Valparaiso (3-15, 0-6 Horizon)
Game #19: Saturday, January 22, 2011, 12:30 p.m. CST
at Loyola (Chicago) (8-9, 2-4 Horizon)
Gentile Center (5,200) - Chicago, Ill.
Upcoming in Crusader Basketball: Valparaiso takes to the road for the final time before mid-February on Saturday, returning to Chicago to battle Loyola (Chicago). The Crusaders will then return to the Athletics-Recreation Center for four straight games, and six of their next eight overall beginning on Thursday night hosting Milwaukee.
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 the Gentile Center. In addition, the game can be seen live online through the Horizon League Network. 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 272-217 (.556) record at the helm of the Brown and Gold. In his 23rd season overall, Freeman has a 401-264 (.603) 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 Loyola are meeting for the 18th time in a series that dates back to Feb. 22, 1994. The Crusaders hold a 15-2 all-time advantage against the Ramblers after the two schools split a pair of meetings one year ago, each defending its own home floor. The Crusaders won the first 11 contests overall between the two schools, and is 7-2 all-time at the Gentile Center. Last year, the Crusaders were 48-39 victors at the ARC while the Ramblers edged Valpo 62-61 in Chicago.
Wrapping Up UIC: Valpo shot just 29.6% from the floor and gave up too many scoring runs to the Flames on Thursday evening, dropping a 63-42 contest in Chicago. UIC shot 48.1% from the field, including a 56.0% clip in the second half, and outscored the Crusaders 32-10 in the paint. Ashley Timmerman led Valpo with five three-pointers and 15 points, the only Crusader to tally double figures. Jasmine Bailey led UIC with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting while Briana Hinkle added 11 points.
Scouting Loyola: The Ramblers have dropped three straight games and five of their last seven overall following a 64-60 setback to Butler on Thursday evening at home. Monica Albano is averaging 15.9 points per contest while Ellen Ayoub adds 11.5 points and a team-high 5.8 rebounds per contest. Ayoub is also shooting 47.6% from the floor. Lindsey Sebetic adds 9.5 points per contest. As a team Loyola is shooting 40.3% from the field but is being outrebounded by 10 boards per night. The Ramblers have used the same starting lineup in all 17 games this season, and are 6-3 at home but just 2-6 away from the Gentile Center.
Timmerman From Deep: Ashley Timmerman came off the bench as Valpo’s offensive spark plug on Thursday night at UIC, matching her Crusader career-high with five three-point field goals. The junior college transfer led the Brown and Gold with 15 points, her third highest scoring output since arriving at Valpo. Timmerman’s effort marked the second time this season she has led the Crusaders in scoring.
Getting Better on the Boards: After outrebounding opponents in just two of the first 10 games this season, the Crusaders have done better since Christmas break on the glass. Valpo has outrebounded three of their last seven opponents, and was even with another beginning with the Eastern Illinois contest. In league play Valpo is just -0.7 in rebounding margin in Horizon League play compared with -3.9 overall. The Crusaders outrebounded UIC 34-32, including a 12-6 advantage on the offensive glass, on Thursday.
Seven and Seven: Laura Richards led Valpo with seven rebounds on Thursday night at UIC from her guard position. Ironically, the five-foot, nine-inch junior was just coming off of a game against Cleveland State in which she led the Crusaders with seven assists in that contest.
Scoring Droughts Prove Costly: Prolonged scoring droughts have seemed to be a common theme for the Crusaders this season. The Brown and Gold has had a total of 20 stretches over 14 games in which the team was unable to score for at least four straight minutes on the year. Of the four games Valpo did not have a scoring drought, the Crusaders won two of the contests, lost by two points in a third, and was tied with three minutes to play in the fourth. In Thursday night’s loss at UIC, Valpo had a pair of long stretches without scoring, one of 4:11 and another of 5:01.
No Charity Here: Valpo was fouled just five times at UIC and shot one free throw the entire game.
Dialing Long Distance: Valparaiso made a season-high 10 three-pointers, including eight in the first half, last Saturday against Cleveland State and followed that up with nine more at UIC. The Crusaders are averaging 7.1 triples per contest this season, second most in the Horizon League and 39th best nationally.
60 Points is the Magic Number on Defense: In all three of Valpo’s victories, the Brown and Gold has held the opposition in the 50s in the scoring column. However, when the opponent has hit 60 points, the Crusaders have not been able to produce a win on the year.
From Deep: Betsy Adams and Ashley Timmerman rank as two of the top three Horizon League outside shooters this season. Adams, a 41.1% shooter from three-point range, is second in the conference while Timmerman connects at 39.5% from beyond the arc, third best in the league. Adams’ mark also ranks the her 44th nationally in Division I from long range. The junior is also second in the conference, and 53rd nationally, making 2.6 triples per game.
Super Woman: Twice this season Betsy Adams never stepped off of the court, playing all 40 minutes. She first went the distance at IPFW on Dec. 8 before matching the effort on Jan. 13 at home against Youngstown State. Those are the only two times during her career she has played the duration of the contest. Adams’ career high for minutes played is 44 in an overtime contest one year ago at Detroit.
Adams Moves Into the Top-10: Betsy Adams has moved into 10th place in school history for three-pointers made. She now has 124 career triples, passing Amy Cole (1987-1991) to move onto the top-10 list. Next up on the list in ninth place is Kathryn Knoester (2000-2004) with 132, eight ahead of Adams. Betsy Adams has already made 46 threes this season after making 64 last year to rank 10th on the single season charts. The junior guard has made at least one trey in 16 of the 18 contests this season, being shutout against just Cincinnati and Notre Dame, when she attempted just one shot in each game.
Gerardot Has Five Double-Doubles: Tabitha Gerardot has already tallied five double-doubles in her freshman season as a Crusader. Gerardot already has double-doubles against Cincinnati, Evansville, Coastal Carolina, Chicago State, and Eastern Illinois this year, and is second on the team in scoring at 9.7 points per game, while leading the Crusaders with 6.7 rebounds per contest.
Accepting Charity: After making just four of her first seven free throws this season, Betsy Adams has found her stroke at the charity stripe. The junior guard has made 27 of her last 29 attempts beginning with the Lamar game on Nov. 20, including her last 15 straight. For the season Adams is connecting on 86.1% from the free throw line.
This and That: Valpo’s 32 three-point attempts on Thursday at UIC tied for the sixth most attempts by the team in a game in school history ... Rashida Ray is just 15 minutes shy of playing 1,000 for her career ... Maegan Callaway has scored in each of the last five games in which she has appeared after being held scoreless in four of her previous five contests.
