Valparaiso (0-19, 0-8 MVC)
Game #20 - January 23, 2026 - 6 p.m.
at Bradley (11-7, 4-3 MVC)
Renaissance Coliseum (4,200) - Peoria, Ill.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: Approaching the midway point of the MVC slate, the Valpo women's basketball team faces its first repeat opponent in Valley action as the Beacons take on Bradley for the second time in 15 days Friday evening.

Previously: The Beacons looked to erase a double-digit second-half deficit against Drake at the ARC for a second straight year, but Sunday's effort came up short as the visiting Bulldogs earned a 66-56 victory. Coming off her record-setting performance Thursday night, Milana Nenadic again paced the Beacon offense with 18 points.

Following Valpo Basketball: Video: ESPN+
Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com

Head Coach Courtney Boyd (0-19 at Valpo, 1st season; 180-87 [.674] overall, 9th season): Courtney Boyd was named the ninth head coach of the Valparaiso University women's basketball program on 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: Bradley leads the all-time series between the two programs by a 14-11 mark, but Valpo has the 10-8 edge since joining the MVC. The Beacons had an eight-game winning streak in the series snapped at last season's MVC Women's Basketball Tournament, and in the first meeting this year, the Braves claimed an 80-44 win in Valpo. Kayla Preston finished with 15 points and six rebounds in that game.

@ValpoWBB...
...versus Drake
- Valpo jumped on top quickly, as Allia von Schlegell, Kayla Sullivan and Kayla Preston knocked down 3-pointers on three straight possessions to give the Beacons a 9-3 lead less than two minutes into the game. Valpo held the lead throughout the first quarter and led 18-14 at the end of the period.
- Drake went on a 17-3 run over the final six and a half minutes of the second quarter to take a 33-25 lead into halftime.
- Drake's lead reached its apex at 48-34 with 3:36 to play in the third quarter before a Preston 3-point play slowed the Bulldog momentum. The Beacons trailed 54-45 with 10 minutes to play.
- Valpo's defense kept Drake off the board for the first five possessions of the fourth quarter, and on the offensive end, a Preston layup and three points from Milana Nenadic had the Beacons within 54-50 with 6:51 remaining.
- After the scoreless stretch to open the quarter, the Bulldogs scored on three straight possessions to force a Valpo timeout with 5:14 to play and the score 60-50.
- Drake got its lead up to 12 points before a Nenadic triple and a Fiona Connolly layup had the deficit down to 62-55 with 2:08 to go.
- The Beacons got two more stops in a row on the defensive end to give themselves a chance to inch even closer, but a pair of great looks right at the rim on the offensive side didn't fall.
- Coming off her 34-point game Thursday night, Nenadic paced Valpo on Sunday with 18 points and tied for team-high honors with five rebounds.
- Sullivan and Preston both scored in double figures as well, finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively. For each of them, it was their second-highest scoring output this season. Sullivan hit 2-of-3 from the 3-point line, while Preston was 4-for-5 from the field.
- For just the third time this year (at Iowa State, Bradley), Valpo's two leading scorers on the season —Connolly and von Schlegell — were limited to single digits, as both finished with seven points. Connolly did match Nenadic for team-high honors with five rebounds.
- Valpo shot just 32.1% from the floor Sunday, but the Beacons were 7-for-19 from 3-point range — they have now hit better than 35% from 3-point range in each of the last two games after doing so just once in the season's first 17 contests.
- Drake shot 41.1% from the field, but was just 5-for-19 from beyond the arc. Valpo has held its opponents below 30% shooting from deep in five of the last six games.

...at Illinois State
- Allia von Schlegell knocked down a pair of early 3-pointers, Fiona Connolly hit from deep and Milana Nenadic had five quick points as the Beacons used a 11-2 run to jump out to a 14-8 lead approaching the midway mark of the first quarter.
- von Schlegell hit her third triple of the game with 2:28 to play in the period, and after Illinois State moved within one late in the quarter, converted a driving layup to put the Beacons up 23-20 after 10 minutes.
- The Redbirds regained the lead early in the second quarter, but von Schlegell returned the lead to the Beacons with another triple with 7:25 to play in the half. After a quick five-point spurt from ISU, Connolly slowed the Redbird momentum with a triple.
- Valpo was within 34-33 at the halfway mark of the second period before Illinois State went on a 17-2 run, closing the half leading 51-35.
- The Redbirds started the second half with another 17-2 run to push their lead to 68-37. The Beacons outscored ISU 13-8 over the final half of the third quarter — including nine points from Nenadic — to make it a 76-50 game with 10 minutes to play.
- After winning the first quarter, Valpo closed the game by winning the fourth quarter as well, 24-17. Nenadic nearly outscored the Redbirds herself in the final period, dropping 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting over the final 10 minutes.
- Nenadic was the story of the night for the Beacons, coming off the bench to deliver 34 points on 16-of-25 shooting - breaking the program's single-game record for made field goals and moving into a tie for fifth in program history in points scored.
- Thursday marked the second time in the last three years a Beacon has dropped 30 or more at Illinois State, as Leah Earnest finished with 32 points at CEFCU Arena in 2024. No other Valpo opponent has had more than one 30-point performance against them since the start of the 2009-10 season.
- The game was bookended by big periods, as Nenadic closed with a 14-point quarter after von Schlegell had kicked off the game with 11 points in the first quarter.
- The freshman finished with 16 points, her 10th double-figure scoring effort of the year. She matched her season best for made field goals, going 6-of-9 from the floor — including 4-for-5 from 3-point range.
- von Schlegell also dished out a season-high five assists, matching Mikayla Huffine for team-high honors.

...looking ahead
- The Beacons come back to the ARC Thursday, Jan. 29 for a Kids Day game versus Indiana State at 11 a.m.
- A short trip follows next Saturday, Jan. 31 as Valpo heads up to the Windy City to face UIC.

...away from home
- Friday's game is the fifth of 10 road games in MVC play for the Beacons, who played six true road games as well in the nonconference slate.
- Valpo is currently 0-9 in true road games.
- 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.

@BradleyWBB
- Bradley enters Friday's game at 11-7 overall this season and sits in a three-way tie for fourth place in the MVC standings at 4-3 in Valley play.
- Since the first meeting of the season, the Braves have beaten Indiana State and Drake, while falling to UNI.
- Kaylen Nelson averages a team-best 17.6 points/game, while Maya Foz leads all MVC freshmen in scoring at 14.1 points/game.

Fancy Seeing You Again
- Valpo will take the court against Bradley for the second time in a 15-day span Friday night in Peoria.
- It is the second-shortest turnaround between games against the same team in the regular season since the program joined the MVC - in 2024, the Indiana State/Evansville weekends were just 14 days apart.
- The Beacons actually played Bradley twice in 14 days last season - the second regular season matchup and then the MVC Tournament game.
- In 2018, Valpo had just six days between playing Drake to close the regular season and meeting the Bulldogs again in the MVC Tournament.

Newcomer of the Week
- Redshirt junior Milana Nenadic was tabbed the MVC Newcomer of the Week Jan. 19 after two strong performances last week, including her record-setting night at Illinois State.
- Nenadic started the week with 34 points on 16-of-25 shooting and six rebounds at Illinois State (see more notes about that performance below), and followed with a team-high 18 points and five rebounds versus Drake.
- Nenadic's 26 points/game average was the highest by any MVC player who played two games last week. She hit at a 54.8% clip from the field, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range after hitting just two 3-pointers over the season's first 17 games.
- Nenadic is Valpo's first weekly award honoree from the MVC in over four years, as the program's last winner was Olivia Brown, who earned Newcomer of the Week accolades Jan. 10, 2022.

Nenadic's Night
- It was truly a night to remember for Milana Nenadic at Illinois State last week, coming off the bench to deliver 34 points on 16-of-25 shooting.
- The 16 field goals made broke the program record for baskets in a single game, as the previous mark was shared at 15 by Deb Lahti (Feb. 19, 1983 vs. Carthage) and Lyn Swanson (Feb. 8, 1986 at Carthage).
- Nenadic is tied for ninth among NCAA D-I players this season for field goals in a game.
- Nenadic's 25 field goal attempts are tied for eighth-most in a single game in Valpo history.
- The junior now shares fifth on Valpo's single-game scoring chart with Dani Franklin, who dropped 34 at Stetson Nov. 12, 2016. Those two are the only Valpo players to score at least 34 in a game since 1992.
- To reiterate, Nenadic came off the bench — the 34 points are the most by a reserve in program history.
- The 34 points is tied with Murray State's Halli Poock for the highest-scoring game by an MVC player this season.
- She scored her 34 points while being matched up primarily against a likely All-MVC honoree in Illinois State's Doneelah Washington — notable, as Nenadic's previous career best was 20 points earlier this year while facing All-American Audi Crooks at Iowa State.

Some Good Company
- Nenadic is just the fourth MVC player in the last nine seasons with at least 16 baskets in a game, and joins a few pretty solid players in that department — Drake's Katie Dinnebier, Belmont's Destinee Wells and Murray State's Katelyn Young. She is tied for 24th overall in MVC history for baskets in a game.
- You want an even bigger name? Nenadic is the first D-I player to score at least 34 points in a game without a single free throw attempt since UConn's Azzi Fudd scored 34 with zero trips to the foul line last February against St. John's.

More on the Illinois State Trip
- Led by Nenadic and von Schlegell, Valpo shot a season best from the field, hitting 32-of-72 — its 32 made baskets the program's most in a single game since Dec. 28, 2019 against Chicago State.
- The Beacons gave themselves that many chances at the basket because they committed a season-low eight turnovers, their lowest mark since committing just eight miscues against Bradley Jan. 29, 2023. Contrast that with the team's 17 assists, their second-best mark of the season.
- Despite forcing just nine turnovers, Valpo won the turnover battle for the first time this season.

Skip the Second?
- Three times in MVC play, the second quarter has proven to be the Beacons' undoing, including each of the last two.
- Last time out, Drake outscored Valpo 19-7 in the second quarter, while the Beacons outscored the Bulldogs 49-47 in the other three periods.
- At Illinois State, a 31-12 second quarter for the Redbirds accounted for the entire final margin, as Valpo matched ISU 62-62 in the other three quarters.
- At Indiana State, the Sycamores' 24-13 advantage in the second quarter offset Valpo's 65-64 edge in the other three periods.

Fiona Leads the Way
- Senior Fiona Connolly has been a consistent offensive presence for Valpo this season, scoring in double figures in 11 of her 18 appearances and being held under eight points just twice.
- Connolly is averaging a team-best 11.7 points/game this season, over triple her scoring average of 3.5 points/game last year.
- She has also nearly doubled her production on the boards, averaging 4.0rebounds/game this season after posting 2.2 boards/game last year.

Allia Heats Up
- Freshman Allia von Schlegell has been on a tear in the scoring department recently.
- von Schlegell has scored in double figures seven times in Valpo's last 10 games, averaging 13.4 points/game over that stretch.
- Included in this run is a 17-point effort at Indiana State; back-to-back 18-point games versus SIUE and at Western Michigan; and a game-high and season-best 19 points at Evansville.
- von Schlegell currently ranks third among MVC freshmen in scoring (9.8 points/game) and first in 3-pointers made (34).

Nonconference Scoring
- von Schlegell scored in double figures six times in nonconference action, among the best in program history in terms of double-digit scoring outputs by a freshman in nonconference games since Valpo joined the North Star Conference for the 1987-88 season:
Dani Franklin, 2014-15, 11
Meredith Hamlet, 2015-16, 8
Tabitha Gerardot, 2010-11, 8
Sarrah Stricklett, 1996-97, at least 7 (2 boxes unavailable)
Debbie Bolen, 1989-90, at least 7 (1 box unavailable)
Jeanette Gray, 1999-2000, 7
Allia von Schlegell, 2025-26, 6
Stephanie Greer, 1987-88, 6
Amy Cole, 1987-88, 6
Linda Batz, 1987-88, 6
Ali Saunders, 2022-23, 5
Jamie Gutowski, 2002-03, 5
- Notably, the six players ahead of von Schlegell on that list all went on to earn All-Freshman/Newcomer Team honors and closed their time at Valpo among the top-12 in program history in career scoring.

Shifting Starters
- Valpo used its eighth different starting lineup of the season at Southern Illinois, as Kayla Preston made her first collegiate start after coming off the bench in each of her previous 58 collegiate appearances.
- Ten different players have been a part of at least one starting five this year, with only one - Mikayla Huffine - starting every game.
- Mor Shabtai had started 34 consecutive games dating back to last season prior to missing the Indiana State/Evansville road trip due to injury.

The Tall and the Short
- This year's Valpo roster features recent extremes on both ends of the height spectrum.
- Mor Shabtai and Mikayla Huffine both are listed at 5-4, making them the shortest Valpo players since 5-3 Rashida Ray (2007-11).
- On the flip side, Kamryn Winch and Milana Nenadic both check in at 6-3, making them the tallest Valpo players since 6-5 Nicole Johanson (2018-19).

International Flavor
- Valpo has a trio of international players on its 2025-26 roster: sophomore Mor Shabtai (Israel) and transfers Milana Nenadic (Ontario, Canada) and Kennedy Sproule (Manitoba, Canada).
- Prior to Shabtai's arrival last year, the Valpo program hadn't had an international player since Sharon Karungi (Uganda) roamed the paint from 2013-15.

Sister Act
- For the third straight season, the Beacons have a pair of sisters on their roster, as freshman Nuala Connolly joins senior sister Fiona on this year's squad.
- The last two years featured identical twins Nevaeh and Saniya Jackson.
- Before that, the last set of sisters to suit up together in the Brown and Gold were the trio of Hamlet sisters: Annemarie (2013-16) overlapped with both older sister Elizabeth (2013-14) and younger sister Meredith (2015-19).