 16.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game at Glenbrook South High School.
• Started her first collegiate game on Nov. 12 at Stetson, scoring six points and notched three rebounds in 29 minutes.
• Had seven rebounds on Nov. 16 against Chicago State, matching Dani Franklin for the team high.
• Established a career high with nine points at Illinois State on Nov. 19.
• Chipped in nine points on Nov. 25 in a win over Liberty.
• Matched a career high with nine points and pulled down a career-best eight rebounds on Dec. 3 against Eastern Illinois.
• Reached double figures for the first time in her Valpo career with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting against Grace College on Dec. 10.

Maya Meredith

• Scored 16.1 points per game at Cathedral last season.
• Received honorable mention all-state recognition as a senior in high school.
• Made her Valpo debut on Nov. 11 at Stetson, playing three minutes.
• Scored her first collegiate point on Nov. 16, making a free throw in the win over Chicago State.
• Doubled that scoring output with two points, both on free throws, on Nov. 19 at Illinois State.
• Made the first field goal of her collegiate career on Nov. 21 against IU Kokomo.

Grace Hales

• Averaged 19.2 points, 3.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds at Westview last year.
• Was named all-state by both the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association and the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.
• Scored nine points at Stetson on Nov. 12, marking the third straight year a Valpo freshman has score nine points or more on opening night. Meredith Hamlet and Dani Franklin did so each of the last two seasons, and both went on to make the Horizon League all-freshman team.
• Knocked down three 3s in her Crusader debut, becoming the first player to do so since Annemarie Hamlet in 2014. Hales became the first freshman to pour in three 3s in a season opener in the last decade.

Marlee Profitt

• Had 17.1 points per game at Highland High School in Ohio before having her season cut short by an ACL injury.
• Collected honorable mention all-state accolades her senior season.
• Made her Valpo debut on Nov. 16 against Chicago State, seeing three minutes of action off the bench.
• Sat out Saturday’s game at Illinois State due to injury.
• Scored the first points of her collegiate career with two free throws on Nov. 21 against IU Kokomo.
• Out with injury.

Addison Stoller

• Illinois Basketball Coaches Association first-team all-state selection last year.
• Averaged 18.1 points per game at Cissna Park High School as a senior.
• Scored two points and had two rebounds in 13 minutes in her Valpo debut on Nov. 12 at Stetson.
• Had a career day with nine points and seven rebounds on 3-of-6 shooting on Nov. 19 at Illinois State.
• Out with injury.

Deja Horn

• Sat out the 2015-2016 season after transferring from Saint Joseph’s College.
• Out with injury.