Foul trouble coupled with injuries was an unfavorable formula for the Valparaiso University women’s basketball team on Friday night in a 64-46 loss to Indiana State at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute. Two starting forwards picked up their fourth foul in the third quarter, hampering a Crusader team that was already playing with a thin bench with three players sidelined by injuries.
How It Happened
- The Crusaders (11-15, 4-11 MVC) started strong, going on a 6-0 run to open the contest with Dani Franklin (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / George Washington) accounting for four of the six points. The Sycamores (10-16, 8-7) chipped away and eventually tied the game at 12 with 4:03 left in the first quarter. Indiana State gained its first advantage of the game in the final minute of the first, but the Crusaders tied it before the quarter came to a close.
- The first-half stats were even as Valpo shot 33.3 percent to Indiana State’s 31.6 percent. Valpo outrebounded Indiana State 12-11 in the opening period. Ella Ellenson (Rice Lake, Wis. / Rice Lake) provided a nice burst off the bench with four early points.
- Neither team owned a lead of more than six points over the course of an evenly-matched first half that ended with Indiana State up 26-22. The Crusaders went just 1-of-15 (6.7 percent) shooting in the second quarter and finished the first half 0-of-7 from beyond the arc.
- The third quarter turned the tide of the game, as Indiana State outscored Valpo 19-12. The Crusaders made 57.1 percent in the third quarter, but had only seven field-goal attempts. Valpo made eight turnovers to Indiana State’s two in the third. The Sycamores finished the quarter on a 7-0 run.
- The turnovers continued to plague Valpo in the fourth quarter, as they made seven to Indiana State’s two.
Inside the Game
- Valpo played without Marlee Profitt, Addison Stoller and Taylor Richards, all of whom were sidelined by injuries. Bryce Blood was limited to 15 minutes due to foul trouble, while Franklin also battled through foul issues, picking up four.
- Meredith Hamlet (McBain, Mich. / McBain) led Valpo in scoring for the seventh time in nine games by turning in 13 points, six of which came at the free-throw line.
- Franklin pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds and finished with eight points. She has seven or more rebounds in each of her last seven games and this was her fourth double-figure rebounding performance in that stretch.
- Franklin moved into sixth in program history in career rebounds on Friday, passing Aimee Forsman. Franklin now has 682 career boards.
- Franklin played in her 116th career game on Friday, moving into the Top 10 in program history in career games played.
- Franklin surpassed the 400-point mark for the season on Friday. She has 405 points and needs 32 more to crack the Top 10 in program history for points in a single season.
- Valpo picked up three blocks as a team on Friday, increasing their team total to 85 blocks, which ranks in the Top 10 in program history for blocks in a year.
Up Next
The Crusaders will look to round out the road trip in style on Sunday afternoon at Evansville as the Crusaders and Purple Aces tip off at 1 p.m. CT. Valpo will look to spoil Evansville’s Senior Day and secure a season sweep. The game can be seen on The Valley on ESPN3, heard on 95.1 FM Valparaiso and followed via live stats.
