Valparaiso (9-15, 5-8 MVC)
Game #25 - February 16, 2025 - 2 p.m.
at Missouri State (19-5, 11-2 MVC)
Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) - Springfield, Mo.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: Coming off a three-game homestand, a quick one-game trip is on the docket for the Valpo women's basketball team this weekend, as the Beacons make the trip to Springfield, Mo. to face Missouri State on Sunday in the final regular season meeting as MVC opponents.

Previously: While the temperature was dropping outside, Valpo was scorching the net inside the ARC Thursday evening early on, as the Beacons hit six first-quarter 3-pointers and then held off a push from visiting UIC to come away with a 60-51 victory. With a basket in the third quarter, Leah Earnest became just the third player in program history to score 1,500 career points.

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Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com

Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her seventh year at the helm of the program in 2024-25 and owns a record of 69-131. Evans' first six seasons at the helm have seen Valpo's six of the top-eight single-season 3-pointers made marks, including each of the top five, while defensively, her teams have racked up steals at a high rate, averaging at least 7.7 steals/game in five of her six seasons. Under her guidance, Valpo players have earned an MVC Sixth Player of the Year honor, five All-Conference accolades, three All-Freshman/Newcomer Team awards and three All-Defensive Team honors.

Series Notes: Missouri State owns an 12-1 advantage in the all-time series over Valpo, including a sweep of the season series last year. The Lady Bears won 67-47 in Springfield, in a game where Olivia Brown recorded a game-high 15 points, and earned a 77-66 victory in Valparaiso despite a 17-point performance from Leah Earnest.

@ValpoWBB...
...and @ValleyHoops
- Valpo was picked to finish in eighth place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 193 points to edge out Indiana State.
- The eighth-place projection is two spots ahead of the Beacons' regular-season finish last year.
- Valpo is in its eighth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
- The Valley was ranked 13th in conference NET last season. In Valpo's time in the MVC, the conference has been ranked as high as seventh in NET (2020-21).

...looking back at last year
- Valpo finished last season with a 5-25 overall record and finished at 4-16 in MVC play, good for 10th in the Valley standings.
- Leah Earnest was a Second Team All-MVC honoree. 
- Valpo won three consecutive road games in Valley play, the second straight year the Beacons have accomplished that - prior to that, the program had last accomplished that feat against three different opponents since 2007.

...versus UIC
- Five different Valpo players combined for six 3-pointers in the opening quarter, while the Beacon defense forced nine first-quarter turnovers.
- The lead reached double figures 6:40 into the game on a basket by Nevaeh Jackson - who also had a pair of triples in the quarter - and was 24-7 at the end of the first.
- Valpo scored the first five points of the second period to push its lead to 22 points with 8:35 to play in the half, but scored just four points the rest of the half. UIC ended the half on a 17-4 run, but it was still a 33-24 edge for the Beacons at intermission.
- The Flames cut Valpo's lead to five points twice in the third quarter, but both times Jackson was there with points to answer immediately.
- The Beacons' largest lead of the third quarter came late, as a Katie Beyer bucket made it an 11-point advantage with 1:26 to play in the period. Valpo carried a 47-38 lead into the fourth quarter.
- UIC got as close as four points with 4:12 to play in the game, but Valpo held the Flames without a point on their next four possessions. 
- With the lead at five points and the clock ticking under a minute, Beyer drilled a key 3-pointer. UIC answered with a triple seconds later before the Beacons ran down the shot clock and got a basket from Maci Rhoades to ice the game.
- The win snapped a three-game winning streak for UIC in the series, while it was just the second time the Beacons have prevailed over the Flames in eight attempts since UIC joined the Valley.
- The 51 points marked UIC's lowest output of the season.
- Earnest registered her seventh double-double of the campaign as she led all players with 15 points and a season-best 13 rebounds. She was one off her season high as well with a game-high five assists.
- Earnest is the only MVC player this season to reach 15 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the same game. The last MVC player to do so? Also Earnest, last season in the home win over Bradley. The last MVC player to have a line like that who isn't named Leah Earnest was Missouri State's Kennedy Taylor on Feb. 4, 2023.
- Earnest was one of three Beacons to score in double figures Thursday. Jackson hit the 10-point mark for the 16th time this season with a 14-point night, while Beyer had her seventh double-digit output of the season with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
- Valpo cooled off from the 3-point line after the opening 10-plus minutes, as after hitting 7-of-9 to open the game, the Beacons were just 1-of-14 from deep the rest of the night. Valpo was solid inside throughout, finishing with a 46% overall clip from the floor as it hit 15-of-27 from 2-point range.
- The Beacons also committed just 14 turnovers Thursday night, their lowest mark in the last seven games.
- Valpo limited UIC to 34.5% shooting from the floor. The Flames went just 2-for-17 from deep, the worst mark by a Valpo opponent since Southern Illinois hit just 1-of-14 from 3-point range in the Valley opener.

...versus Murray State
- Valpo kept the nation's third-highest scoring offense off the board for nearly seven minutes to start the game, as the Racers began 0-for-8 from the field with five turnovers.
- After a 9-0 start, the lead became a double-figure advantage at 13-3 on a Nevaeh Jackson basket with 2:18 to play in the period, and less than a minute later, consecutive buckets by Katie Beyer pushed the lead to 17-3.
- The Racers scored the final five points of the first quarter to make it 17-8 10 minutes in, and continued their run spanning the periods with the first five points of the second quarter.
- MSU came back to tie the game at 24-24 just prior to the midway point of the period.
- Leah Earnest answered with six consecutive points to restore the lead to the Beacons. Valpo led for the remainder of the half and carried a 37-34 lead into the locker room.
- The Beacons went cold to start the second half, as they went just 1-for-12 from the field and committed eight turnovers in a five-point third quarter.
- Murray State took the lead for good 43 seconds into the second half and ended the third quarter with a 52-42 lead.
- Earnest connected on a pair of free throws on the first possession of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to eight, but the Racers went on a 14-0 run over the next five minutes to pull away.
- Valpo held Murray State, which entered the game third nationally averaging 87.9 points/game, to just 77 points — only UIC has limited the Racers to fewer points within MVC play.
- The Beacons shot 44.4% from the field Sunday, but it was a tale of two halves, as after connecting on 14-of-24 (58.3%) over the opening 20 minutes, they were just 6-of-21 (28.6%) from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
- Valpo ended the game just 2-for-12 from 3-point range. The 12 3-point attempts were the program's fewest since attempting just 12 triples Dec. 19, 2021 at Morehead State. Meanwhile, MSU went 12-for-35 from deep.
- The Beacons did enjoy the free throw line Sunday, posting a season-best free throw percentage of 88.2% (15-for-17). Valpo has hit 70% or more of its free throws in each of the last eight games, four times eclipsing 80%.
- Turnovers were a bugaboo for the Beacons, as they coughed the ball up 28 times versus 18 miscues from the Racers. MSU held a 33-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
- Earnest finished with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 7-of-7 from the charity stripe while also pacing Valpo with six rebounds. She was the only Beacon in double figures in scoring, however, as Beyer checked in next with eight points.

...looking ahead
- The Beacons return home to the ARC next weekend to take on Evansville and Indiana State. 
- The matchup against the Sycamores next Sunday will be Valpo's Senior Day, where they will honor Katie Beyer and Leah Earnest.

...on the road
- Sunday's game is Valpo's 14th contest of the year away from home.
- The Beacons picked up their two first true road wins of the year by sweeping Indiana State and Evansville on their last road trip, as they sit at 2-9 in true road games.
- Valpo is also 1-1 in neutral site games.
- With a win on Sunday, Valpo would pick up victories in three straight MVC road games for the third consecutive year.

@MoStateWBB
- Missouri State comes into Sunday's game with a 19-5 overall record this year and tied atop the MVC standings with an 11-2 mark in Valley play.
- The Lady Bears' lone losses in conference have come at UIC and at Illinois State - they have won three in a row since the latter defeat, most recently an 83-48 win at Southern Illinois Thursday evening.
- Four MSU players average in double figures, led by 12.1 points/game from Lacy Stokes, who also hands out 4.1 assists/game.

Quite the Turnaround
- Valpo's nine-point win over UIC last time out was notable given the result when the two squads played last month in Chicago.
- That game ended 60-45 in UIC's favor, meaning that the Beacons flipped the scoring margin 24 points from one matchup to the next.
- That marks the program's largest shift from the first meeting of the season to the second meeting since the 2021-22 team fell to Indiana State by 20 the first time out before winning by five the second time around.

22x1,500
- Leah Earnest became just the third player in program history to hit 1,500 career points with a basket midway through the third quarter last time out against UIC.
- The basket also moved Earnest past Sarrah Stricklett for third on the Beacons' career scoring chart.
- Earnest becomes the fifth active MVC player with 1,500 career points, joining Katelyn Young (MUR), Katie Dinnebier (DRA), Maya McDermott (UNI) and Jaida McCloud (UIC).
- Ending the game with 1,506 career points, a jump to second on the program's career chart is a tough ask for Earnest, as Dani Franklin currently occupies that position with 1,721 points.

Spreading the Wealth
- Six different players combined for Valpo's eight 3-pointers in its Thursday win over UIC, all six of whom connected on a triple in the first 10:20 of the game.
- It would have been seven players combining for nine triples had a 3-pointer originally ruled good for Mor Shabtai in the fourth quarter not been reversed upon review and deemed a shot clock violation.
- The Beacons were one shy of their season high for number of players hitting a 3-pointer, as seven different players connected from deep in the win over Trinity Christian.
- Valpo's 11 triples in its win at Indiana State came from a number of sources, as five different players hit at least two triples apiece against the Sycamores.
- It marked the first time Valpo has had five players all hit multiple 3-pointers in the same game since Jan. 21, 2022, ironically also in a game against Indiana State.

Seven is Enough
- The name of the late-70s sitcom might have been Eight is Enough, but on Thursday for the Beacons, seven was enough.
- Valpo went just two-deep into its bench, with Fiona Connolly and Katie Beyer backing up the starting five.
- It was the first time Mary Evans has used just seven players in a game since the 2018-19 season, her first at the helm of the Valpo program - that year, Valpo ran with seven players on three occasions, most recently a 70-67 loss to Illinois State Feb. 3, 2019.

Looking to the Rim
- While the 3-point shot is still a big part of the Beacons' offensive attack, the numbers show Valpo has been more intentional about getting shots at the basket this season.
- In MVC play, the Beacons have attempted 21.4 3-pointers per game, which accounts for just 41.3% of their field goal attempts.
- Both marks are on pace to be the lowest within MVC play in Mary Evans' seven seasons at the helm - the 2022-23 team attempted 22.5 3-pointers/game in conference, while the 2019-20 team had 44.6% of its attempts from deep in Valley play.
- Notably, this year's team is also on pace to be the first under Evans to attempt fewer 3-pointers than its opponents in conference - in fact, Valpo had not attempted more triples than its opponent in six consecutive games before trying 23 3-pointers to UIC's 17 last time out.
- Against Murray State, Valpo took a season-low 12 3-point attempts - the program's fewest 3-point attempts in a single game since attempting just 12 triples Dec. 19, 2021 at Morehead State.

20 Or More For 22
- Leah Earnest reached the 20-point mark yet again last Sunday, finishing with a game-high 21 points against Murray State (7-12 FG; 7-7 FT).
- It was the 10th time this year Earnest has tallied at least 20 points in a game.
- Notably, Earnest did not hit the 20-point mark in any of the first seven games this year, meaning she has 10 20-point efforts in the last 17 games.
- Highlights include a 29-point effort at Lehigh - the second-highest scoring game of her career - and a 27-point game on 10-of-16 shooting in the win over Bradley.
- Earnest scored 20+ in four consecutive games Dec. 21-Jan. 4, the first Valpo player to do so in at least 15 years - the last time a Valpo player had scored 20+ in even three straight games was Shay Frederick in the 2020-21 campaign.
- Earnest has the most 20-point games by a Valpo player in a single season since Michelle Russell has at least 12 in the 1993-94 season.

Others With 20/20 Vision
- Earnest is far from the only Beacon to hit the 20-point mark this season, however.
- In all, four Valpo players have combined for 16 games with 20 or more points - compare that to last year, when only two players broke the 20-point barrier in a combined nine games.
- Layla Gold joined Earnest in crossing the 20-point mark versus UDM, finishing with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Earlier this year, Gold more than doubled her previous career best of 11 points with a 23-point night - which included five 3-pointers - at Milwaukee.
- Nevaeh Jackson raced past her previous career high with 26 points at Saint Louis; this coming after 20-point performances earlier in the season in the win over Goshen and against Purdue Fort Wayne.
- Against Trinity Christian, Kayla Preston smashed her previous best, going for 20 points on 7-10 FG and 6-8 FT.

An Eye on the Record Book
- As Leah Earnest's career winds down, she is making an impact all over the program's career records, and with the season she is having, she'll look for spots on the team's single-season charts as well.
Career
- Games played - 2nd, 137 (Caitlin Morrison, 1st, 141)
- Points - 3rd, 1,506 (Dani Franklin, 2nd, 1,721)
- Rebounds - 2nd, 819 (Tamra Braun, 1st, 870)
- Field goals made - 4th, 540 (Jeanette Gray, 3rd, 595)
- Free throws made - 4th, 331 (Betsy Rietema, 3rd, 341)
- Points per game - 11.0 (Jasmyn Walker, 10th, 11.1)
- Rebounds/game - t-7th, 6.0
- Field goal percentage - 9th, .466
Single-Season
- Points - 407 (10th, 456)
- Rebounds - 178 (10th, 244)
- Field goals made - 137 (10th, 165)
- Free throws made - 108 (10th, 109)
- Points/game - 7th, 17.0
- Free throw percentage - t-8th, .844

Winning With Defense
- Strong defensive efforts have been a common thread in the Beacons' victories this season, and their last four wins over Bradley, Indiana State, Evansville and UIC have been no different.
- Valpo limited both Bradley and Evansville to 17 first-half points apiece in those victories - the lowest mark by a Valpo D-I opponent at halftime since the Beacons went on the road and limited South Dakota to 17 first-half points on Dec. 10, 2021.
- The Braves scored in single digits in each of the first two quarters, while the Purple Aces hit just one field goal in a three-point second quarter - the lowest-scoring quarter by a Valpo opponent since it held Indiana State scoreless in the second period Feb. 8, 2020.
- Valpo allowed Bradley to shoot just 30.5% from the field - the lowest mark by a Valpo D-I opponent this year and the second lowest by a D-I opponent over the last three seasons.
- Valpo wasn't too far off either of those marks in the other two wins - the Beacons held the Sycamores to 21 first-half points and ISU shot just 33.3% for the game, while last time out, Valpo limited UIC to 24 first-half points and the Flames shot just 34.5%, including just 2-for-17 from 3-point range.
- It's actually been quite simple if you look at it: when the Beacons have held their opponent under 60 points this year, they are 9-0; when Valpo's opponent scores at least 60 points, the Beacons are 0-15.

Forcing Miscues
- The Beacons rank as the MVC's best at forcing miscues, averaging 19.8 turnovers forced/game.
- The Beacons have forced more turnovers than they've committed in 15 of 24 games.
- Valpo also leads the MVC with 9.7 steals/game and has tallied double-figure steals in 12 games this year.
- Valpo has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine games so far, highlighted by 29 forced turnovers against Detroit Mercy and 28 in the win at Evansville.
- The Beacons have racked up a season-best 15 steals in three of their victories, reaching the mark in wins over Goshen, Western Michigan and Evansville.
- In the win over North Dakota, Valpo turned the Fighting Hawks' 26 turnovers into 33 points and held a massive 33-9 edge in points off turnovers. It was the program's greatest number of points off turnovers and the highest edge in the category since a Feb. 22, 2020 win at Loyola, when Valpo forced 31 turnovers and owns a 38-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

No Sophomore Slump
- After ranking fourth on the team in scoring (7.2 points/game) as a rookie, sophomore Nevaeh Jackson has cemented herself as a consistent second scorer this season.
- Jackson has nearly doubled her scoring average, entering Sunday's game second on the team with 12.5 points/game.
- Jackson has scored in double figures in 16 of 24 games, highlighted by her 26-point effort at Saint Louis.

Career Highs
- Five of Valpo's seven returnees have set career bests in the scoring column this season - the only returnees who haven't are Saniya Jackson, who is out for the season, and Earnest.
- Joining the trio who had their first career 20-point efforts are senior Katie Beyer and sophomore Raeven Raye-Redmond.
- Raye-Redmond smashed past her previous best of nine with a 15-point night on 6-of-9 shooting at Milwaukee.
- Beyer hit three 3-pointers on her way to a 14-point game in the season opener versus Liberty, and then against North Dakota, surpassed that again with a 16-point effort.

All-Tournament Honors
- Valpo had a pair of players recognized as All-Tournament Team honorees following the conclusion of the Christmas City Classic.
- Leah Earnest averaged 23.5 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game over the Beacons' two contests.
- Katie Beyer earned her selection by virtue of a strong 16-point performance, surpassing her career high, in the win over North Dakota.

Missing Pieces
- Valpo is down two starters for the remainder of the season due to injury.
- Saniya Jackson did not see any game action this year, undergoing successful knee surgery in early November.
- Raeven Raye-Redmond suffered a lower leg injury late in regulation Dec. 21 against Detroit Mercy and will miss the rest of the year as well.