Valparaiso (0-0, 0-0 Horizon)
Game #1: Friday, November 9, 2011, 5 p.m.
Indiana (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Athletics-Recreation Center
Next Up in Crusader Basketball: Valparaiso opens the 2012-13 regular season on Friday evening at the Athletics-Recreation Center as the Crusaders host Big Ten foe Indiana. It will mark the regular season debut for first-year head coach Tracey Dorow.
Last Time Out: In its first public exhibition game under the guidance of Dorow, the Valparaiso women's basketball team unveiled an up-tempo style of play as the Crusaders ran to a 98-49 victory over Holy Cross [Ind.] on Monday night at the ARC. Valpo doubled up the Saints at halftime, 44-22, and then scored 54 second-half points to complete the victory. Ieva Jansone paced the Crusaders off the bench with 22 points.
The Road Ahead: Valpo continues a season-opening two-game homestand on Wednesday, Nov. 14 as the Crusaders host Purdue Calumet. Valpo then kicks off a four-game road trip with a pair of games in Indianapolis, starting off with a Saturday, Nov. 17 game at IUPUI.
Following the Crusaders: Friday night’s game will be broadcast live on WVUR, 95.1 FM, Valparaiso, with Mike Pudlow and Andrew Stem on the call. The game will also be video streamed online through the Horizon League Network. Links for the live audio and video, 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: Friday marks the eighth meeting in the all-time series between the Crusaders and the Hoosiers, with Indiana entering with a 6-1 edge in the series. The two programs have split the pair of meetings all-time in Valpo, however, as the Crusaders earned a win in the most recent matchup at the ARC in 1999. The last meeting between the two squads came in November of 2006 in Bloomington, an 85-51 Indiana win.
Scouting Indiana: The Hoosiers went 6-24 last season overall and were just 1-15 in Big Ten play. Similar to the Crusaders, Indiana is also under the guidance of a first-year head coach, as Curt Miller joins the Hoosiers after 11 seasons at Bowling Green. Indiana returns its top two scorers from a season ago in seniors Jasmine McGhee (12.6 ppg) and Aulani Sinclair (12.4 ppg).
Crusaders in Openers...: Valpo is 12-28 all-time in season openers, with results from the 1973-1974 season unknown. The Crusaders have dropped their last two season openers, including a 67-64 overtime loss at SIU Edwardsville last season. The last time Valpo opened the season at the ARC came in 2009-10, an 86-57 victory over Indiana Tech.
...and in Home Openers: Valpo is also looking for a win in its first game at the ARC for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign. Prior to the home-opening losses in the last two seasons, the Crusaders had won five consecutive home openers.
Roster Makeup: In her first season, Dorow will lead a squad which features eight returning letterwinners, including a trio of starters from last season. Five players will don 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.
Fast-Paced Offense: Dorow unveiled her new style of Crusader basketball in the 98-49 exhibition win over Holy Cross. Valpo totaled 80 possessions in the game, which saw the Crusaders go 32-of-66 from the floor (7-of-17 from 3-point range) and get to the free throw line 37 times, hitting 27 freebies.
Keeping the Scoreboard Busy: Valpo’s 98 points marked something that hadn’t happened in a Crusader women’s basketball game in quite some time. The 98 points were the most by a Valpo women’s squad, in exhibition or regular season play, since the Crusaders won by an identical 98-49 score on Dec. 9, 1999 in regular season action against Purdue Calumet.
Jansone Stands Out: Senior Ieva Jansone was limited to just 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds per game last season as a junior after missing the season’s first 12 games due to injury, but if Monday night was any example, the Latvia native will be a big part of the Crusader squad. Jansone came off the bench to play a team-high 23 minutes, hitting 7-of-9 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the foul line for a game-high 22 points. The senior also grabbed six rebounds in the winning effort.
The Same Old Gerardot: Junior Tabitha Gerardot produced a typical game for her in the Crusaders’ exhibition victory. Gerardot went 6-of-12 from the field, including knocking down both her attempts from behind the arc, for 19 points and also led Valpo with eight rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end. Last season, Gerardot led the Crusaders in scoring and finished second on the team in rebounding.
Getting Back on the Court: The Crusaders had four double-digit scorers on Monday in the exhibition win, two of which were on the team but not on the court at the end of last season. Sophomore Shaquira Scott, who suffered a season-ending injury 10 games into her rookie year, came back with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the victory over Holy Cross and also tied for team-high honors with eight rebounds. Meanwhile, redshirt junior Charae Richardson, who had to sit out last season after transferring from Vincennes, scored ten points and grabbed four rebounds in the winning effort.
A Helping Hand: Valpo shared the ball well in the exhibition victory over Holy Cross, racking up 20 assists on its 32 field goals. Leading the way in the assist column were a pair of freshmen. Lexi Miller handed out six assists in 18 minutes of play off the bench and also picked up a team-high three steals, while Jessi Wiedemann dished out four assists in her 17 minutes of action.
