Valparaiso (2-10, 0-1 MVC)
Game #13 - January 2, 2022 - 1 p.m.
at #RV/RV Missouri State (10-2, 1-0 MVC)
JQH Arena (11,000) - Springfield, Mo.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women’s basketball team opens up the 2022 calendar year and wraps up the first weekend of Missouri Valley Conference action Sunday afternoon as it takes on conference preseason favorite Missouri State.
Previously: Valpo got 17 points apiece from Shay Frederick and Leah Earnest Friday in the Beacons’ MVC opener at Southern Illinois, but Valpo dropped the conference lid-lifter to the host Salukis by a 62-52 final.
Following Valpo Basketball: Streaming Video: ESPN3
Radio/Streaming Audio: None
Links for all live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com
Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her fourth year at the helm of the program in 2021-22 and owns a record of 39-59. Evans has made an immediate impact on the program in her first three years, raising the team’s level of play to be competitive in a strong Missouri Valley Conference. Evans’ preferred style of play has been a big part of the program’s turnaround, as Valpo has led the MVC in 3-pointers made per game and in steals per game in each of the last two seasons.
Series Notes: Missouri State has won all eight meetings in the all-time series between the two programs, who did not match up before Valpo joined the MVC prior to the 2018-19 campaign. Last season, however, Valpo gave the nationally-ranked Lady Bears a pair of good runs on back-to-back days at the ARC. The first game saw MSU claim a 61-51 victory, while in the second game, Valpo led into the final second before a late foul allowed the Lady Bears to hit three free throws and escape with a 74-73 win. Shay Frederick scored 23 points in the first game, while Carie Weinman and Caitlin Morrison each scored 20 points in the second game.
@ValpoWBB...
...and @ValleyHoops
- Valpo has been picked to finish in sixth place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 208 points - just one point shy of fifth place.
- Valpo is in its fifth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference in 2021-22.
- The Valley was ranked seventh nationally in conference NET in 2020-21 and was eighth nationally in conference RPI in 2019-20.
...looking back at last year
- Valpo posted a 12-13 overall record during the 2020-21 season and went 7-9 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
- Valpo finished the regular season in seventh place in the MVC standings.
- Included among Valpo’s 12 victories were wins at Illinois and at Purdue, the program’s first Power Five wins since 2012-13.
- Valpo closed the season with a NET of 122 - the program’s best final NET/RPI ranking since the 2003-04 campaign.
- Shay Frederick was a First Team All-MVC honoree as she led the Valley in assists and ranked sixth in scoring.
- Carie Weinman earned Honorable Mention All-MVC notice and repeated on the All-Defensive Team as she led the Valley in steals for a second straight season.
...at Southern Illinois
- Valpo went on a 13-4 run late in the second quarter to help erase a double-digit SIU lead as the Beacons were within 28-27 at halftime.
- After remaining within one possession for most of the third quarter, Valpo surrendered the final seven points of the period as the Salukis led 48-40 with 10 minutes to play.
- Valpo had one push remaining after SIU got the lead to 12 points, keeping the Salukis scoreless on four straight trips midway through the period and converting on the offensive end to cut the deficit in half. Olivia Brown, Leah Earnest and Shay Frederick all had baskets as the Beacons moved within six points at 56-50 with 3:05 to play.
- SIU scored on its next possession, but Valpo countered with another basket from Earnest, and when the Salukis missed with two minutes to play, the Beacons had an opportunity to move within four or even three points. But Valpo missed on a pair of attempts on the ensuing trip and would not get closer than six points the rest of the way.
- Valpo was without the services of head coach Mary Evans, as she is not with the team due to being in the University’s COVID-19 protocol. The Beacons also played Friday without leading scorer Carie Weinman due to injury.
- Earnest matched her career high, set earlier this season against Central Michigan, with 17 points to tie for team-high honors on Friday. Earnest, who shot 7-of-13 from the field and hit a pair of 3-pointers, also paced Valpo on the glass with six rebounds — the third time this season she has led Valpo on the boards.
- Frederick matched Earnest with 17 points on Friday, coming up just two points shy of her season high.
...versus Detroit Mercy
- A back and forth first half saw Valpo take the lead for good on a 4-point play from Cara VanKempen with 2:30 to go in the second quarter.
- The Beacons led 31-27 at halftime and held a slim 48-47 edge with 10 minutes to play.
- Valpo’s defense and rebounding carried the way in the fourth quarter, as it allowed just two field goals and one offensive rebound to the Titans over the first eight minutes of the period.
- Shay Frederick connected on a 3-pointer on Valpo’s first possession of the final quarter, and two trips later, Grace White converted on a 3-point play to extend the lead to seven points.
- White, Carie Weinman and Olivia Brown all knocked down 3-pointers over the next few minutes, Brown’s with 3:04 to play all but icing the game as it gave Valpo a double-digit lead it would not relinquish.
- Valpo made a season-high 14 3-pointers on Tuesday and connected at a season-best .438 clip (14-for-32) from behind the arc. Seven different players combined to knock down the 14 triples, with four players making multiple 3-pointers.
- White led the way for the Beacons, hitting on four 3-point attempts en route to a game-high 19 points. White added three steals as well.
- Weinman’s three triples accounted for her nine points. She also tallied a season-best four steals, leading the way as Valpo registered a season-high 11 thefts as a team.
- Valpo continued its strong recent effort at the foul line, going 11-for-13 (.846) from the stripe. Over the last three games, the Beacons have hit at an .884 clip from the foul line.
- After the Titans shot .529 from the field in the first three quarters, Valpo limited UDM to .267 shooting (4-for-15) over the final 10 minutes.
...looking ahead
- Valpo returns home to the ARC to host UNI on Friday, Jan. 7. and Drake on Sunday, Jan. 9.
- The central Illinois road trip awaits the following weekend with games at Illinois State and at Bradley.
...on the road
- Friday marks the ninth of 16 road games for Valpo this season.
- Valpo has finished at or above .500 in each of the last two seasons in true road games, going 6-6 on the road last year and 9-5 in 2019-20.
@MSULadyBears
- Missouri State, which is receiving votes in both national top-25 polls, owns a 10-2 overall record and won its MVC opener Friday over Loyola, 55-38.
- The Lady Bears have not surrendered more than 52 points since the start of December and allow opponents to shoot just 32.7% from the field.
- Of the active MSU players, Sydney Wilson paces the team with 11.3 points/game, while Brice Calip (10.6 ppg) also averages in double figures.
From Way Downtown
- Valpo made a season-high 14 3-pointers in the win over Detroit Mercy and connected at a season-best .438 clip (14-for-32) from behind the arc.
- Seven different players combined to knock down the 14 triples, with four players making multiple 3-pointers.
- The 14 made 3-pointers are tied for eighth-most in a single game in program history.
- Valpo has more games with 14+ 3-pointers in the four-season tenure of head coach Mary Evans (10) than it did in the entire program history prior to her arrival (nine).
Frederick Reaches 1,000
- Senior guard Shay Frederick became the 17th player in Valpo women’s basketball history to reach the 1,000-point milestone for her career earlier this month at South Dakota.
- Frederick passed Carrie Forsman for 16th place in program history at Morehead State and now owns 1,045 career points after scoring 17 against Southern Illinois.
- Next up for Frederick would be Suzie Hammel, who sits 15th in program history with 1,077 career points.
- Frederick also has 399 career assists, good for fourth in program history as she passed Laura Richards on Valpo’s all-time chart in the win over Detroit Mercy.
- Frederick is one of just two players in program history with at least 1,000 career points and 300 career assists.
Suiting Up Again and Again
- Sixth-year forward Caitlin Morrison is set to potentially match a pair of program records on Sunday at Missouri State.
- When she steps on the court, Morrison will be appearing in the 125th game of her Valpo career, tying Kathryn Knoester for the most games played in program history.
- Should she be part of the starting five for the 67th consecutive time, Morrison will make the 121st start of her Valpo career, matching Meredith Hamlet for the most starts by a player in program history.
Shakeup in the Starters
- For the first time since early in the first season of Mary Evans’ tenure at Valpo, the team had a pair of changes in the starting lineup from one game to the next.
- Carie Weinman saw a streak of 65 consecutive games started and played since arriving at Valpo come to an end due to injury.
- Meanwhile, Grace White came off the bench for the first time since the 2019-20 finale.
- In their place, Leah Earnest made her first start of the season and just the third start of her Valpo career, while Olivia Brown made her first start in the Valpo uniform.
- The changes leave just two notable consecutive games started streaks: Shay Frederick has started 78 in a row since the middle of her freshman campaign, while Caitlin Morrison has started 66 in a row.
