Valparaiso (0-4, 0-0 MVC)
Game #5 - November 21, 2025 - 7 p.m.
at South Dakota (5-0, 0-0 Summit League)
Sanford Coyote Sports Center (6,003) - Vermillion, S.D.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women's basketball team returns to the road for its next four games, starting with a flight to Vermillion, S.D. to face the undefeated South Dakota Coyotes on Friday evening.

Previously: Playing their home opener on Sunday afternoon, the Beacons took the lead on Milwaukee with 3.4 seconds to play in regulation, but the Panthers split a pair of free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime before eventually winning in the extra session, 72-67. Allia von Schlegell led four Valpo players in double figures with 15 points, while Kamryn Winch posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Following Valpo Basketball: Video: Midco Sports Plus ($)
Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com

Head Coach Courtney Boyd (0-4 at Valpo, 1st season; 190-72 [.725] overall, 9th season): Courtney Boyd was named the ninth head coach of the Valparaiso University women's basketball program on Friday, April 4, 2025. A national championship-winning head coach and player, an NAIA National Coach of the Year, and a two-time conference Coach of the Year, Boyd has won 20 or more games in seven of her first eight seasons as a head coach. She spent the last two seasons at the helm of the Quincy University program after six seasons as head coach at Clarke University, leading the latter program to the NAIA national title in 2022-23.

Series Notes: The two programs have met just three times, with South Dakota coming out victorious in all three of those matchups, including the most recent - a 51-31 Coyotes win in Vermillion on Dec. 10, 2021.

@ValpoWBB...
...versus Milwaukee
- Milwaukee led 14-10 at the end of the first quarter, the Beacons held a 31-29 advantage at halftime and the Panthers were up 48-45 with 10 minutes to play in regulation.
- Valpo took its first lead of the fourth quarter on an Autumn Dibb basket with 4:20 to go, but the Panthers responded to retake the lead and pushed their edge to three points twice in the final two minutes.
- Valpo answered immediately both times with baskets from Mor Shabtai and Dibb, the latter bringing the Beacons within 59-58 with 41 seconds to go.
- Valpo got a stop on the defensive end and then put the ball in the hands of Mikayla Huffine, who was fouled while shooting with 3.4 seconds remaining and hit both free throws to make it 60-59 Beacons.
- After the Panthers advanced the ball with a timeout, the Beacons were called for a shooting foul with 0.6 seconds remaining. Grace Lomen knocked down the first to tie the game, but came up short on the second to send the game to overtime.
- It took nearly half the extra period to knock the lid off the baskets, but after Milwaukee knocked down a 3-pointer to open the scoring, Shabtai responded with a triple of her own to tie things up at 63-63 with 2:18 to go in overtime.
- The Panthers followed with a score on the ensuing possession to take the lead for good. Kylie Waytashek converted a layup with 54 seconds remaining to make it a one-point game, but Milwaukee hit two free throws on its next trip and the Beacons missed a pair of chances near the rim as the Panthers closed it out.
- Valpo took Milwaukee to overtime after the last six meetings in the series had all been double-digit wins for the Panthers.
- A balanced Beacon offense was led by a strong effort off the bench from Allia von Schlegel, who set season highs with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.
- Valpo's second-leading scorer also came off the bench, as Kamryn Winch recorded career bests with 12 points and 12 rebounds, securing her first collegiate double-double.
- The Beacons' bench outscored Milwaukee's by a 36-16 count.
- Shabtai scored in double figures for the first time in her collegiate career, finishing with 11 points to surpass her previous high of eight points — accomplished twice in the first three games this season.
- Nenadic scored in double figures for the second straight game, rounding out the quartet of Beacons in double digits as she tallied 10 points.
- Valpo won the battle of the boards for the first time this season, 44-42.
- The Beacons handed out a season-best 18 assists on 23 made baskets and had a positive assist/turnover ratio, committing just 17 turnovers. Valpo's turnover total dropped for the third straight game.

...at #16/18 Iowa State
- Matched up against Iowa State All-American post Audi Crooks, Milana Nenadic went right at her early on, scoring eight points in the first four-plus minutes to help Valpo to a 10-8 lead.
- The Cyclones closed the final 5:26 of the opening period on an 8-0 run to lead 16-10 with 10 minutes elapsed.
- Iowa State pushed its lead to double figures for the first time three minutes into the second quarter, but on back-to-back possessions, Kylie Waytashek and Mor Shabtai drilled 3-pointers to bring the Beacons back within 24-18 with 6:10 to play in the half.
- The Cyclones limited Valpo to just four points the remainder of the half, reeling off a 19-4 run to close the half as the Beacons trailed 43-22 at halftime.
- Nenadic had eight points as Valpo out-scored Iowa State 17-11 over the first 6:50 of the second half to bring its deficit down to 54-39.
- The Cyclones once again closed the quarter on a run, this time a 13-3 run to push their lead back out to 67-42 with 10 minutes to play, and then scored the first six of the fourth quarter en route to the win.
- Nenadic more than doubled her previous collegiate scoring output with her 20-point night and matched her career high with six rebounds.
- Shabtai tied her career best in the scoring column, dropping eight points for the second time this season. She also handed out four assists, just one off her career high, while not committing a turnover.
- Valpo shot just 29% (18-of-62) from the floor and was 5-of-17 from 3-point range. Iowa State hit at a 53.4% clip (39-of-73) from the field, but the Beacons held the Cyclones to just 4-of-16 from the 3-point line.
- Crooks scored a school-record 43 points for the Cyclones, the first time Valpo has surrendered 40+ to an opposing player since 1991.
- The matchup was the 49th time in program history Valpo has faced a nationally-ranked team and the eighth time it has played a current Big 12 program.

...looking ahead
- The Beacons will spend Thanksgiving in Cleveland, facing Radford, Cleveland State and St. Bonaventure over a four-day stretch at the CSU Invitational starting next Wednesday.

...on the road 
- Friday's game is the fourth of six nonconference true road games for the Beacons, who will play 10 road games in MVC play as well.
- Valpo is currently 0-3 in true road games.
- Valpo will play 18 games in all away from home, as it has a pair of neutral-site games in Cleveland.
- Last season's squad posted a 3-11 mark in true road games.

....and @ValleyHoops
- Valpo is in its ninth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
- Valpo was picked outside the top-four of the MVC preseason poll, as the Valley released only the top four selections.
- The Valley finished last season ranked seventh in the NET, matching the conference's highest NET/RPI ranking in Valpo's time as an MVC member (2020-21).

...looking back at last year
- Valpo finished last season with a 13-19 overall record and went 9-11 in MVC play to finish in eighth place.
- Among the Beacons' 13 victories were a thrilling rally from a 20-point deficit for a home win over Drake which entered the game ranked 69th in NET, the program's highest-ranked win since a win over #54 UNI in 2021-22.
- Leah Earnest was tabbed a First Team All-MVC honoree as she concluded a decorated career that saw her finish first in program history in career rebounds and third in career scoring.
- The 2024-25 Beacons hit 245 3-pointers, third-most in a single season in program history, and tallied 314 steals, seventh on the program's single-season chart and the most since 2001-02.

@SDCoyotesWBB
- South Dakota enters Friday's game with a perfect 5-0 record this season, most recently hitting a last-second 3-pointer to win Sunday at Idaho State, 64-63.
- It was the Coyotes' second straight last-second victory, as they previously won at Kansas State, 72-71.
- South Dakota, which was picked to finish fourth in the Summit League preseasson poll, entered the Mid-Major Top 25 this week at #23.
- Angelina Robles, a preseason Second Team All-Summit League selection, leads the Coyotes, averaging 14.2 points/game.

Road Warriors
- After a brief respite from the road, the Beacons are back to traveling this week.
- Valpo opened the season with three straight on the road and will play seven of its first eight games away from home.
- The last time Valpo played at least three consecutive road games to start a season came in 2020-21, when it opened with four straight road contests.
- The last time Valpo had a stretch like this in terms of games away from home to open the season came in 2013-14, when it started with eight of its first nine games away from home.

Close, But No Cigar
- Valpo was within one defensive stop of the first win of the Courtney Boyd era Sunday before Milwaukee sent the game to overtime, where the Panthers eventually won.
- It was the fourth straight time the Beacons have lost a game which has been tied at the end of regulation.
- Valpo's last overtime win came at Evansville in February 2022.

Alright, Allia
- Freshman Allia von Schlegell has come out of the gate strong to start her collegiate career, and had her best game of the young season last time out against Milwaukee.
- von Schlegell paced the Beacons with 15 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers - her second game with three triples this season.
- She also set season bests with five rebounds and four assists against the Panthers.
- Through four games, von Schlegell is hitting at a .533 clip from 3-point range, good for third among MVC players.

Score More, Mor
- Sophomore guard Mor Shabtai has been a much bigger part of the Beacon offense than she was as a rookie.
- Shabtai scored just 51 points over 30 games as a freshman, but through four games this season, she has already tallied 33 points.
- In fact, after entering the season with a single-game best of seven points scored, she has surpassed that mark three times this season - including a career-best 11 points last time out against Milwaukee.

Post Presences
- After seeing limited playing time at their respective previous schools, redshirt juniors Kamryn Winch and Milana Nenadic have taken advantage of their playing time as Beacons.
- Last time out, it was Winch with a big game, coming off the bench with her first career double-double: 12 points and 12 rebounds, both career highs.
- The previous game, it was Nenadic at #16/18 Iowa State with the most prolific game of her career.
- Nenadic, who entered the game against the Cyclones with 18 points across three-plus seasons of college basketball and a career high of eight points, tied that career high just 4:22 into the ballgame en route to a 20-point night.
- Even more impressively, 18 of Nenadic's 20 points came when going head-to-head with ISU's All-American post, Audi Crooks.
- It was the first 20-point effort by a Valpo player against a Power Four opponent since Grace White has 22 at Michigan State Nov. 16, 2021.
- It was Valpo's first 20-point game against a top-25 team since Carie Weinman and Caitlin Morrison had 20 apiece versus #25 Missouri State Jan. 31, 2021.
- Over the last two games, Winch and Nenadic have combined for 42 points and 28 rebounds.
- Winch currently ranks fifth in the MVC, averaging 9.0 rebounds/game.