Valpo women's basketball sophomore Kylie Waytashek (Royalton, Minn./Royalton) burst past her previous career high, scoring 18 points on Saturday as the Beacons closed the CSU Invitational from Cleveland with an 87-55 loss to St. Bonaventure. Fiona Connolly (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]) represented Valpo on the All-Tournament Team.
 
How It Happened

• Five early points from Connolly got the Beacons going, and they led 10-6 with 5:40 to play in the opening quarter after a triple by Allia von Schlegell (Downers Grove, Ill./Nazareth Academy).
• That proved to be Valpo's final points of the quarter, however, as the Bonnies closed the period on a 20-0 run to lead 26-10 at the end of the first.
• St. Bonaventure led by as many as 18 points in the second quarter, but an offensive explosion from Waytashek helped keep the Beacons within striking distance. The sophomore scored 10 points in the quarter, seven of which came within a span of less than 90 seconds, to help Valpo close the deficit to 41-30 at halftime.
• The Valpo defense forced four straight empty possessions by the Bonnies to start the second half, and baskets from von Schlegell and Waytashek made it a 41-34 game. The momentum was briefly quelled by a St. Bonaventure 3-pointer, but the Beacons came back with another Waytashek bucket, and when Milana Nenadic (Kitchener, Ontario/Cameron Heights [Idaho State/Maine]) converted in the paint with 6:24 to play in the period, Valpo was within 44-38.
• It was still a six-point game just past the halfway mark of the quarter when Valpo had a look which would have halved the lead and made it a one-possession game rim out. The Bonnies took advantage, going on a 17-2 run to close the period and carry a 63-42 lead into the final quarter.
• SBU hit 3-pointers on each of its first two trips of the fourth quarter to erase any chance for a Valpo rally.

 
Inside the Game

• Waytashek easily passed her previous career best with an 18-point effort Saturday, hitting 8-of-11 from the floor. She outdid her previous high of 14, set last year against Trinity Christian, and more than doubled her previous high against a D-I opponent of seven, from earlier this season at DePaul.
• The sophomore also set a career high with six rebounds as well.
• Von Schlegell, who made her first career start Saturday, joined Waytashek in double figures with a 10-point afternoon — her third double-digit output this season.
• Connolly narrowly missed scoring in double figures for the fourth straight game, posting nine points and a team-high seven rebounds.
• Connolly was recognized at the tournament's conclusion as the Valpo representative on the All-Tournament Team. The senior averaged 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game over the Beacons' trio of games in Cleveland.
• Valpo finished the game shooting 35.9% from the field and was just 5-for-26 from 3-point range, while the Bonnies hit at a 52.9% clip and were 8-for-20 from deep.

 
Next Up
It's an eight-day break for Valpo (0-8) before the Beacons return to action with a one-off Missouri Valley Conference game in the midst of nonconference play. Valpo will host UIC at the ARC next Sunday, Dec. 7 at 3 p.m.