The Valparaiso University women’s basketball team had four players score 10 points or more, but Evansville came away with a 77-65 victory on Friday night at Meeks Family Fieldhouse. Addison Stoller (Cissna Park, Ill. / Cissna Park) and Grace Hales (Cromwell, Ind. / Westview) each came within a rebound of a double-double.
How It Happened
- Evansville jumped out to leads of 5-1 and 8-3, but an 8-0 Valpo run allowed the visitors to jump on top 11-8. Stoller scored six of the team’s eight points on the scoring run.
- The Purple Aces closed to within 11-10, but Valpo ended the quarter by scoring seven straight to take an 18-10 lead through one period. Meredith Hamlet (McBain, Mich. / McBain) knocked down the team’s first triple of the night with 54 seconds left in the first to contribute to the scoring run.
- Stoller scored 10 of her team’s 18 points in the first quarter and pulled down five rebounds. Valpo shot 50 percent while holding Evansville to 3-of-17 (17.6 percent).
- Valpo’s lead was 13 points with 6:01 left in the second quarter after a triple by Hales. Evansville garnered some momentum late in the quarter, including a steal and a score with five seconds left in the half to cut the deficit to seven at 38-31. Evansville outscored Valpo 21-20 in a second quarter where Valpo shot 64 percent and Evansville shot 54 percent.
- Evansville scored the first 10 points of the third quarter to grab a three-point edge at 41-38. Valpo’s first point of the third didn’t come until nearly four minutes in.
- By the time the third quarter had ended, the Purple Aces (3-20, 1-11) owned a 58-48 lead after outscoring Valpo 27-10 in that quarter. Valpo went 1-of-11 from the field in the third.
- Evansville’s Kerri Gasper came on strong in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 points and pulling down six rebounds in that period alone. Meanwhile, Valpo shot 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) over the final 10 minutes. Valpo played the end of the game with a thin bench after three players fouled out.
Inside the Game
- Valpo was led in scoring by Stoller, who had 15 points to go along with nine boards, narrowly missing a double-double.
- Hales finished in double figures for the 11th time in the last 14 games, accumulating 10 points. She went 4-of-4 at the free-throw line and has now knocked down 25 consecutive free throws.
- Four Valpo players finished in double figures for the fifth time this season and the second consecutive game. Hales and Stoller were joined by Shay Frederick (Greenville, Wis. / Hortonville), who finished with 14, and Hamlet, who tacked on 13 while also pulling down six rebounds.
- Valpo climbed into sixth in program history for 3-point attempts in a season on Friday as this year’s total is up to 623.
- Hamlet cracked the program record book in a new category – free throws made. She now has 233 career makes at the stripe, a total that ranks ninth in program history.
Up Next
Valpo (6-18, 2-10) will return to action on Sunday as the team closes out a two-game instate road swing in Terre Haute. It’s a 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET) tipoff as Valpo visits Indiana State in an effort to avenge an overtime loss from earlier this season. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with links to live video, audio and stats available on ValpoAthletics.com.
