Valparaiso (1-3, 0-0 MVC)
Game #5 - November 19, 2024 - 5 p.m.
at Loyola (3-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Gentile Arena (4,963) - Chicago, Ill.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: Another familiar foe awaits the Valpo women's basketball team Tuesday evening, as the Beacons head north on Lake Shore Drive to Rogers Park to take on Loyola.

Previously: Sophomores Layla Gold and Raeven Raye-Redmond 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.

Following Valpo Basketball: Video: ESPN+
Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com

Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her seventh year at the helm of the program in 2024-25 and owns a record of 61-119. Evans' first six seasons at the helm have seen Valpo's six of the top-eight single-season 3-pointers made marks, including each of the top five, while defensively, her teams have racked up steals at a high rate, averaging at least 7.7 steals/game in five of her six seasons. Under her guidance, Valpo players have earned an MVC Sixth Player of the Year honor, five All-Conference accolades, three All-Freshman/Newcomer Team awards and three All-Defensive Team honors.

Series Notes: Valpo owns a 25-9 advantage in an all-time series in which the two programs shared conference affiliation for six seasons in the Horizon League and five years in the Missouri Valley Conference. The two programs have not met since Loyola departed the MVC following the 2021-22 season. Despite Valpo's advantage in the series, Loyola has won the last two meetings - Valpo's last victory came at Gentile Arena Feb. 24, 2021, when Shay Frederick hit a game-winning layup with 5.2 seconds to play in a 57-55 win.

@ValpoWBB...
...and @ValleyHoops
- Valpo was picked to finish in eighth place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 193 points to edge out Indiana State.
- The eighth-place projection is two spots ahead of the Beacons' regular-season finish last year.
- Valpo is in its eighth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
- The Valley was ranked 13th in conference NET last season. In Valpo's time in the MVC, the conference has been ranked as high as seventh in NET (2020-21).

...looking back at last year
- Valpo finished last season with a 5-25 overall record and finished at 4-16 in MVC play, good for 10th in the Valley standings.
- Leah Earnest was a Second Team All-MVC honoree. 
- Valpo won three consecutive road games in Valley play, the second straight year the Beacons have accomplished that - prior to that, the program had last accomplished that feat against three different opponents since 2007.

...at Milwaukee
- 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.
- The Beacons cut the Panthers' lead to six halfway through the second quarter before Milwaukee extended back out to a 47-36 lead at hafltime.
- The Panthers stretched their lead to as many as 15 in the third quarter, but Valpo battled back to get within 65-56 with 10 minutes to play.
- Valpo cut the deficit to seven points on two occasions in the fourth quarter, but was unable to get any closer.
- Sophomore Layla Gold 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.
- Sophomore Raeven Raye-Redmond 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.
- Leah Earnest added 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and Nevaeh Jackson finished with 13 points as well. It is the first time four Valpo players have scored in double digits in the same game since Feb. 19, 2023 at Evansville.
- 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.

...versus Trinity Christian
- Valpo opened the game on a 14-2 run over the first nine minutes and led 17-6 at the end of the first quarter, led by eight points from sophomore Nevaeh Jackson.
- The Beacons tallied assists on eight of their nine field goals in the second quarter and fifth-year Leah Earnest stuffed the stat sheet in the period with a team-high five points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals as Valpo led 42-14 at intermission.
- Sophomore Kayla Preston scored nine points in the third quarter and freshman Kylie Waytashek added seven as the Beacons extended their lead to 68-27 at the end of the third quarter.
- Preston tallied seven more points in the final period and freshman Lexi Castator added four points and four rebounds as Valpo closed out the victory.
- All 12 Beacons who played on Tuesday played at least nine minutes, while the Beacons' five starters averaged just north of 14 minutes of action.
- Preston had easily the best game of her collegiate career, leading all players with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the foul line. The sophomore tied her career best with five rebounds and also set career highs with four assists and two steals.
- Waytashek finished with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists in her third collegiate game.
- Jackson rounded out a trio of Valpo players in double figures in the scoring department with 13 points, including three 3-pointers.
- Castator narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with nine points, tying for game-high honors with 10 rebounds and dishing out four assists without a turnover.

...looking ahead
- Valpo returns home to the ARC Monday, Nov. 25 to host Goshen.
- The Beacons then head east for Thanksgiving weekend action, playing in Lehigh's Christmas City Classic in Bethlehem, Pa. Valpo will take on North Dakota Saturday, Nov. 30 and either Lehigh or Marist the next day.

...on the road
- Tuesday's game is Valpo's second true road game of the season. The Beacons opened the season with a neutral-site game against Liberty.
- Valpo will play either three or four true road games prior to MVC play, depending on the results on the first day of action at Lehigh's Christmas City Classic.

@RamblersWBB
- Loyola comes into Tuesday's game with a 3-1 record, owning wins over Kentucky State, West Georgia and SIUE, while falling to DePaul.
- The Ramblers were selected to finish in a tie for ninth in the A10 preseason poll.
- Loyola posted a 15-16 overall record last season and went 8-10 in A10 action.

Familiar Foes
- Tuesday marks the second of three games in nonconference action which sees the Beacons take on a former conference opponent.
- Last time out, Valpo faced off with Milwaukee for the first time since the former departed the Horizon League. The two programs paired up in conference play in 1993-94 in the Mid-Continent Conference and then from 2007-08 through 2016-17 in the Horizon League.
- Valpo renews acquaintances with Loyola Tuesday - those two programs were both members of the Horizon League from 2007-08 through 2012-13 and then the Missouri Valley Conference from 2017-18 through 2021-22.
- The Beacons close nonconference play next month against Detroit Mercy, who they took on for the entirety of their decade in the Horizon League.

20/20/20 Vision
- Four games into the season, and Valpo already has three different players with a 20-point game under their belt.
- That is already more than last year's team, which featured just two different players with at least one 20-point effort.
- Most recently, sophomore Layla Gold shattered her previous career high of 11 points with a 23-point night - which included five 3-pointers - last time out at Milwaukee.
- Against Trinity Christian, Kayla Preston smashed her previous best, going for 20 points on 7-10 FG and 6-8 FT.
- Nevaeh Jackson hit four 3-pointers en route to a game-high 20 points against Purdue Fort Wayne.
- Notably, Leah Earnest - who had nine 20-point games last season - is not among the trio with a 20-point game so far this year.

Career Highs
- Five of Valpo's seven returnees have set career bests in the scoring column this season - the only returnees who haven't are Saniya Jackson, who is out for the season, and Earnest.
- Joining the trio above are senior Katie Beyer and sophomore Raeven Raye-Redmond.
- Raye-Redmond did her damage last time out, shooting past her previous best of nine with a 15-point night on 6-of-9 shooting at Milwaukee.
- Beyer hit three 3-pointers on her way to a 14-point game in the season opener versus Liberty.

The Paint is Ours
- Valpo held a sizable 40-28 advantage in points in the paint last Thursday at Milwaukee, notably the third consecutive game the Beacons have held an edge on inside points.
- Points in the paint went to Valpo 36-20 in their win over Trinity Christian and 28-24 against Purdue Fort Wayne.
- Last year's team only had four games where it outscored its opponent in the paint.
- Prior to this current stretch, the last time the Beacons outscored their opponent in the paint in back-to-back games came in December 2022 against Western Michigan and Western Illinois.
- To find the last stretch of at least three such games, you have to go back to December 2019, when Valpo actually had four games in a row with the edge in the paint in contests against Detroit Mercy, UIC, Morehead State and Chicago State.

Notables From Last Tuesday
- Valpo surrendered just 40 points to Trinity Christian, the lowest mark by a Valpo team since giving up just 37 in a win over UIC Dec. 15, 2019.
- The 41-point margin of victory (81-40) was the program's largest since a 95-49 win over Chicago State Dec. 28, 2019.
- The Beacons dished out 25 assists on 29 made field goals, the program's highest single-game assist total since a 26-assist performance against Purdue Calumet Dec. 9, 1998.
- Valpo's 43 rebounds was the highest team single-game total since grabbing 44 against UAB Nov. 21, 2022.