Sophomores Layla Gold (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and Raeven Raye-Redmond (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood Madison) each smashed their respective career bests in the scoring column Thursday evening, but the Valpo women's basketball team was unable to overcome a 13-point deficit at the end of the first quarter as it fell 90-79 at Milwaukee.
 
How It Happened

• Milwaukee connected on five 3-pointers in the first quarter on its way to a 26-13 lead at the end of the opening period.
• Valpo got the deficit back to single digits less than two minutes into the second quarter on the second drive and finish by Raye-Redmond while being fouled of the quarter.
• Three minutes later, a 3-pointer by sophomore Nevaeh Jackson (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) got the Beacons to within six at 36-30 with 5:09 to play in the first half.
• That proved to be Valpo's last field goal of the half, however. The Beacons did hit all six of their free throw attempts in the final 2:10 of the half to prevent the Panthers from extending their lead past 47-36 at intermission.
• Valpo held Milwaukee without a field goal for the first four-plus minutes of the second half, but inside baskets from juniors Maci Rhoades (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek [Radford]) and Fiona Connolly (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]) were the only damage the Beacons could do against the Panthers in that stretch.
• Milwaukee broke the streak with back-to-back 3-pointers at the halfway mark of the period, giving the Panthers their largest lead to that point at 55-40.
• A mini 8-2 spurt for the Beacons, which included five points from Gold and a triple by fifth-year Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH), cut the deficit to nine points with 1:21 to play in the quarter, and after Milwaukee had the lead back into double figures, Raye-Redmond converted a layup with seconds to play in the period to bring Valpo within 65-56 with 10 minutes remaining.
• Gold and Jackson hit 3-pointers on the Beacons' first two possessions of the fourth quarter, but on the defensive end, Milwaukee scored seven points in its first three possessions to come out ahead.
• Gold connected on a 3-pointer and drove inside for a layup on consecutive trips to cut the deficit to 74-67 with 6:04 to play. After a pair of Milwaukee free throws, Raye-Redmond finished at the rim yet again to cut the Panther lead back to seven with 5:06 to play, but Valpo got no closer the rest of the way.

 
Inside the Game

• The 79 points was Valpo's highest output in a regulation loss since falling 85-80 to Illinois State Feb. 12, 2022.
• While the two teams shot at nearly identical clips from the floor, the Panthers hit 11-of-25 from deep to Valpo's 8-of-21. Milwaukee also went 29-of-37 from the foul line versus the Beacons' 15-of-23 effort from the stripe.
• Valpo did enjoy a 40-28 advantage in points in the paint, the third consecutive game it has outscored the opposition in the paint.
• The Beacons committed just 12 turnovers to Milwaukee's 14 and scored 18 points off the Panthers' miscues versus 10 for Milwaukee.
• Gold took what she showcased in the season opener against Liberty and raised it to another level on Thursday. The sophomore obliterated her career high of 11 points set in the season opener, finishing the night with a team-high 23 points as she went 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-7 from the 3-point line, surpassing her previous highs of four field goals made and two 3-pointers made.
• Similarly, Raye-Redmond took her performance from the Purdue Fort Wayne game last Saturday to the next level Thursday. The sophomore easily passed her previous career high of nine points, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Raye-Redmond also matched her career best with five assists, grabbed four rebounds and tallied three steals.
• Playing in front of a good contingent of fans from her home state, Earnest battled for 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and seven rebounds. She moved up another spot on Valpo's career rebounding chart, surpassing Cheryl Wilbrandt for eighth all-time at Valpo with 669 career boards.
• Jackson rounded out the quartet of Beacons in double figures in the scoring column as she finished with 13 points to go with five rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots. The sophomore has scored at least nine points in each of Valpo's first four games.
• It is the first time four Valpo players have scored in double digits in the same game since Feb. 19, 2023 at Evansville.

 
Next Up
Valpo (1-3) plays its second of two straight games against former conference foes next Tuesday as the Beacons make the short trip to Chicago to play at Loyola. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m.