Valparaiso (0-16, 0-5 MVC)
Game #17 - January 10, 2026 - 2 p.m.
at Southern Illinois (3-11, 0-5 MVC)
Banterra Center (9,000) - Carbondale, Ill.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women's basketball team returns to the road on a quick turnaround, making the trip to Carbondale, Ill. to face Southern Illinois Saturday afternoon.

Previously: Playing its lone home game in a five-game stretch Thursday evening at the ARC, the Valpo women's basketball team dropped an 80-44 decision to visiting Bradley. Kayla Preston enjoyed her best game of the season for the Beacons, finishing with 15 points and six rebounds.

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

Head Coach Courtney Boyd (0-16 at Valpo, 1st season; 190-84 [.693] 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: The Salukis hold a 9-5 advantage in the all-time series over Valpo, including a 5-3 edge in Carbondale. The Beacons have not played at the Banterra Center since January 2024, as last season's lone meeting came in Valparaiso - a 69-51 victory for the Beacons. Leah Earnest had 22 points and 11 rebounds in that win, while Neveah Jackson knocked down four 3-pointers on her way to 18 points.

@ValpoWBB...
...versus Bradley
- It was a slow start for the Beacons, who scored just four first-quarter points. The Valpo defense did force six Bradley turnovers in the opening period, as the Braves' lead was just 14-4 through 10 minutes.
- Valpo was still within 13 at 24-11 with 6:37 to play in the second quarter after a 3-pointer from Kayla Preston, but Bradley scored nine in a row to pull away past the midway point of the period.
- Bradley ended up connecting on six triples in the second quarter and led 40-15 at intermission.
- The Beacons shot 6-of-9 from the floor in the third quarter, but eight turnovers prevented them from putting a dent into the Bradley advantage, as the Braves led 65-32 with 10 minutes remaining.
- Preston finished with 15 points, her career best against a D-I opponent, on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the foul line. The junior's six rebounds were a team high and a career best as well.
- Preston was the lone Beacon to finish in double figures, as Valpo's next leading scorer was Fiona Connolly, who finished with nine points and five rebounds.
0 Mikayla Huffine tied her career best with three steals.
- Valpo shot at a 32.1% clip from the floor and was just 2-of-16 from 3-point range, tying its season low for made 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Bradley shot 48.4% and was 11-of-28 from deep.
- The Beacons did grab 11 offensive rebounds and turned them into 15 second-chance points, while limiting Bradley to just five second-chance points on 12 offensive boards. Valpo also narrowly trailed Bradley in points in the paint, 30-28.

...at Evansville
- Valpo took the lead inside the first minute on a triple from Allia von Schlegell before Evansville scored 10 in a row to force a timeout from the Beacons 3:39 into the game.
- The Beacons came out of the stoppage with seven of the next nine points, capped by a 3-pointer by Fiona Connolly to bring Valpo within 12-10 with 3:32 to play in the quarter.
- After the teams traded points, the Purple Aces scored the final seven points of the quarter to extend their lead to 21-12 at the end of the period.
- Evansville matched that spurt to start the second quarter, pushing its edge to 28-12 and forcing a Valpo timeout 90 seconds into the period.
- The Beacons held the Purple Aces to just five points over the next eight minutes, while von Schlegell had eight points and Connolly four during the same stretch to get back to within nine points.
- Evansville scored a pair of baskets in the final 30 seconds of the half to lead 37-24 at halftime.
- Valpo's deficit fluctuated between 12 and 15 points for most of the third quarter before the Purple Aces went on a 9-0 run to end the period with a 52-31 lead.
- von Schlegell surpassed her career high with a 19-point afternoon, a mark which included a Valpo season-best five made 3-pointers. It was the freshman's eighth double-digit scoring effort of the season.
- Connolly added 11 points to score in double figures for the 11th time this year.
- One game after dishing out a Valpo season-high seven assists, Mikayla Huffine followed with a game-high five assists on Saturday.
- The Beacons hit just 27.1% from the floor and were just 7-of-29 from 3-point range. The defense did hold Evansville to 37.5% shooting, including just 6-of-27 from 3-point range, and also forced 18 turnovers by the Purple Aces, a season high for its opposition.

...looking ahead
- Another road game is on tap next Thursday evening, as Valpo travels to take on Illinois State.
- The Beacons return home to the ARC Sunday, Jan. 18 as they host Drake.

...away from home
- Saturday's game is the third 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 0-7 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.

@SIU_WBasketball
- Southern Illinois enters Saturday's game at 3-11 overall this season and with an 0-5 record in MVC play.
- The Salukis, whose lone D-I win this season came against SEMO, most recentlly fell at home Thursday evening to Evansville, 75-70.
- Alayna Kraus averages a team-high 15.9 points/game, while Indya Green leads the Salukis on the glass with 7.5 rebounds/game to go with 9.8 points/game.

Long Time, No Visit
- It's been a minute since the Beacons have stepped on the court at the Banterra Center.
- Last season's lone meeting in the series came at the ARC, and Valpo's road game at SIU the previous season came early in the conference slate.
- All told, it will have been two years and four days between games in Carbondale for the Beacons when they tip off on Saturday.
- That comes after the two teams faced off six times in Carbondale over the previous three years and nine months.

Taking Advantage of Second Chances
- Valpo enjoyed its best game in terms of converting offensive rebounds Thursday not just of this season, but in quite some time.
- The Beacons turned 11 offensive rebounds into 15 points, their highest total of second-chance points since tallying 17 second-chance points at Morehead State Nov. 16, 2018.
- Valpo also held Bradley to just five second-chance points - its +10 advantage in the category was its best since being +11 at Evansville Feb. 25, 2018.
- The Beacons held the advantage in second-chance points for just the second time this season (UIC, 9-8).

Fiona Leads the Way
- Senior Fiona Connolly returned from missing the CMU game due to injury to lead the Beacons in scoring in each of the next two games - including a game-high 21 points at Indiana State to tie her career high.
- Connolly has been a consistent offensive presence for Valpo this season, scoring in double figures in 11 of her 15 appearances and being held under eight points just once.
- Connolly is averaging a team-best 12.5 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 4.0 rebounds/game this season after posting 2.2 boards/game last year.

Allia Heats Up
- While she had a rough outing Thursday, freshman Allia von Schlegell has been on a tear in the scoring department recently.
- Prior to Thursday, she had scored in double figures five times in Valpo's last six games, averaging 15.5 points/game over that stretch.
- Included in the recent 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 (9.3 points/game) and first in 3-pointers made (28).

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.

Huffine's Helping Hand
- Senior Mikayla Huffine led all players in the assist department in both of Valpo's games on the Indiana road trip with two of the best efforts of her career.
- Huffine dished out seven assists in the game at Indiana State, the most by a Valpo player in a single contest since Ava Interrante recorded seven assists at UNI Feb. 29, 2024.
- Huffine followed with a five-assist effort at Evansville on Saturday.
- She became the first Valpo player with back-to-back games of at least five assists since Shay Frederick totaled at least six assists in five straight games in February 2022.
- Huffine tallied five assists four times in her two years at Quincy and surpassed that mark just once - a nine-assist game Feb. 24, 2024 at Truman State.

Notables from Indiana State
- The 78 points were not only a season high for the Beacons, but it was Valpo's highest-scoring game since scoring 79 at Milwaukee Nov. 14, 2024.
- It was the program's highest-scoring game in Valley play since scoring 79 versus Bradley Jan. 21, 2024.
- Fiona Connolly became the first Valpo player to score at least 21 points with no more than seven field goal attempts (5-7) since Grace White scored 23 points on seven field goal attempts against Xavier Dec. 16, 2020.
- Mikayla Huffine filled out the stat sheet with seven points, six rebounds and seven assists — the first Valpo player to hit those three marks in the same game since Shay Frederick posted 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists at Loyola Feb. 25, 2022.
- Kayla Sullivan went 8-for-8 from the foul line — the first Valpo player to shoot 100% from the stripe with at least eight attempts since Leah Earnest went 12-for-12 at Lehigh Dec. 1, 2024.

Shifting Starters
- With Mor Shabtai missing last weekend's games due to injury, Valpo used its seventh different starting lineup of the season, as Kayla Sullivan earned her first starts as a Beacon and Kamryn Winch also returned to the starting five.
- Shabtai had started 34 consecutive games dating back to last season prior to missing out at Indiana State.
- Nine different players have been a part of at least one starting five this year, with only one - Mikayla Huffine - starting every game.

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).