Valparaiso (10-16, 8-7 MVC)
Game #27 - February 25, 2022 - 6 p.m.
Loyola (16-10, 8-7 MVC)
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: A three-game homestand will bring the regular season to a close for the Valpo women’s basketball team, starting on Friday evening when the Beacons host Loyola. The two teams enter Friday night’s contest tied for fifth place in the MVC standings.
Previously: It might have been the grittiest performance of the year from Valpo, and it came in the biggest game of the year to date, as the Beacons rallied after trailing by as many as 13 and survived a battle which featured 11 ties and five lead changes to take down Indiana State Sunday afternoon in Terre Haute, 74-69. The win not only avenged a 20-point loss last month at the ARC to the Sycamores, it moved Valpo three wins clear of Indiana State in the MVC standings.
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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 47-65. 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: Valpo enjoys a 25-8 advantage in the all-time series over Loyola and owns a 7-3 series lead since joining the MVC. In the first meeting this season, the Ramblers held the Beacons to one of their lowest offensive outputs of the season as Loyola earned a 62-48 win in Chicago. Shay Frederick tallied a game-high 17 points in that effort, while Grace White added 12 points off the bench.
@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.
- 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 Indiana State
- Valpo trailed 19-8 at the end of the first quarter and trailed by as many as 13 before closing to within 29-26 at halftime.
- The Sycamores got their lead up to nine points in the third quarter before a 11-0 run gave Valpo its first lead of the game, 42-40 with 4:10 to play in the third.
- Neither team would have more than a four-point lead until the final minute of the game as they struggled for control. Indiana State led 61-57 with six minutes to play.
- Valpo scored the next five, including a steal and fast-break layup for Grace White and an offensive rebound and second-chance basket by Maya Dunson, to edge back ahead, 62-61 with 4:15 to play. The Sycamores got a putback basket on their next possession before Carie Weinman drove and finished to return the lead to Valpo with 3:28 to play.
- The Beacons’ defense stepped up, forcing six missed shots by the Sycamores over their next four possessions. During that stretch, Dunson stepped up and drilled a huge 3-pointer to push the lead to four points.
- Free throws lengthened the lead out to 70-63, but Indiana State had one final threat, hitting two from the line and then getting a steal in the backcourt and finishing to make it 70-67 with 37 seconds to go. But Shay Frederick’s record-setting night concluded with her hitting two pairs of free throws in the final seconds to keep the Sycamores at bay.
- Dunson came off the bench with the best game of her career, hitting 5-of-7 from the floor — including 3-for-3 from the 3-point line — for 13 points, tying her career high and setting a new high while at Valpo.
- Dunson, who scored all 13 of her points after halftime, also grabbed seven rebounds to match her career best in that department as well.
- Valpo finished the game shooting 52.6% (20-for-38) from the floor and was 8-of-16 from 3-point range, its 50% clip from deep tying a season best. It is the third time in the last four games Valpo has shot at least 50% from the field.
- Valpo won despite Indiana State finishing with 32 more field goal attempts, thanks in large part to 22 offensive rebounds which the Sycamores converted into 18 second-chance points.
- This is the first time since the 2007-08 season that Valpo has lost a home game by 20+ points and come back to beat that same team on the road later in the season. That year’s team fell to Cleveland State by 23 at the ARC and came back to earn a 14-point win over the Vikings in Cleveland.
...at Evansville
- Valpo scored the first nine of the second half to extend its run spanning halftime to 13-0, scoring baskets on eight straight possessions and leading 39-28.
- Later in the third, Evansville reclaimed the lead with an 11-0 run, but Valpo would edge back in front at the end of the quarter, 50-48.
- The Aces led for nearly the entire fourth quarter before a clutch 3-pointer from Shay Frederick with 23.2 seconds to play in regulation tied the game at 68-68. Evansville missed its attempt at the game-winner in the final seconds, sending the game to overtime.
- It was a ragged start to overtime for both teams. Evansville got to the free throw line on each of its first two possessions, splitting a pair both times, and the Beacons had a split at the line with 3:20 remaining to make it a 70-69 game.
- Valpo switched to a zone defense on the ensuing Purple Aces possession, and the defensive switch worked to perfection, as Evansville ended up running the shot clock nearly all the way down on each of its next three trips and missed shots on all three.
- Meanwhile, while that was happening, the Beacons took the lead for good with 2:04 to play on a pair of free throws from Frederick. On the next trip, Frederick hit Grace White with a perfect pass on a great basket cut for an easy layup to make it 73-70 with 1:07 remaining.
- The Purple Aces gave the ball back on a travel on their trip down the floor, and Frederick hit two free throws with 27.4 seconds to play to put away the game.
- Friday marked the first time this season that Valpo has played an overtime game, one season after playing four extra sessions.
- Frederick paced the Beacons on Friday and was one point shy of her season high with 18 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 effort from the foul line. The senior also tied for game-high honors with seven assists.
...looking ahead
- Next weekend closes the regular season, as Valpo welcomes the top two teams in the MVC standings to the ARC.
- Missouri State visits the Beacons on Thursday evening, March 3, before Southern Illinois opposes Valpo on Senior Day, Saturday afternoon, March 5.
...at the ARC
- Friday is the seventh MVC home game of the season and the 11th of 13 home games in total this year for the Beacons.
- Valpo posted a 5-6 record at the ARC last season and is currently 5-5 at home this year.
@RamblersWBB
- Loyola enters the ARC on Friday with a 16-10 overall record this season and matches Valpo’s 8-7 mark in MVC play.
- The Ramblers have won four in a row, most recently edging out Evansville on the road on Sunday, 60-56.
- Allison Day leads a balanced Loyola offense, averaging 10.5 points/game, while Maya Chandler adds 10.4 points/game. Five different Ramblers average at least seven points/game.
The Race For the Top Six
- Valpo’s sweep of the road trip last weekend put the Beacons in great position to finish in the top six in the MVC standings and avoid playing on Thursday at Hoops in the Heartland.
- Valpo is currently tied for fifth place with Loyola at 8-7, three wins clear of Drake and Indiana State, who are tied for seventh place at 5-9.
- Should Indiana State lose on Thursday at Southern Illinois, a win on Friday over the Ramblers would secure a spot in the top six seeds for Valpo at the conference tournament.
What a Win Would Mean
- A win over Loyola would be the ninth in conference play for Valpo, which would match its highest number of wins in conference since joining the MVC.
- A victory woud also put Valpo in good position to earn its first top-half finish since joining the Valley, and its first overall since the 2008-09 season.
So Many Milestones
- Not only was Sunday’s win at Indiana State a thriller on its own merits, it also contained numerous milestones - most of which hit in the closing minutes of the game.
- Grace White’s free throw with 1:33 to play capped a 13-point night and gave the senior an even 1,000 points for her collegiate career. White scored 277 points in two seasons at Denver and has scored 723 points in her time at Valpo.
- White became the third Beacon to hit the 1,000-point milestone for her career this season. Shay Frederick did so in December, while Carie Weinman reached the mark last month.
- Frederick’s second free throw with 36 seconds remaining officially moved the senior into Valpo’s top-10 for career scoring. She closed the night with 1,219 points, ninth-most in program history as she moved past Marlous Nieuwveen and Tabitha Gerardot and within five points of eighth place all-time at Valpo.
- Meanwhile, that free throw gave Frederick 12 makes without a miss at the charity stripe, and 22 seconds later, she knocked down two more to cap a 14-for-14 day at the foul line. It is the most free throw makes without a miss in a single game in program history, surpassing Lauren Kenney’s 13-for-13 day at the line against Florida State in November 2008.
- Frederick’s 14 free throws are tied for third-most in a single game overall in program history.
- Frederick is one of just four players in the nation this year to have a perfect game from the foul line with at least 14 attempts.
- Frederick hit the trifecta for the game, as she cracked a single-season top-10 as well. She now has 127 assists on the season, 10th-most in a campaign in program history.
Rally Pros
- Five of Valpo’s eight MVC victories have seen the Beacons overcome double-digit deficits at some point during the game to earn the win.
- Valpo has now rallied from down 10 or more to win 15 times in head coach Mary Evans’ four-year tenure at the helm of the program.
- Last time out, Valpo faced a 13-point deficit in the second quarter at Indiana State and came back to earn the five-point win.
- Valpo overcame a 12-point deficit in the second quarter to earn the win over Bradley at the ARC.
- At Drake, the Beacons trailed by 10 in the first half before coming back for the victory.
- Valpo’s home win over UNI featured a comeback from down 13 in the fourth quarter, tying the program’s largest comeback in the final period since the move to quarters — Valpo previously rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter in a 66-64 win over Loyola on Jan. 24, 2020.
- Against Evansville at the ARC, the Beacons trailed by as many as 14 points before picking up the win - it was Valpo’s largest comeback overall since the aforementioned Loyola game, which featured a 14-point deficit at one point.
Accomplishing Firsts
- Valpo has recorded a number of firsts in program history during conference play this year.
- The Beacons have registered their first road win over two MVC teams this season, winning for the first time both at Drake and at Bradley.
- Both Drake and Bradley were previously 6-0 at home versus Valpo before this season.
- The win at the Knapp Center completed Valpo’s first season sweep of Drake, the program’s first two wins ever against the Bulldogs.
- Prior to the Beacons’ win at the ARC over Drake earlier this season, the Bulldogs held a 13-0 advantage in the all-time series.
- The win over Drake in January also gave Valpo its first sweep of the UNI/Drake weekend in MVC play.
- Valpo completed its first season sweep of Bradley with the home win over the Braves.
Top 100 Wins
- Valpo has made a habit of knocking off top-100 opponents in MVC play over the last few seasons and has done so three times this year.
- The home win over UNI came over a team which entered the night ranked #46 in NET, and the home victory came over a Drake squad which was #65.
- Most recently, the road win at Drake came over a Bulldogs squad which entered the day at #84.
- Valpo now has eight top-100 NET/RPI wins in Valley action over the last three seasons.
- Prior to its Feb. 16, 2020 win at Illinois State - its first top-100 win in conference play since joining the Valley - Valpo had gone nearly seven years without a top-100 victory.
White Does It All
- Senior Grace White has continued to stuff the stat sheet in her final season in the Brown and Gold, and did so again in the win at Evansville.
- White matched her career highs for both rebounds (11) and assists (7) in the victory over the Purple Aces while scoring eight points as well.
- On the season, White leads the team in rebounding and steals, and ranks second in scoring, assists and blocked shots.
- White leads the Valley in steals (2.3/game), and ranks seventh in rebounding (6.2/game), sixth in 3-pointers/game (1.7) and 10th in 3-point pct. (.350).
Frederick Moves On Up
- One season after leading the Valley in assists, Frederick again tops the chart this season as she’s averaging 4.9 assists/game - among the top-50 nationally in the category.
- Frederick is trying to become the first MVC player to lead the conference in assists in consecutive seasons since Caitlin Ingle of Drake did so three straight seasons (2014-15 through 2016-17).
- Frederick now has 476 career helpers, second-most in program history and good for a spot in the top-30 among active players.
- One of 17 players in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone for her career, Frederick now ranks ninth in program history in career scoring with 1,219 career points.
- Frederick is one of just two players in program history with at least 1,000 career points and 400 career assists, and just one of three active MVC players above those marks (Brice Calip, MSU and Karli Rucker, UNI).
- Frederick also has cracked the top-five in program history in both 3-pointers made and free throws made this season.
