February 25, 20241st2nd3rd4thFinal
UIC2120221982
Valparaiso1215141859
Stats at a GlanceUICVALPO
FG Percentage.558 (29-52) .379 (22-58)
3P FG Percentage.333 (4-12) .250 (5-20)
FT Percentage.667 (20-30) .500 (10-20)
Offensive Rebounds109
Defensive Rebounds3417
Total Rebounds4426
Turnovers1614
Steals510
Bench Points4926
LeadersUICVALPO
PointsRimmer - 18
Earnest - 16
ReboundsWilliams - 10
Jackson - 4
AssistsYoung - 5
Jackson - 3
StealsYoung - 2
Frau-Garcia - 2
Brown - 3
BlocksMiddleton - 1
Gold - 1
BoxscorePlay-by-Play1st Half2nd Half
Earnest Reaches 1,000-Point Milestone; Women’s Basketball Bested by UIC Sunday
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Earnest Reaches 1,000-Point Milestone; Women’s Basketball Bested by UIC Sunday
Leah Earnest joined Valpo's 1,000-point club on Sunday.

The Valpo women’s basketball team was unable to overcome a 15-2 run to start the game by visiting UIC Sunday at the ARC, falling to the Flames by an 82-59 final. In the second quarter, senior Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) joined the program’s 1,000-career point club.

How It Happened

  • UIC scored 15 of the game’s first 17 points, jumping out to a 15-2 lead 5:08 into the game.
  • A 3-pointer from fifth-year Jill Harris (Navarre, Fla./Crestview [Johnson C. Smith]) just over 90 seconds later capped a quick 7-0 spurt for the Beacons as they moved back within 15-9.
  • The Flames held a 21-12 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
  • Valpo got to as close as seven in the second period on a triple by freshman Layla Gold (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) two minutes into the quarter.
  • It was still a single-digit deficit at the midway point of the quarter when Earnest scored her 1,000th career points, but the Flames scored nine of the final 13 points of the half to lead 41-27 at intermission.
  • Earnest connected on a 3-pointer right out of the locker room to make it an 11-point game, but that proved to be as close as the game would be in the second half. UIC led 63-41 at the end of the third quarter on its way to the win.

Inside the Game

  • Earnest entered the game needing eight points to become the 18th player in program history to score 1,000 career points, and hit that mark with her layup at the midway mark of the second quarter.
  • Earnest is the second Beacon to reach 1,000 points for her collegiate career this season, joining Olivia Brown (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids [St. Bonaventure]).
  • Earnest finished with a team-high 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
  • Harris came up one point shy of her career high, scoring 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
  • Valpo shot just 37.9% for the game, while UIC hit at a 55.8% clip. The Flames were 20-of-30 at the foul line to the Beacons’ 10-of-20 mark.
  • The Flames outrebounded Valpo 44-26 and held a 50-34 advantage in points in the paint.
  • Led by three steals from Brown, the Beacons tallied 10 steals, hitting double figures in that department for the 13th time this year.

Post-Game Press Conference - Head Coach Mary Evans and Leah Earnest

https://youtu.be/wJRFE3ewxh8

Next Up

Valpo (5-20, 4-12 MVC) faces its final road trip of the regular season next week, starting with a Thursday night game at UNI. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.