Saturday, February 22, 2003

Valparaiso snapped a three-game losing skid with its 66-56 victory over IUPUI on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

The Crusaders led from start to finish, taking control of the game in the early stages of the contest.

With Valpo leading 22-16 at the 7:33 mark, the Brown and Gold went on a 15-2 run, highlighted by five points from Dawn Vander Meer (Tinley Park, Ill/Andrew H.S.) and back-to-back three-pointers by Kathryn Knoester (Grand Rapids, Mich./Christian H.S.) and Suzie Hammel (Lafayette, Ind./Lebanon H.S.).

IUPUI cut into the lead right before halftime, and a three by Erin Guy in the closing seconds sent the teams into the locker room with the Crusaders holding a 39-24 advantage.

The Jaguars closed to within nine twice, the latest at 46-37 with 10:50 to play after Tiffany Kyser hit a jumper.

Valpo pushed the lead back to 16 at 54-38 after a conventional three-point play by Vander Meer and the Crusaders coasted to the finish.

Jeanette Gray (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso H.S.) led Valpo with 17 point, while grabbing seven rebounds to become just the third Crusader in school history to reach 700 boards for her career. Her 705 career rebounds rank her second all-time in a Brown and Gold uniform.

Vander Meer came off of the bench to net a career high 13 points on 4-of-4 shooting, while tying her career best with eight rebounds. Meredith Baugher (Berea, Ohio/Berea H.S.) added 11 points, while Katie Boone (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove H.S.) just missed a double-double with nine rebounds and nine assists, tying season highs.

Kyser led IUPUI (8-16, 3-8 Mid-Con) with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Guy and Jessica James added seven points each.

The Jaguars shot 43.8% (21-of-48) from the floor compared with Valpo's 36.8% (21-of-57), but the Crusaders held a 39-31 advantage on the glass, including 18-9 on the offensive end.

Valpo (13-11, 6-5) will close out their home schedule on Monday evening when the Crusaders welcome Oakland to the ARC. Tip-off for the Senior Night contest is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.