Valparaiso (7-4, 0-0 MVC)
at Drake (5-7, 0-0 MVC)

Game No. 12 – Friday, Dec. 29 – 7 p.m. CT
Knapp Center (7,152) – Des Moines, Iowa

Next Up in Crusader Basketball: The Valparaiso University women’s basketball team will be thrown right into the fire in its first conference contest as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Crusaders hit the road for a weekend swing against a pair of teams that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago, starting with the defending conference champion Drake Bulldogs on Friday night in Des Moines.

Last Time Out: Valpo’s winning streak reached four thanks to a 68-50 victory over Fort Wayne that closed the nonconference slate on Dec. 21 at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Dani Franklin led Valpo with 19 points, while freshmen Nicole Konieczny (12) and Ella Ellenson (10) also reached double figures. The Crusaders committed just eight turnovers to Fort Wayne’s 21 and held the Mastodons under 30 percent shooting.

Following the Crusaders: Friday’s game will air on The Valley on ESPN3 and the hometown radio call can be heard on 95.1 FM Valparaiso with Ben Ariano and Brandon Vickrey. Links to live video, audio and stats are posted on ValpoAthletics.com. In-game updates will also be available via Twitter by following @ValpoWBB.

Head Coach Tracey Dorow: Tracey Dorow was named head coach of the Valparaiso women's basketball program in April of 2012. The 2017-18 season is her sixth in charge of Valpo's program. Dorow has led the Crusaders to a Horizon League tournament victory in four of her first five seasons at the helm. During the 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, Valpo boasted three all-freshman team members, a Freshman of the Year, a Sixth Player of the Year, an all-league second-team honoree and an all-defensive team member. The Crusaders have enjoyed a significant uptick in all-league recognition under Dorow's watch, as they had three total league honors in the five seasons before that three-year span. 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.

Series Notes: It’s been a while since the Crusaders and Bulldogs last opposed one another, as the only all-time meetings happened during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 campaigns. Valpo originally won the most recent matchup 80-79 to open the 1995-96 season, but the game was later ruled a forfeit in Drake’s favor due to Valpo’s use of an ineligible player. Drake prevailed in the only meeting in Iowa between the two teams, a game that took place in December 1994.

Opening an Era: Friday will mark Valpo’s first conference game as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference after the University gained full-fledged conference affiliation on July 1. Valpo was victorious the last time it debuted in a new conference, beating Butler 77-69 on Jan. 5, 2007 at the ARC in the program’s first Horizon League game. The Crusaders will be tested right away, going on the road to play two teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last year to start Valley action.

Home Sweet Home: This weekend’s destination will provide an experience that is simultaneously new and familiar for Valpo senior Dani Franklin. One of the most accomplished players in program history, Franklin will return to a place where she’s played plenty of basketball games in the past – her home state of Iowa – as Valpo matches up with Drake and UNI. While she is entering familiar territory, this will also mark the first time Franklin has played a college game in her home state. She’ll be closest to home on Sunday against UNI, as Cedar Falls is located about 60 miles from Franklin’s hometown of Cedar Rapids. Friday will mark the first time Valpo has played in the state of Iowa since 2001.

Stringing Wins Together: The Crusaders own a four-game winning streak, matching the program’s longest of the last 11 seasons. It’s the team’s second four-game winning streak in the last decade as the Crusaders also won four in a row in 2015-16. A win over Drake would give Valpo five straight for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Valpo, which finished the nonconference portion of the year undefeated at home for the first time since 2007-08, has already nailed down a winning record in December, the team’s first winning month during the regular season since December 2015. At 7-4, Valpo has its best record through 11 games since 2001 and its highest nonconference win total since 2006. 

Keeping Control: Valpo has done a strong job of keeping turnovers to a minimum this season. The Crusaders committed just eight turnovers last week against Fort Wayne, matching the previous week’s win over IU Northwest for the fewest turnovers made by Valpo this season. This marked the fewest turnovers the team has made in a game against a Division I opponent since Dec. 12, 2015, when the Crusaders limited the turnover total to six against Miami (Ohio). Valpo has committed 15 turnovers or fewer in eight of its 11 games this season and more than 17 turnovers on just one occasion. Last season, Valpo committed 19 or more turnovers in eight of its 11 nonconference games. The 14.0 turnovers per game is the fewest Valpo has finished the nonconference season with since 2004-05. Here’s a deeper look at Valpo’s improvement in limiting turnovers during this year’s nonconference season as compared to years past.

2017-18: 14.0
2016-17: 19.5
2015-16: 17.5
2014-15: 16.6
2013-14: 20.1
2012-13: 19.1
2011-12: 18.8
2010-11: 19.2
2009-10: 17.2
2008-09: 18.9
2007-08: 18.8
2006-07: 15.7
2005-06: 14.8
2004-05: 11.7

Withstanding 3-Point Struggles: The 3-point attempts weren’t falling in last week’s game against Fort Wayne, but the Crusaders adapted well, finding other ways to get the job done in a 68-50 win. Valpo went just 2-of-13 (15.4 percent) from beyond the arc after entering that game having shot 32 percent or better from 3-point distance in each of the season’s first 10 games. Valpo had also made five 3s or more in every game this season. The last time Valpo failed to make three 3s in a game was Dec. 19, 2016 against Bradley (2-for-19). The 15.4 percent was Valpo’s lowest from beyond the arc since that game against the Braves, which featured a 3-point percentage of 10.5. Before the game against the Mastodons, the last time Valpo won despite making just two 3-pointers was Dec. 6, 2013 against Chicago State. The 15.4 percent from 3 was also the lowest in a win since that game against the Cougars, when Valpo prevailed 74-50 despite shooting 14.3 percent from 3.

Success at the Stripe: Free throw shooting has been indicative of the team’s results so far this season, as the Crusaders have won all seven games they’ve had a better free throw percentage than their opponent and lost all four games they’ve had a worse free throw percentage than their opponent. Valpo matched a season-high with 26 made free throws last week against Fort Wayne and has shot 85 percent or better at the free-throw line in three consecutive games.

Valpo in The Valley: Valparaiso University is competing in its first season as a member institution in the Missouri Valley Conference after a 10-year run in the Horizon League. The Valley is celebrating 25 years of women’s athletics in the conference over the course of the 2017-18 academic and athletic year. Valpo head coach Tracey Dorow played at Illinois State during the first season of women’s athletics in The Valley and is back for Year 25 and her first season as a head coach in the conference.

Dani Franklin Record Book Watch

• Dani Franklin enters this game with 1,434 career points, which ranks fourth in Valpo history. She needs 27 more points to pass Jeanette Gray and move into third.
• Franklin holds a career scoring average of 14.2 points per game, which ranks second in program history. The program record is 18.4 points per game, set by Debbie Bolen (1989-93).
• Franklin ranks third in Valpo history with 532 career made field goals. She is 66 makes away from passing Jeanette Gray for second in program history.
• Franklin has amassed 154 3-pointers in her illustrious career, a total that ranks sixth in program history. She needs 18 more to leap into fourth.
• Franklin owns a career 3-point field goal percentage of .379, which currently sits third all-time.
• Franklin has 559 career rebounds, 15^th in program history. She needs 13 more to jump to 13^th all-time.
• Franklin’s career free-throw percentage of .871 is on pace for the program record, which currently is .838 set by Launa Hochstetler (2005-2009).

Inside the Bulldogs  

• On a three-game losing streak, but all three losses have come to high-level competition, including a 79-66 defeat to No. 25 Iowa in the team’s nonconference finale. Becca Hittner had a career-high 27 points against the Hawkeyes.
• Played a four overtime game against Creighton on Dec. 3, losing 108-100.
• Leading scorer Sara Rhine ranks third in the conference at 16.6 points per game.
• Only team with two players in the Top 5 in the MVC in scoring, as Hittner (15.3 ppg, 5^th) joins Rhine.
• Rhine, who played just eight games last year due to an injury, is also the conference leader in field goal percentage at 56.1.
• This matchup will pit the conference’s top two scoring offenses against one another as Drake leads the way at 82.9 points per game.
• Ninth in the Valley in scoring defense, allowing 78.2 points per game.
• Lead the MVC in field goal percentage at 44.8, assists per game at 21.8, offensive rebounds per game at 13.1 and 3-pointers made per game at 9.1.
• Made their 11^th NCAA Tournament appearance last season after winning the MVC regular season and tournament titles.
• Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Jennie Baranczyk.
• Have won 22 straight MVC games including a perfect 18-0 record last season.
• Preseason favorite to win the conference and the only team with two players (Sammie Bachrodt and Hittner) on the preseason all-conference team.

A Look Back at 2016-17

• Valpo had the biggest jump from the first half of league play to the second of any Horizon League squad. In first matchups against Horizon League opponents, Valpo went 0-9 before going 4-5 in second meetings. The plus-four win turnaround was the best in the Horizon League. No other team was better than plus-two.
• The Crusaders have now captured league tournament wins in five of the last six seasons.
• Valpo went 4-4 over its final eight games of the regular season, its best eight-game finish to a season of the Tracey Dorow era.
• Dani Franklin was named to the all-league second-team, becoming the first Valpo player to make the Horizon League first or second team since Tabitha Gerardot in 2012-13.
• The Crusaders had an all-league representative and an all-defensive team member in the same season for the first time since joining the Horizon League.
• Franklin finished the season with 559 points, which ranks second in program history for points in a single year. Debbie Bolen’s 1991-92 season (638) is the program record.
• Franklin finished the season at 18.0 points per game, ranking fifth in program history for single-season scoring average. She also shot 85.8 percent at the free-throw line, the second-best single-season free throw percentage in program history.
• Hannah Schaub completed the season with 134 assists, ranking seventh in program history for assists in a single season.
• The Crusaders had twice as many wins in February (four) than they had in December and January combined (two).

Inside the 2017-18 Roster

• Valpo has nine players on the roster listed at 6-foot or taller. This is the most players listed at 6-foot or taller on the roster in program history. Previously, the most was eight in 1990-91 and 1995-96.
• Valpo has had five freshmen on the roster each of the last two seasons. Prior to 2016-17, the Crusaders hadn’t featured five true freshmen since 2010-11. This year’s team has 10 freshmen, redshirt freshmen and sophomores, the most since the 2003-04 season.
• In addition to five true freshmen, two redshirt freshmen and three sophomores, the Crusaders feature three juniors and two seniors.
• This year’s version of the Crusaders includes four Indiana natives. This marks the most Hoosiers on the team since the 2013-2014 season.
• Three others are from Illinois, three from Ohio, two from Minnesota, one from Michigan, one from Iowa and one from Wisconsin. Seven states are represented on the Valpo roster.
• Freshman Ella Ellenson (Rice Lake, Wis.) is the first Valpo player from Wisconsin since Sarah Ott (Chippewa Falls, Wis.) in 2007-08.

Meredith Hamlet

• Named the Enterprise Bank MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Dec. 20 after matching a career high in scoring against IU Northwest. Became the first Valpo student-athlete in any sport to win the weekly honor, given to someone who excels both academically and athletically.
• Has a 3-point percentage of 51.1 that ranks second in the conference, eclipsed only by Missouri State’s Alexa Willard.
• Fouled out for the first time in her Valpo career on Dec. 21 against Fort Wayne.
• Handed out a career-high six assists on Dec. 18 at Eastern Illinois.
• Reached 29 points in a game for the third straight season on Dec. 15 against IU Northwest, setting a season high and matching her career watermark.
• Only player on Valpo’s roster who has scored more than 25 points in a single game in each of the last three seasons.
• Since the start of the 2015-16 season, there have been 11 occasions where a Valpo player has hit 5 or more 3-pointers in a game. Hamlet has accounted for seven of those occasions, while Dani Franklin and Hannah Schaub have a pair of five 3-pointer games apiece.
• Has six career games scoring 20 points or more, and the first five came away from the ARC. Had her first home game with 20+ points on Dec. 15 against IU Northwest.
• Had five made 3s on Dec. 8 at Purdue, all in the first half. Scored 19 points in the game, all coming before halftime. Became the first Crusader with a 19-point half this season and the first Valpo player to hit five 3s in one half since she did so at Northern Kentucky on Dec. 3, 2016.
• Poured in 25 points on Dec. 3 at Longwood, making a career-high nine free throws.
• Posted a team-high 14 points, the 25^th double-figure scoring game of her Valpo career, on Nov. 21 at Miami (Ohio). Followed by scoring 14 more in Valpo’s win over Grand Canyon on Nov. 25.
• Started in Valpo’s season opener for the third consecutive year.
• Reached the 500-point plateau for her collegiate career as only a sophomore on Jan. 14, 2016 at Youngstown State.
• Posted her first career double-double on Jan. 14, 2016 at Youngstown State, matching a career high with 29 points while shattering personal bests in rebounds (10) and made field goals (12). That game marked the 23^rd time in program history a player has made 12 field goals or more in a single game.
• Dished out a career-best seven assists on Jan. 22, 2017 at Wright State.
• Began her collegiate career with a streak of 52 consecutive starts without missing a game, which was snapped on Feb. 2, 2017 against Youngstown State.
• Exploded for 29 points at Northern Kentucky on Dec. 30, 2015. Went 10-of-11 shooting, the third-highest single-game field goal percentage in program history.
• Made a game-winning layup at the buzzer to beat Chicago State on Nov. 16, 2016.
• Made 69 3-pointers as a freshman, tying for the fifth most in a single season in school history. In addition, she set the record for the most 3-pointers by a freshman.
• Was Valpo’s leading returning scorer in 2016-17 after scoring 10.6 points per game in 2015-16. During her sophomore campaign, averaged 9.0 ppg.
• Named to Horizon League all-freshman team in 2015-16.
• Reached double figures in scoring 16 times as a freshman and nine times during her sophomore season.
• Third Hamlet to play under Dorow as sisters Elizabeth (2013-14) and Annemarie (2014-15 & 2015-16) both concluded their careers with the Crusaders.

Dani Franklin

• Averaging 23.3 points per game during Valpo’s four-game winning streak.
• Enters conference play as The Valley’s leading scorer.
• Had her second straight 10 field goal performance and a season-high 28 points on Dec. 18 at Eastern Illinois, a game that also saw her pull down a team-high eight rebounds and reach career highs in assists (five) and steals (five).
• Had a season-high 10 made field goals on Dec. 15 against IU Northwest, scoring 23 points.
• Has now reached the following milestones – 1,000 career points, 500 career rebounds and 500 career made field goals. She’s joined in that elite group by Debbie Bolen, Jeanette Gray and Sarrah Stricklett as the only players in Valpo history to achieve all three of those feats.
• Had her first double-double of the season and the 10^th of her career on Dec. 10 against Chicago State, pulling down a season-high 11 rebounds to go along with 24 points.
• After being held to four points at Liberty on Dec. 2 and six through three quarters on Dec. 3 at Longwood, had an 11-point fourth quarter to help the Crusaders fend off the Lancers.
• Started her senior season with a game-high 26 points against IU Kokomo. She knocked down nine field goals in the win, including four 3s.
• Moved into fourth in program history in career scoring with her 23-point output on Nov. 25 against Grand Canyon. This marked the 17^th time in Franklin’s Crusader career that she scored 20 points or more.
• As a junior, led the team in scoring (18.0 ppg), rebounding (7.8 ppg), 3-point percentage (.430), free-throw percentage (.858) and steals (35).
• Became the first Valpo player in the last 23 years to score 500 points in a single season in 2016-17. Finished the season with 559 total points, the second most in program history.
• Scored the 1,000^th point of her Valpo career on Jan. 17, 2017 at Green Bay, becoming the 14^th player in program history to join the 1,000-point club.
• Enters her senior season with 1,236 career points, which already ranks sixth in program history.
• Her 2016-17 free-throw percentage was the second-best single-season free throw percentage in program history.
• Had as many double-doubles in a five-game stretch from Jan. 12-20, 2017 as she did in the first 73 games of her collegiate career.
• Got to the free-throw line more as a junior than she did in her first two collegiate seasons combined. Went 10-for-10 at the free-throw line on Jan. 28 at UIC, becoming the 10^th player in program history to go perfect at the foul stripe with at least 10 attempts in a game.
• Set a career high and notched Valpo’s best individual scoring performance since 1992 and fifth-best in program history with 34 points at Stetson on Nov. 12, 2016.
• Only two players in program history had reached the 34-point mark before Franklin. Debbie Bolen did so three times, while Stephanie Greer owns the all-time single-game scoring record with 39 in 1990.
• Scored 33 points on Dec. 3, 2016 against Eastern Illinois, finishing one shy of a career high. She became just the third player in program history who has scored 33 points or more in at least two games. Matched a career best with 12 made field goals.
• 2014-15 Horizon League Freshman of the Year, 2014-15 Horizon League Sixth Player of the Year, 2016-17 All-Horizon League Second Team, team’s Sixth Player of the Year in 2014-15 and 2015-16, team’s MVP and co- Most Improved Player in 2016-17.
• Shot 43.3 percent from 3-point range as a freshman in 2014-2015, the fourth best single-season mark in program history. Now owns two of the Top 5 single-season 3-point field goal percentage marks.
• As a junior, increased her scoring average from the previous year by nearly eight points, boosted her 3-point percentage by nearly 12 percent and over doubled her number of total rebounds and made free throws from the previous season.
• Made 199 field goals as a junior, tied for third in program history.
• Finished in double-figure scoring in 28 of the team’s 31 games last season, leading the squad in scoring on 23 occasions.

Caitlin Morrison

• Ranks second in The Valley in blocks per game at 1.7, behind only Illinois State’s Hannah Green (2.0).
• Has at least one block in five straight games.
• Knocked down a pair of 3s on Dec. 18 at Eastern Illinois, her first game this season with multiple makes from beyond the arc.
• Swatted a career-high five shots on Nov. 25 against Grand Canyon, including a block of a 3-point try that would have tied the game with less than 10 seconds left. Previously hadn’t had more than two blocks in any game in her career.
• Squeezed a career-high 10 rebounds on Nov. 21 at Miami, five of which came in the first quarter.
• Established career watermarks in assists (four) and steals (three) in Valpo’s season opener against IU Kokomo.
• Reached double figures for the first time in her Valpo career with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting against Grace College on Dec. 10, 2016.
• Matched her season high in rebounds and established her season high in scoring in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament, posting 11 points and eight boards to help the Crusaders to a victory over Youngstown State.
• Named the team’s Rookie of the Year in 2016-17.
• Father Scott Morrison is a former Valparaiso men’s basketball player.

Nicole Konieczny

• Reached double figures for the second time in her Crusader career on Dec. 21 against Fort Wayne, scoring 12 points to finish one shy of a career high.
• Has dished out multiple assists in nine straight games.
• Ranks second in The Valley in assists at 4.4 per game, behind only Evansville’s Kerri Gasper (4.5).
• Missed the Dec. 15 game against IU Northwest due to illness.
• Has registered five or more assists in six of her last seven games.
• Was two assists shy of a double-double on Nov. 28 at Bowling Green, finishing with personal bests in both points (13) and assists (eight).
• Became the first Crusader to have eight or more assists and score double figures in the same game since Jessica Carr posted a double-double of 13 points and 11 assists on Jan. 21, 2015 in a 90-79 loss at Milwaukee.
• Made her first career start on Nov. 25 against Grand Canyon and dished out seven assists while scoring eight points to lift Valpo to an 80-75 win.
• Handed out six assists in the first road game of her career on Nov. 21 at Miami.
• Had six points in her collegiate debut on Nov. 16 against IU Kokomo.
• Named a 2016-17 Indiana All-Star, earning a place on the 13-player roster.
• Led South Bend St. Joseph to the 2016-17 Indiana Class 3A state title, averaging 14.4 points per game and 3.1 assists per game during her senior season.
• Helped the Indians finish her senior campaign with a 26-2 record.
• Started her prep career at LaPorte, approximately 20 miles from Valpo, before transferring to South Bend St. Joseph before her junior season.

Bryce Blood

• Made all four field-goal attempts while finishing as one of four Crusaders in double figures (10 points) on Dec. 15 against IU Northwest.
• Matched a season high with five made field goals – an efficient 5-of-6 shooting – on Dec. 3 at Longwood on her way to 11 points, one of three Crusaders in double figures.
• Contributed nine points including 5-of-5 at the free-throw line on Nov. 28 at Bowling Green, a game played close to her hometown of Toledo.
• Chipped in nine points and five rebounds in a win over Grand Canyon on Nov. 25.
• Became the first Crusader since 2008 with a double-double in a season opener by scoring 13 points and grabbing 13 boards in her collegiate debut on Nov. 16 against IU Kokomo.
• Won over 20 regional and national titles over a five-year span while playing for the SMAC Ballers AAU program.
• Finished fourth on her school’s all-time scoring list with 931 points, while finishing as the program’s all-time leader in both rebounds (767) and blocks (181).

Grace Hales

• Ranks second in The Valley in field-goal percentage at 54.7, behind only Drake’s Sara Rhine (56.1).
• Ranks third in The Valley in 3-point percentage at 50.0.
• Returned to double figures with 13 points on Dec. 18 at Eastern Illinois, her fifth double-figure game this season. After starting the season with four double-figure performances in her first five games, she had been held out of double figures in four straight.
• Hit seven straight 3-point attempts on Dec. 2 at Liberty and Dec. 3 at Longwood, going 4-for-4 against the Flames before knocking down her first three triples against the Lancers. Scored a career-high 14 points at Liberty, the only Crusader in double figures in that game.
• Only Crusader who scored double figures in each of Valpo’s first three games. That marked the first time in the sophomore’s Valpo career that she has reached double figures in scoring in three straight.
• Drained a career-high four 3-pointers to finish with 12 points on Nov. 21 at Miami (Ohio).
• Made a career-high five field goals while scoring 12 points – one shy of a career best – in the season-opening win over IU Kokomo. Hales reached double figures for the sixth time in her career.
• Knocked down three 3s in her Crusader debut, becoming the first player to do so since Annemarie Hamlet in 2014. Hales became the first freshman to pour in three 3s in a season opener in the last decade.
• Had a streak of 21 straight made free throws that spanned three different months during her freshman year. Finished the season second on the team in free-throw percentage at 81.4.
• Scored nine points at Stetson on Nov. 12, 2016, marking the third straight year a Valpo freshman has scored nine points or more on opening night.
• Opened conference play in style with a career-high 13 points on Dec. 29, 2016 at Detroit Mercy, her second consecutive game in double figures.
• Led her team in scoring for the first time in her Valpo career on Feb. 16, 2017 against Oakland. Was the only Crusader in double figures, posting 11 points in the defeat. Scored seven of the team’s 13 second-quarter points.
• Father Ross played football and basketball at Indiana University.

Maya Meredith

• Scored in double figures for the third time this season after not doing so at all a year ago by posting 11 points on Dec. 18 at Eastern Illinois.
• Shattered a program-record that had stood since 1992 in her first career start by dishing out 16 assists on Dec. 15 against IU Northwest. She became the 10^th player in Missouri Valley Conference history to reach 16 assists, a mark that ranks tied for sixth in the conference’s prestigious history. She also became the second player in the nation with a 16+ assist game this season.
• Had 10 of her career-high 12 points in the fourth quarter of a 71-60 win over Chicago State on Dec. 10.
• Made a pair of impressive blocks on Dec. 8 at Purdue.
• Knocked down a pair of 3s in a game for the first time in her Crusader career and finished with 11 points on Nov. 28 at Bowling Green.
• Played 13 minutes in Valpo’s season opener against IU Kokomo, scoring four points.
• Notched her first-career made basket against a Division-I opponent on Jan. 14, 2017 at Youngstown State. Did so in style, finishing an important layup despite being fouled.
• Scored seven points on Feb. 16, 2017 against Oakland, a season high. Shattered her previous best of four. Also dished out a career-high four assists in 26 minutes, the most playing time she received in a game during her freshman season.

Allison Schofield

• Made a key steal that led to a fast-break 3-pointer by Dani Franklin in a five-point win over Grand Canyon on Nov. 25.
• Knocked down the only shot she attempted at Miami on Nov. 21.
• Set what was at the time a career high with eight points including two made 3s on Dec. 4, 2016 against Notre Dame.
• Notched a career-high 15 points and led the team in scoring in the final game of the 2016-17 season, a Horizon League Tournament matchup with Green Bay. She went 4-for-4 from 3-point range in that contest.

Addison Stoller

• Played in her first game in over a calendar year on Dec. 2 at Liberty, scoring her first basket of the season by converting a layup despite being fouled.
• Played in the first five games of the 2016-17 season before suffering a season-ending knee injury on Nov. 25 vs. Liberty.
• Had her best performance of the year in her return to her hometown area on Nov. 19 at Illinois State, turning in nine points and seven rebounds.
• Received the team’s Hardest Worker Award.

Marlee Profitt

• Reached double figures for the first time in her Valpo career on Dec. 15 against IU Northwest, racking up 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
• Set then career highs in points (nine) and rebounds (six) on Nov. 21 at Miami (Ohio), knocking down all three of her attempts from the floor while going 3-of-4 at the line.
• Scored the first field goal of her collegiate career in Valpo’s season opener against IU Kokomo, a memorable coast-to-coast layup. Also hauled in a career-high five rebounds in that contest.
• Played in two games during her first season on campus before missing the bulk of the season due to an injury.
• Rattled off 17.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 1.5 blocks in her final prep campaign with the Highland (Ohio) Hornets.

Ella Ellenson

• Reached double figures for the first time in her collegiate career on Dec. 21 against Fort Wayne, scoring 10 points.
• Knocked down her first career 3-pointer on Dec. 15 against IU Northwest.
• Contributed six points and six rebounds in the first game of her collegiate career, the season opener against IU Kokomo.
• Was a four-year starter and two-year captain at Rice Lake High School, where she was named to the WBCA All-State Game and Border Battle All-Star Game.
• Brother Wally played basketball in the NBL of Canada in 2016-17 and made the all-rookie team.
• Brother Ellwood is finishing up student teaching at Valley City State University, N.D., where he was the captain of the basketball team and a track athlete.
• Brother Henry is a Detroit Pistons forward and former Marquette standout.

Taylor Richards

• Made her first career basket and finished the game 3-of-3 shooting for seven points on Dec. 15 against IU Northwest.
• Scored the first point of her collegiate career on Dec. 2 at Liberty with a made free throw.
• Made her collegiate debut on Nov. 16 against IU Kokomo, playing eight minutes.
• Averaged 14 points, 4.5 assists, 3 steals and 3.5 rebounds per game during her senior year at Chippewa.
• Helped her team compile a 104-13 record during her four years of high school basketball, including a 55-1 mark in league play.
• Helped her team win league titles in all four seasons.

Hannah Schaub

• Left early in the game against Miami (Ohio) with an injury and did not return. Has been sidelined since that contest.
• Started in Valpo’s season opener for the third consecutive year.
• Led the team in assists in 18 games during her sophomore season. Her 134 assists in 2016-17 ranked seventh in program history and were the most by any Crusader in the last 17 years.
• Entered her junior season already 17^th in program history in career assists with 235. Needs four assists to pass Jeanette Gray (1999-2003) for 16^th on the career list and 12 to surpass her former teammate Lexi Miller (2012-2016) for 15^th.
• Finished the 2016-17 season ranked eighth in the Horizon League in assists/turnover ratio (1.5) and 11^th in assists per game (3.3).
• Scored a season-high 12 points on Jan. 31, 2017 at UIC, her only time in double figures during her sophomore season. Matched a career-high by knocking down five shots in that game.
• Went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc on Nov. 28, 2015 against Northern Colorado, tying for the 10^th best 3-point field goal percentage in a single game in program history. Also knocked down five triples against Detroit in the Horizon League quarterfinals later that season.

Georgi Donchetz

• Made her season debut on Dec. 21 against Fort Wayne and led the team in rebounds with four.
• Played in the exhibition game against St. Francis (Ill.), but then suffered an injury that cost her the first 10 games of the season.
• Had a breakout junior season in 2016-17, playing in 28 games and making eight starts for the Crusaders. Finished the season with over 50 assists after having four total assists in her first two collegiate seasons.
• Garnered the team’s Fountain Award in both 2015-16 and 2016-17. That honor is given annually to the player who most raises the team’s energy level.
• Shared the team’s Most Improved Player with Dani Franklin in 2016-17.
• Had a career-high seven assists in the 2016-17 season opener on Nov. 12, 2016 at Stetson.
• Reached double-figure scoring for the first time in her collegiate career with 10 at Notre Dame on Dec. 4, 2016, her first of four double-figure games.
• Made the first start of her collegiate career on Dec. 19, 2016 against Bradley and scored seven points in 20 minutes.
• Led the team in rebounding for the first time in her Valpo career with a career-high eight on Dec. 29, 2016 at Detroit Mercy. Also surpassed the 100-point mark for her career in that game.
• After making four 3-pointers in her first 18 games of the season, knocked down five triples in a three-game span from Jan. 22 to Feb. 2.
• Enjoyed the most productive game of her Valpo career with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting on Feb. 2, 2017 against Youngstown State. Also grabbed four rebounds and handed out four assists. Had a career-high three 3-pointers in the victory.

Nicole Johanson

• Helped Herscher High School finish with a 25-2 record in her senior season.
• Played for Example Sports AAU under the direction of coach Barry Bradford, the father of Valpo men’s basketball player Micah Bradford.
• Named MVP of an Example Sports AAU alumni game against college players who had gone through the program.
• Participated in her conference’s all-star game as a senior in high school.