It was nearly a second straight day with a viral moment for Valpo Athletics, as the women's basketball team had a great look at a 3-pointer as regulation ended to take down Detroit Mercy Saturday at the ARC. But the shot went in and out, sending the game to overtime, where the visiting Titans eventually earned a 79-71 win after two extra sessions. Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) and Layla Gold (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) combined for 45 points as the Beacons closed out their nonconference slate and turn their attention to the MVC schedule.
 
How It Happened

• Valpo led by as many as five points in the fourth quarter before the Titans erased the deficit, evening the score with 3:07 to play.
• Earnest scored in the paint with 1:50 to go to return the lead to Valpo, but UDM returned the favor on their end with a second-chance basket 15 seconds later to tie things at 61-61.
• After an empty possession on each end, first the Titan defense and then the Beacon defense forced jump balls to regain possession — the latter giving Valpo the ball inside of 15 seconds to play in regulation and the shot clock off in a tie game.
• The Beacons were able to get a clean look for one of their top threats from downtown, as Nevaeh Jackson (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) drove baseline and kicked out to Mor Shabtai (Tel Aviv, Israel/Tichonet), who swung the ball to Maci Rhoades (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek [Radford]) in the left corner. Rhoades' shot dipped inside the cylinder for a moment before spinning up and out to send the game to overtime.
• It was a slow start offensively to the first extra period, as a Gold free throw was the lone point for either squad in the first three minutes. Another basket by Gold gave Valpo a three-point lead with 1:50 to go, and after four straight points for UDM in its next two possessions, the sophomore drilled a big 3-pointer with 43 seconds remaining to make it 67-65 Beacons.
• After calling timeout and advancing the ball, the Titans got an inside basket to tie the game with 34 seconds to play. A Valpo turnover on its ensuing possession gave UDM the last-second shot at victory to close the first overtime, but the Valpo defense forced a tough, contested deep jumper which was off the mark.
• The first 75 seconds of the second extra period all but decided the game, as Valpo had three consecutive empty possessions and UDM scored on each of its first three trips, forcing a timeout from the Beacons trailing 73-67 with 3:44 to go. Valpo got no closer than four the rest of the way.
• The Beacons got off to a slow start to the game, scoring just three points over the first seven-plus minutes as UDM led by double digits early on. Gold scored four points as part of a 6-0 spurt to close the first quarter, bringing Valpo within 15-11 at the end of the opening period.
• Valpo got as close as one point in the second quarter, but was unable to tie or take the lead as UDM took a 27-25 lead into halftime.
• After not having led at any point in the first 20 minutes, the Beacons took their first lead of the game less than 30 seconds into the second half as Rhoades connected from 3-point range.
• That set the tone for a third quarter which was diametrically opposed offensively on both ends to the basketball from the first half. Valpo nearly matched its first half output in the third quarter alone, putting 23 points on the board, while UDM scored 20 points itself.
• The Beacons scored four points in the final 20 seconds, as Gold hit a jumper on the offensive end and blocked a shot on the defensive end, which Lexi Castator (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) picked up and kicked ahead for a fast-break layup by Jackson to give Valpo a 48-47 lead with 10 minutes to play in regulation.

 
Inside the Game

• The loss came against a Detroit Mercy team which is now 8-2 on the season, with its only losses coming at the hands of Michigan and Michigan State.
• It was Valpo's first double-overtime game since falling at the ARC to Southern Illinois in 50 minutes on Feb. 26, 2018. These are the program's only two multiple-overtime games since 2006.
• It also marked Valpo's first game which went beyond 40 minutes this year.
• Earnest and Gold both cracked the 20-point mark on Saturday, the first time Valpo has had two 20-point scorers in the same game since Olivia Brown posted 23 points and Earnest scored 21 last December against Chicago State.
• Earnest paced the Beacons with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting, matching her career high for field goals made. It was the 13^th effort of 20 or more points of her career.
• The big offensive output propelled Earnest three spots higher on Valpo's career scoring chart, as she closed the afternoon sixth in program history with 1,286 career points — passing Shay Frederick, Amber Schober and Betsy Rietema.
• Earnest also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and moved past Tabitha Gerardot for fourth on the program's career rebounding chart, finishing the game with 728 boards.
• Meanwhile, Gold finished with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor for her second effort of at least 20 points this season. The sophomore also blocked a game-high five shots, just one off her career best.
• Gold is one of just 14 D-I players this year to score at least 20 points and block at least five shots in the same game, and is the first Valpo player to do so in at least 15 years.
• Those two were the only Beacons to hit double figures in scoring, however, as the next-highest output was nine points from Rhoades.
• Castator came off the bench to pull down seven rebounds — her highest output against a D-I opponent — while Raeven Raye-Redmond (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood Madison) tied for game-high honors with four steals.
• Raye-Redmond led the way as the Beacons forced 29 turnovers and came up with 13 steals — their sixth game with double-digit steals this year. Valpo outscored UDM 33-18 in points off turnovers.
• The 29 forced turnovers were the most by a Valpo team since forcing 31 miscues at Loyola Feb. 22, 2020. Ironically, Detroit Mercy head coach Kate Achter was the head coach for the Ramblers in that game.
• Coming off their best shooting game of the season from the 3-point line, the Beacons were just 8-of-30 (26.7%) from deep on Saturday. Valpo shot at a 39.1% clip overall versus the Titans' 44.6% clip from the floor and 33.3% from the 3-point line.

Postgame Press Conference - Mary Evans and Leah Earnest
 
Next Up
On the other side of Christmas, the MVC slate awaits Valpo (4-7). Valley play gets underway at the ARC Sunday, Dec. 29 at 1 p.m. against Southern Illinois.