The Valpo women's basketball team returned to action on the road Friday in Vermillion, S.D., falling 85-44 to host South Dakota.
 
How It Happened

• A drive and finish from Fiona Connolly (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]) had the Beacons within 10-5 at the halfway mark of the first quarter before the Coyotes closed the period on a 13-0 run to lead 23-5 after the opening 10 minutes.
• Connolly and Milana Nenadic (Kitchener, Ontario/Cameron Heights [Idaho State/Maine]) combined for all 13 of Valpo's points in the second quarter, while the Beacon defense limited USD to 4-of-16 shooting from the field as they outscored the Coyotes 13-9 for the period to close within 32-18 at halftime.
• South Dakota started the second half on an 11-2 run to pull away and led 60-31 at the end of the third quarter before scoring the first nine points of the fourth quarter.

 
Inside the Game

• Connolly was the lone Beacon in double figures, scoring 16 points on 8-of-15 shooting — the second-highest output of her career and her third double-digit game of the year.
• Mikayla Huffine (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Lutheran [Quincy/Iowa Western C.C.) scored a season-best seven points and grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
• Valpo shot 26.2% from the floor and hit just 2-of-22 from 3-point range, while South Dakota hit at a 44% clip from the field.
• The Coyotes outrebounded the Beacons 62-34, including 19 offensive rebounds they turned into 22 second-chance points.

 
Next Up
Valpo (0-5) heads to Cleveland, Ohio for the Thanksgiving holiday, taking on Radford, Cleveland State and St. Bonaventure over a four-day stretch beginning on Wednesday.