The Valpo women's basketball team opened up a stretch of four challenging road games in 11 days Thursday evening in Cedar Falls, Iowa, dropping a 93-70 decision to host UNI.
 
How It Happened

• It was a hot start for the Beacon offense, as Mor Shabtai (Tel Aviv, Israel/Tichonet), Nevaeh Jackson (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) and Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) all connected on 3-pointers within Valpo's first four possessions to give it a quick 9-4 lead just over two minutes into the game.
• UNI scored the next eight points before baskets from Layla Gold (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and Jackson returned the lead to the Beacons, 13-12, with 3:24 to play in the quarter.
• The latter basket proved to be Valpo's last of the period, however, as the Panthers ended the quarter on an 11-0 run to lead 23-13 at the end of the first.
• A triple by Earnest and a fast-break layup by Jackson following a Fiona Connolly (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]) steal gave the Beacons the first five points of the second quarter, forcing a UNI timeout with the deficit cut to 23-18 and 8:33 to play in the half.
• After the teams traded baskets out of the stoppage, the Panthers went on a 14-2 run over the next four minutes to pull out to a 39-22 lead. UNI's lead reached as many as 21 late in the half and was 50-30 at intermission.
• Valpo cut UNI's lead to 16 multiple times in the third quarter, but was unable to get any closer, and the Panthers went on a late run to close the quarter with a 75-51 lead.
• UNI's advantage remained in the 20-point range throughout the fourth quarter.

 
Inside the Game

• Thursday's game was against a UNI squad which entered the night 75^th in the NCAA NET rankings, making it Valpo's first Quadrant 1 game of the season.
• Earnest led all players with 21 points, finishing the game 8-of-13 from the field. The fifth 20-plus point effort of her season and the 15^th of her career, it leaves Earnest just 21 points shy of fifth place on the program career scoring chart.
• Earnest also paced the Beacons with six rebounds.
• Jackson backed up Earnest with a 16-point night, connecting on 7-of-12 from the floor. The sophomore has been in double figures in 10 of Valpo's 13 games this season.
• The aforementioned duo was the only Valpo players to reach double figures, though, as the Beacons' next leading scorer was Lexi Castator (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop), who hit 3-of-4 from the field for eight points — just one off her season high.
• Maci Rhoades (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek [Radford]) set a career best with four assists to lead Valpo.
• The Beacons posted a 48.2% field goal percentage Thursday, hitting 27-of-56 for their second-best effort against a D-I opponent this year. But UNI bettered that with a 56.4% clip from the floor and took advantage of 21 more free throw attempts, hitting 25-of-35 from the stripe to Valpo's 9-of-14.
• Valpo also lost the turnover battle by its highest margin of the year, committing 23 turnovers which the Panthers scored 28 points off. Meanwhile, the Beacons forced just 14 turnovers — their second-lowest total of the season — and scored just 12 points off turnovers.

 
Next Up
Valpo (5-8, 1-1 MVC) continues Valley play with another tough test on Saturday, as the Beacons close out the Iowa road swing in Des Moines Saturday afternoon versus Drake.