Valparaiso (1-1,0-0 Horizon)
Game #3: Saturday, Nov. 20, 3 p.m. CST
at Lamar (1-1, 0-0 Southland)
Montagne Center (10,080) - Beaumont, Texas
Preseason WNIT Consolation Round
Upcoming in Crusader Basketball: It will be a quick turnaround for Valparaiso after posting its first victory of the season on Friday evening, as the Crusaders return to the hardwood on Saturday afternoon to face host Lamar in the Preseason WNIT.
On the Air: Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on WVUR (95.1-FM, Valparaiso) as well as online at www.valpoathletics.com. Chris Kleinhans-Schulz and Renee’ Turpa will be calling all of the action live from Montagne Center. Live stats will be available through www.valpoathletics.com for the game as well.
Head Coach Keith Freeman: In his 17th season on the Valparaiso bench, Keith Freeman has a 270-203 (.571) record at the helm of the Brown and Gold. In his 23rd season overall, Freeman has a 399-250 (.615) career mark. He is Valpo’s all-time winningest coach and has amassed more than half of the victories in the program’s history.
Series Notes: Valparaiso and Lamar are meeting on the hardwood for the first time ever.
Wrapping Up Austin Peay: Betsy Adams scored a game-high 20 points and Ashley Timmerman added her first 16 points of the season on Friday evening as the Crusaders downed the Lady Govs 72-57 as part of the Preseason WNIT held in Beaumont, Texas. The Crusader opened up a four point halftime lead with a 9-2 run midway through the second half, sparked by back-to-back triples from Timmerman. Valpo never trailed after taking the lead with just under 14 minutes to play in the first half, but the Lady Govs tied the contest after the Crusaders built a nine point first half advantage. Jasmine Rayner led Austin Peay with 12 points and eight rebounds while Dalila Thomas added 11 points and eight boards.
Scouting Lamar: The Cardinals picked up their first victory of the season on Friday night as well, earning a 83-66 win over Utah Valley at home. Jenna Plumley leads Lamar averaging 16.5 points per game. She scored 15 points and dished out 10 assists in the win over the Wolverines on Friday. Ang Green scored a team-high 18 points against Utah Valley as four Cardinals tallied double figures. Trashanna Smith is averaging 9.5 rebounds per contest this season for Lamar, a team that went to the NCAA Tournament a year ago. The Cardinals were picked to repeat in the Southland according to the preseason poll.
Another NCAA Tournament Team on the Slate: Lamar will be the third straight team the Crusaders will have played to open the season that participated in the NCAA Tournament one year ago.
Valpo in the WNIT: The Crusaders have played in the Preseason WNIT just one other time in school history, losing at Colorado State 94-71 on Nov. 13, 1998. In Valpo’s last appearance, the tournament was just a single elimination event whereas today the WNIT guarantees every school at least three games. Valpo’s win against Austin Peay on Friday evening was the Crusaders’ first ever in the Preseason WNIT.
About the WNIT: The Preseason WNIT features 16 schools from 16 different conferences with every game being played on campus sites. Each school is guaranteed three games, with the Crusaders opening tournament play last Friday at DePaul. Valpo met Austin Peay in the first consolation round game before meeting Lamar on Saturday afternoon.
Freeman Seeking Win #400: Head coach Keith Freeman is looking for his 400th career victory when the Crusaders take on Lamar Saturday in what will be his 650th collegiate game on a bench. Freeman is in his 23rd season of coaching women and picked up win #300 back in 2004 against Oral Roberts.
Adams Posts 20: Betsy Adams poured in 20 points, 15 of which came in the second half, as the Crusaders earned their first win against Austin Peay. Adams is averaging 17.5 points per contest through two games, and now scored 20 or more points five times during her career.
Timmerman Heats Up: After getting off to a slow start in her Valparaiso debut, not scoring at all against DePaul, Ashley Timmerman came up big against Austin Peay. The junior college transfer tallied 16 points, making 6-of-11 shots from the floor, including three three-pointers against the Lady Govs. She also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out three assists.
Doing the Little Things: Laura Richards may not be filling the scoring column for the Crusaders, but she still fills the stat sheet. The sophomore guard registered four assists and had four steals against Austin Peay after pulling down four rebounds against DePaul.
Dishing the Rock: Skyler Gick had a career-high seven assists in the season opener against DePaul and followed her effort up with four more helpers against Austin Peay.
Newcomers Account for Major Minutes: Valparaiso’s newcomers saw action for 86 out of 200 minutes in the season opener against DePaul, including 70 minutes from freshmen. Tabitha Gerardot led the way playing 30 minutes, sharing team-high honors with Betsy Adams. The large load of minutes continued against Austin Peay as newcomers accounted for 81 more minutes, led by another 30 from Gerardot. Newcomers have accounted for nearly 42% of total minutes (167) while senior have played just 38 total minutes (9.5%).
Starting Freshmen Becoming a Trend: Tabitha Gerardot became the third freshman in four seasons to start her collegiate debut for the Brown and Gold. She joined teammates Ashley Varner (2007) and Laura Richards (2009) as other Crusaders in recent years to start the first game of their freshman season.
Crusaders to Have Tri-Captains: Head coach Keith Freeman has announced that the Crusaders will have tri-captains for the 2010-2011 season. Serving in that role are seniors Ashley Varner and Rashida Ray along with junior Betsy Adams.
No Relation Here: Despite having three Lang(e)’s on the roster, none of the three players are related to one another. Gina Lange returns for her sophomore season after arriving from Wyoming, Minn. and averaging 1.9 points and 1.5 rebounds per game while appearing 16 times as a freshman last year. Freshman Stefanie Lang is a local product from Valparaiso High School who earned Honorable Mention All-State accolades for the Vikings. Erika Lang joined the Crusader roster this fall as a walk-on. The freshman hails from Las Vegas, Nev.
Valpo Tabbed Ninth in Preseason Poll: Valparaiso was picked to finish in ninth place in the Horizon League preseason poll conducted of the league’s coaches, sports information directors, and media members. Finishing with 82 points, the Crusaders were just two points behind eighth place Wright State. Green Bay was picked to win the league followed by Butler and Detroit. Cleveland State and UIC shared the fourth spot with Milwaukee predicted to finish sixth and Loyola seventh. Youngstown State was picked last in this year’s preseason balloting.
Varner to Miss Season with ACL Injury: Valpo senior Ashley Varner will miss the 2010-2011 season due to an ACL injury she suffered during the fall. Varner would have been one the Crusaders’ top returning post players, but plans to use the season as a redshirt year now and return to the court for 2011-2012. Varner averaged 7.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Crusaders last year with a team-leading 17 blocked shots.
Freeman Among Winningest Active Coaches: Keith Freeman entered the 2010-2011 season tied for 43rd among all active Division I coaches for career victories. He has guided the Crusaders to more than 50% of the program’s victories all-time at Valpo and holds every one of Valpo’s coaching records. He is just one victory shy of reaching 400 for his career.
This and That: Freshman Maegan Callaway scored seven points in just 12 minutes of action against Austin Peay ... freshman Liz Horton tallied her first two collegiate points against the Lady Govs, while Ashley Timmerman scored her first 16 of her career ... Gina Lange knocked down her first collegiate three-pointer against Austin Peay.
