Valparaiso (2-0, 0-0 Horizon)
Game #3: Saturday, November 17 - 3:30 p.m. CT
at IUPUI (1-1, 0-0 Summit)
The Jungle (1,215)
Next Up in Crusader Basketball: Valparaiso begins a long stretch of road games Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis as the Crusaders take on former Mid-Con rival IUPUI for the first time in six seasons. Valpo will play eight of its next nine games on the road over the next month-plus.
Last Time Out: The Valparaiso women's basketball team used a massive rebounding advantage to pick up its second straight victory to start the 2012-2013 campaign, defeating Purdue Calumet Wednesday night at the ARC, 76-59. Tabitha Gerardot led the way for the Crusaders, tallying 18 points and 12 rebounds in the winning effort.
The Road Ahead: Valpo remains in the state capital to take on former league rival Butler Monday evening at 6 p.m. CT. The Crusaders then face perhaps their toughest test of the season, traveling to Durham, N.C. to face perennial top-ten squad Duke Friday evening.
Following the Crusaders: Saturday afternoon’s game will be broadcast online only through www.sportsjuice.com, with Joey Basil and Renee’ Turpa on the call. Links for the live audio, as well as live stats, will be available through www.valpoathletics.com
Head Coach Tracey Dorow: Tracey Dorow was named the seventh head women’s basketball coach in Crusader program history in April of 2012. Dorow arrived at Valpo after spending 14 seasons as the head coach at Ferris State University, guiding the Bulldogs to four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division championships, and four 20-win seasons. In her 14 seasons at Ferris State, Dorow compiled a 232-163 (.587) record, including a 23-7 mark in 2011-2012 while guiding the Bulldogs to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Series Notes: The series between the Crusaders and Jaguars has been dominated over the years by Valpo, as it owns a 20-4 edge in the all-time series, most of which was conducted while the two sides were rivals in the Mid-Continent Conference. The Crusaders lead the series down in Indianapolis 7-3, including most recently a 65-54 win in February of 2007.
Scouting IUPUI: The Jaguars have split their first two games of the season, rolling over Grace in their opener by nearly 60 points before dropping a 75-71 decision to fellow Horizon League squad Wright State on Wednesday evening. DeAirra Goss is averaging 23 ppg through two contests to pace IUPUI, while Dee-Dee Bellamy adds 10.5 ppg. IUPUI has out-rebounded its opponents 97-77 through two games as well.
Looking to Go 3-0: With a win over IUPUI on Saturday, the Crusaders would improve to 3-0 on the young season. Only once before (2009-2010) has Valpo started a season with three consecutive victories. Already, the Crusaders won their first two games of the year for just the fourth time in program history (1974-1975, 1985-1986 and 2009-2010). 1974-1975 was also the only other time Valpo won each of its first two games by double digits.
Winning Her Debut: Head coach Tracey Dorow made her regular season debut a winning one last Friday by defeating Indiana. Dorow became just the second coach in Crusader women’s basketball history to win their Valpo debut on the sidelines, joining Dick Briars, whose 1983-1984 squad downed Hillsdale 71-67 in its season opener. With the win over Purdue Calumet, Dorow became the first Crusader women’s coach to win each of her first two games.
Taking the State: Valpo’s win over Purdue Calumet extended the Crusaders’ winning streak against in-state foes. Dating back to the start of the 2011-2012 season, the Crusaders have not suffered defeat against a fellow Indiana team, going 7-0 over that stretch. Already this season, Valpo owns two victories against in-state opponents, with a pair of Indiana schools awaiting the Crusaders in their next two games.
Downing the Big Ten: Valpo’s win over Indiana was just the second in program history over the Hoosiers, both of which have come at the ARC. The Crusaders previously defeated IU on Dec. 7, 1999 by a final of 64-60. Valpo’s last victory against a Big Ten team also came at the ARC on Dec. 10, 2008 over Purdue.
Roster Makeup: In her first season, Dorow is leading a squad which features eight returning letterwinners, including a trio of starters from last season. Five players are donning the Crusader uniform for the first time alongside the eight returnees as well.
Gerardot Named Preseason Second Team: Leading the returning starters is junior forward Tabitha Gerardot, a preseason Second Team All-League choice. Gerardot, an All-Newcomer Team selection following her freshman season, led the Crusaders and finished tenth in the league in scoring at 13.0 points per game in 2011-2012. Gerardot also averaged 6.8 rebounds per contest, second-best on the team
More Returning Experience: A pair of seniors join Gerardot as returning starters entering the 2012-2013 season. Forward Gina Lange is back for her final year after posting 8.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a junior. Meanwhile, guard Laura Richards led the Horizon League in minutes played (37.5
mpg) and finished second in the league in steals (2.8 spg) en route to a spot on the All-Defensive Team.
A Tough Schedule: The Crusaders have put together a challenging slate for the 2012-2013 campaign, including five contests against NCAA Tournament
teams from a season ago. Highlights include the season opener at the ARC against Indiana, a game at perennial top-ten program Duke, and contests on the road versus 2012 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Michigan and Louisville.
Hitting the Glass: Valpo owned a +24 rebound margin in its exhibition victory, but really showcased its ability on the glass in the season opener against the Hoosiers. Facing a front line which had numerous players check in at 6’0” or taller, the Crusaders were undaunted, finishing the night with a 41-29 edge on the boards, including 13 offensive rebounds out of 31 chances. Then, on Wednesday, the Crusaders posted a +26 rebounding margin (58-32) over Purdue Calumet, including 23 offensive rebounds they turned into 27 second-chance points.
Sharing is Caring: Seemingly every single Crusader got into the mix in Wednesday’s win over Purdue Calumet when it came to handing out assists. Valpo totaled 19 assists on its 29 field goals in the win over the Peregrines, but no player tallied more than three helpers. Richards, Gina Lange and Charae Richardson all tied for team-high honors with three assists, while in all, 11 of the 13 Crusaders who played picked up at least one assist. This came after a regular season opening win over Indiana which saw Valpo tally 16 assists on 23 baskets, eight of which came from Richards.
Earning League Honors: Sophomore Shaquira Scott showed little rust on the basketball court after playing just 10 games last season due to injury. Scott was named the Horizon League Player of the Week this past Monday after leading the Crusaders with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting in the win over IU. The sophomore was Valpo’s first player to earn weekly honors from the league office since Ashley Varner on Dec. 28, 2009.
Doubling Up: Junior Tabitha Gerardot started the regular season with an 11-point, 7-rebound effort in the win over Indiana. Then, last time out, Gerardot picked up her first double-double of the season and 14th of her career, leaidng all players with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the victory over Purdue Calumet. Last season, Gerardot led the Crusaders in scoring and finished second on the team in rebounding.
Career High Kind of Night: Junior Liz Horton surpassed her career highs in both points and rebounds in the Crusaders’ win on Wednesday. Horton hit five of her eight field goal attempts and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line for a career-high 14 points, easily surpassing her previous career best of nine points. The junior also hit the boards for a career-high six rebounds.
Filling the Stat Sheet: Senior Laura Richards scored just five points in Valpo’s win over Indiana last Friday night, but contributed mightily in a couple of other ways. Richards led all players with nine rebounds, just two shy of her career high in the category. She also matched her career-best output wtih eight assists in the victory.
