Despite a season-high 19 points from freshman Saniya Jackson (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) leading all players, the Valpo women’s basketball team was unable to overcome MVC regular season champion Drake on Saturday afternoon in Des Moines, falling to the Bulldogs by an 82-62 final.

How It Happened

• While Valpo never led, it did keep the game within one possession for a good part of the opening quarter. A triple by freshman Layla Gold (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) just shy of four minutes into the game had the Beacons within one at 7-6.
• Later in the quarter, Jackson came up with a steal at the top of the 3-point arc and went coast to coast for a fast-break layup, cutting the deficit to 13-11 in the late stages of the first quarter. Drake scored the final four points of the period in the final minute of action, however, to lead 17-11 at the end of the first.
• A pair of 3-pointers from fifth-year Olivia Brown (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids [St. Bonaventure]) within 80 seconds midway through the second quarter had the deficit still just six points at 27-21 at the media timeout of the period.
• Senior Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) converted a pair of inside baskets in the final minute of the second quarter to get the Beacons within five before the Bulldogs got a 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the half to lead 36-28 at intermission.
• Jackson drilled a 3-pointer on Valpo’s first possession of the second half to make it a five-point game, and another triple by the freshman just over three minutes into the quarter had Valpo within 40-34.
• Drake came back with 12 points on its next five possessions for a 12-2 run which pushed the Bulldogs’ advantage out to 52-36.
• Valpo trailed 62-49 at the end of the third quarter and was unable to get any closer in the final period.

Inside the Game

• Jackson led all players with her career-high effort of 19 points, going 7-of-10 from the field — including 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
• Jackson has scored in double figures in seven of Valpo’s last eight games and 15 times overall this year.
• Brown came off the bench to hit her first five 3-point attempts, ending the game 5-of-7 from 3-point range and finishing the afternoon with 17 points.
• Earnest added 13 points, extending her double-digit scoring streak to 13 consecutive games.
• Senior Ava Interrante (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) matched her season high with a team-best three steals, while Gold tied her second-best effort of the year with four blocked shots.
• Gold has tallied 24 rejections in 18 conference games in her rookie season.
• The Beacons shot 41.5% (22-of-53) from the field Saturday, but Drake connected at a 54.5% (30-of-55) clip.
• Valpo did excel from behind the arc, going 11-of-20 from 3-point range. The 55% clip was the Beacons’ best from deep since hitting 55.6% of their 3-point attempts last February at Evansville.
• Drake held a substantial 41-21 advantage on the glass and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to Valpo’s five. The Bulldogs finished with a 20-6 edge in second-chance points and a 42-20 advantage in points in the paint.

Next Up

Valpo (5-22, 4-14 MVC) closes out the regular season next week with a pair of games at the ARC, starting with a critical battle in the standings with Southern Illinois Thursday evening at 6 p.m.