Valparaiso (12-9, 4-6 MVC)
Game #22 - Saturday, February 8 - 1 p.m.
Indiana State (3-19, 1-9 MVC)
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: Coming off of a season series sweep of Evansville on Thursday night, the Valpo women’s basketball team looks to make it a clean sweep of the state of Indiana Saturday afternoon when it welcomes Indiana State to the ARC.
Previously: Valpo overcame an 11-point first half deficit Thursday evening at the ARC against Evansville, outscoring the Purple Aces by 20 in the second half to pull away for a 72-54 victory. Senior Grace Hales led the Valpo charge with 20 points, including a career-high six 3-pointers made, while sophomore Shay Frederick tied her career best with eight assists.
Following Valpo Basketball: Streaming Video: ESPN3
Radio: WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso)
Live Stats/Streaming Audio: Available via ValpoAthletics.com
Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans (20-33) is in her second season as head coach of the Valpo women’s basketball program in 2019-20. Evans’ impact on the program was immediately clear in her first year, as Valpo shattered its previous program record of 224 made 3-pointers in a single season by knocking down 276 trifectas - a mark which ranks seventh in MVC history. Valpo ranked among the top-25 nationally in both total 3-pointers and 3-pointers per game in Evans’ first season at the helm of the Valpo program.
Series Notes: Indiana State holds an 8-4 advantage in the all-time series over Valpo and is 4-2 in six matchups since the Brown and Gold joined the MVC prior to the 2017-18 season. Valpo has won the last two meetings, however, as it edged out ISU 79-77 in the opening round of the 2019 MVC Tournament and then earned a 75-56 victory in Terre Haute earlier this season. Addison Stoller led three players in double figures in the latter win with 16 points, while Valpo shot 56.9% from the field for the game and scored 44 points in the paint.
@ValpoWBB...
...and @ValleyHoops
- Valpo has been selected to finish in eighth place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 126 points.
- Valpo is in its third season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference in 2019-20.
...looking back at last year
- Valpo posted an 8-24 record last season in head coach Mary Evans’ first year at the helm and went 3-15 in MVC play.
- Last year’s Valpo squad was ravaged by injuries, many times dressing just nine scholarship players.
- Valpo shattered its program record for 3-pointers in a season in 2018-19, knocking down 276 triples to race past the previous record of 224.
- Valpo also moved into seventh place in a single season in MVC history in 3-pointers made.
- Shay Frederick was named to the MVC All-Freshman Team, while Meredith Hamlet was an Honorable Mention MVC Scholar-Athlete.
...versus Evansville
- Evansville scored the game’s first five points and led by as many as eight in the first quarter. A 7-0 spurt for Valpo tied the game at 15-15 with 1:39 to play in the opening perio, but Evansville responded with the final six points of the quarter to lead 21-15 at the end of the first.
- The Purple Aces opened the second quarter by scoring six of the first seven points, earning their largest lead at 27-16 with 7:52 to play in the half.
- Valpo came back immediately with consecutive 3-point plays from Addison Stoller and Shay Frederick 26 seconds apart, quickly slicing the 11-point deficit to just five points.
- Evansville enjoyed a seven-point lead with three minutes to play in the half, but Frederick scored the final five points of the half to pull Valpo to within 34-32 at intermission.
- Evansville extended its lead to five points at 40-35 two minutes into the third quarter before Valpo rattled off 10 consecutive points to take the lead for good.
- Valpo saw its advantage cut down to one point with three minutes to play in the third before the Crusaders ended the quarter on a 10-2 run. Grace Hales connected on a triple in the final seconds of the period to make it a 55-46 lead with 10 minutes to play.
- A 3-pointer for the Purple Aces on their first possession of the fourth quarter cut Valpo’s lead to 55-49, but the Brown and Gold held Evansville scoreless for the next 5:54. Over that stretch, Valpo rattled off 14 consecutive points – including three 3-pointers from Hales – to pull out to a 20-point lead.
- The win gave Valpo a sweep of the season series with Evansville, its third sweep since joining the MVC. The 2017-18 team swept both Evansville and Loyola in Valpo’s first season of competition in the Valley.
- Valpo did most of its damage from behind the arc on Thursday, scoring 42 of its 72 points from deep as it went 14-of-34 (41.2%) from 3-point range. The 14 triples tie a season high for the Brown and Gold for the third time and are tied for the sixth-most in a single game in program history.
- Leading the downtown barrage was Hales. After scoring just three points in the first half, the senior exploded for 17 second-half points, connecting on five triples in the final 20 minutes alone. For the game, Hales went 6-of-9 from deep, setting a career high with the six 3-pointers made.
...at UNI
- UNI closed the opening quarter with a 20-10 lead, but Valpo turned the tables to start the second quarter, reeling off a 13-2 run over the first six minutes of the period to go in front, 23-22.
- Following the run, the Brown and Gold went scoreless for more than three minutes and UNI scored seven straight points. The Panthers eventually took a 31-25 lead into halftime.
- UNI put together runs of 8-0 and 9-0 in the third quarter, the latter pushing its lead to 53-39 with one minute to go in the quarter. Valpo scored the final four points of the quarter to move within 10.
- The Panthers scored eight of the first 10 points of the fourth period to take their largest lead of the game at 61-45.
- Valpo scored on nine of 11 possessions over a stretch of five minutes to go on a 22-9 run and pull within 70-67 with 2:46 to play.
- Valpo went scoreless on its next two trips with a chance to potentially tie the game, however, and UNI’s Karli Rucker hit a 3-pointer with 1:17 to go to push the Panthers’ lead to six. Valpo would not score again until three seconds to play.
- Caitlin Morrison blocked three shots on one possession in the first quarter and added three more blocks to finish with six blocks, matching her career high set earlier this year against Chicago State. The six blocks again tie her for third-most in a single game in program history.
- All five Valpo starters scored in double figures, led by 19 points from Carie Weinman - just one off her season best.
- Valpo connected on double-digit 3-pointers for the 10th time this season with its third-best percentage from deep this year, going 10-for-21 (47.6%). The Crusaders were just 14-for-35 inside the arc, however.
- UNI also enjoyed strong shooting days from the 3-point line (13-of-30) and the free throw line (14-of-15). Valpo held a 22-13 advantage in points off turnovers, as it forced 17 Panther miscues, but UNI turned 15 offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points.
...looking ahead
- The Brown and Gold take on central Illinois next weekend, starting with a Friday night game at Bradley.
- The weekend concludes Sunday afternoon at Illinois State.
...at the ARC
- Saturday will be Valpo’s 11th home game of the season, as it currently owns a 6-4 record at home this year.
- Valpo swept all four of its non-conference home games, with wins over Bowling Green, UIC, Morehead State and Chicago State.
- Following the win last time out over Evansville, Valpo is 2-4 in MVC play to date at home, having also defeated Loyola. All four conference home losses have been against top-80 RPI teams.
- Valpo went 4-11 at the ARC last year in Mary Evans’ first season at the helm of the program.
- Valpo was just 1-5 last season at home in non-conference action before earning a trio of home wins during MVC play.
@IndStWBB
- Indiana State enters Saturday’s game at 3-19 overall this year and 1-9 in MVC play.
- The Sycamores dropped a 65-55 decision at Loyola on Thursday evening, one game after earning their lone Valley win of the year over Evansville, 68-58.
- No ISU player is averaging in double figures, as leading scorer Jamyra McChristine posts 9.7 points/game.
Racking Up the Wins
- The victory over Evansville is already Valpo’s 12th win of the season, all of which have come against Division I teams.
- The 12 wins over D-I opponents is the program’s highest total since the 2008-09 team picked up 16 wins.
Sweeping Indiana
- The win over Evansville secured a season sweep of the Purple Aces for Valpo.
- After winning in Terre Haute earlier this year, the Crusaders have an opportunity to sweep the season series from Indiana State as well on Saturday.
- A win on Saturday would cap a perfect 4-0 mark for this year’s squad against teams from the Hoosier state.
- It would be the first Valpo team to go undefeated against fellow Indiana schools since the 2011-12 team went 5-0, beating IU Northwest, IPFW, Ball State, and Butler twice.
Raining Threes
- Passels of 3-pointers have become a familiar sight for Valpo women’s basketball fans over the last couple years.
- Last time out against Evansville, the triples were raining down again, as Valpo went 14-for-34 (41.2%) from 3-point range, including 9-for-14 after halftime from deep.
- The 14 triples tie a season high for the Brown and Gold for the third time and are tied for the sixth-most in a single game in program history.
- Five of the top-eight single-game 3-pointers totals have come in the last two years.
- The Crusaders are hitting at a 43.6% clip from three over the last two games after shooting just 28.2% from deep over the previous four contests.
- Valpo has connected on 185 3-pointers to date this season, already just four shy of the team’s single-season top-10 chart.
- This year’s team ranks fourth nationally in 3-point rate and 11th in percentage of points from 3-pointers.
Hales Leads the Way
- Senior Grace Hales paced Valpo in the win over Evansville with 20 points, her season high in an MVC game.
- After scoring just three points in the first half, Hales exploded for 17 second-half points, connecting on five triples in the final 20 minutes alone. For the game, Hales went 6-of-9 from deep, setting a career high with the six 3-pointers made.
- Hales’ final 3-pointer of the game not only set a new personal single-game best, it also gave her solo possession of eighth place on Valpo’s career 3-pointers made chart with 152 career triples.
- Hales became the 16th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone for her career with a basket in the final minute last Friday at Drake and currently ranks 15th in program history with 1,035 career points.
- Hales reached the mark thanks to her consistency, as she has played in all 115 Valpo games since she stepped on campus. She has seen her scoring average go up year by year and is averaging a team-best 12.7 points/game this year.
- Hales also ranks among Valpo’s all-time best in a pair of shooting categories, as she sits second in free throw pct. (.862) and tied for fourth in 3-point pct. (.373).
- In the MVC record book, which will only count years played in the Valley, Hales currently ranks fifth all-time in free throw pct. (165-of-188; .878).
A Helping Hand
- Sophomore point guard Shay Frederick handed out eight assists in Thursday’s win over Evansville to match her career best in the category for a third time.
- Frederick is currently tied for second among MVC players with 4.5 assists/game and owns an assist rate of 33.3%, good for 40th nationally.
- The sophomore has led Valpo in assists in 15 of its 21 games this season.
- Given her current average, Frederick is on pace to crack Valpo’s single-season top-10 chart in the category.
Getting It Done With Defense
- The effort on the defensive end, especially over the final three quarters, helped lift Valpo to its win over Evansville last time out.
- After surrendering 21 first quarter points, Valpo allowed the Purple Aces to score just 33 points over the final three quarters.
- Evansville’s 54 points were the fewest the Crusaders have allowed in MVC play this year.
- Valpo surrendered a season-low nine 2-pointers to the Purple Aces.
- Valpo forced 20 Evansville turnovers which it turned into 22 points, the 11th time this season the Brown and Gold have forced at least 20 turnovers in a game.
Gotta Hit the Twos
- So far this season, Valpo’s 2-point percentage has been a strong indicator of whether it will emerge victorious or not from any given ballgame.
- In 12 wins this year, Valpo is shooting at a 56.3% clip from inside the arc.
- Meanwhile, in its nine losses, Valpo is shooting just 40.1% from 2-point range.
- The difference has been even more pronounced in MVC play, as Valpo has hit 58.9% of its 2-point attempts in its four Valley wins versus maintaining its 40.1% clip over its six losses.
- Last time out against Evansville was an anomaly, however, as Valpo shot just 8-for-19 (42.1%) from inside the arc. It was the team’s worst 2-point percentage in a win this year and just the second time in its 12 wins it’s been under 50% inside the arc.
Starters, Assemble
- Valpo has trotted out the same starting five through each of its first 19 games of the season: Shay Frederick, Carie Weinman, Grace Hales, Addison Stoller and Caitlin Morrison.
- Hales and Stoller were regular starters a season ago, while Frederick joined the starting lineup midway through last year. Morrison was a regular starter each of her first two years as well before missing last season due to injury.
- Within MVC play, the quintet has played 138:52 together and has out-scored the opposition 259-238 (74.6-68.6 per 40 minutes). That includes a 33-30 advantage in 17:58 of playing time together against Missouri State, and a 24-23 edge in 12:42 together at Drake.
- Valpo has never had a season where the same five players started every single game. The 2007-08, 1997-98 and 1983-84 Valpo squads had four players who started every game of the season.
- All five starters scored in double figures in the game at UNI, the first time that has happened for Valpo this season.
Thievery
- One area in which Valpo has been consistent all year long has been coming up with steals on the defensive end.
- Valpo has recorded at least six steals in all but one game this season and is averaging an MVC-best 10.4 steals/game, good for 26th nationally.
- The team is currently on pace to finish with its highest single-season steals total in nearly two decades.
- Valpo took the thefts to another level in the win at Evansville.
- The Brown and Gold recorded 21 steals in the win over the Purple Aces, tied for the seventh-most in a single game in MVC history.
- 21 steals also is tied for 10th-most in a single game in program history and matches the most in a single game since 1995.
What A Rally
- The 13-point comeback in the fourth quarter against Loyola was Valpo’s largest final-quarter rally since the women’s game moved to four quarters.
- Ironically, the last time Valpo rallied from that kind of deficit within the game’s final 10 minutes came at Loyola on Feb. 17, 2011. The Crusaders trailed that day by 14 points with 8:45 to play (and later 8 points with 2:45 to play) and went on to a 72-68 victory.
- Valpo’s largest deficit in the win over the Ramblers was a 14-point deficit late in the third quarter, the largest deficit it has come at any point in a game to win since rallying from down 15 for a 67-59 win at Youngstown State on Jan. 12, 2013.
- It was the second rally of that type this year for Valpo, as in non-conference play against BGSU, it trailed by 12 in the fourth quarter and by 8 with 3:30 to play before coming back to force overtime and eventually win.
- Last time out against Evansville, Valpo recovered from a double-figure deficit to win for the third time this year, but this deficit came early in the second quarter, as Valpo trailed 27-16 with 7:52 to play in the first half.
