Taking on a Michigan State team which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season and begins this year receiving votes in both national top-25 polls, the Valpo women's basketball team dropped a 98-44 decision to open the season Tuesday evening in East Lansing, Mich.
How It Happened
- The Spartans scored the first six points of the game before Valpo got on the board just over three minutes in on a triple from Constanza Aravena (Concepcion, Chile/Academy of Central Florida [Miami Dade College]).
- A triple from Jana Nogués (Barcelona, Spain/Escola Sant Gervasi a Mollet del Valles) with three and a half minutes to play in the opening period brought the Beacons within five at 11-6. MSU answered with 10 in a row, and while Allia von Schlegell (Downers Grove, Ill./Nazareth Academy) connected on a triple with a minute to play, the Spartans got the last basket of the period to own a 23-9 lead at the end of one.
- MSU outscored Valpo 24-0 in the second period to take a 47-9 lead into halftime.
- After being held scoreless in the second quarter, the Beacons came out and scored 20 in the third period, led by six from Osadebamwen Igbinedion Omoruyi (Madrid, Spain/IES Ciudad de los Angeles [UTEP]). Michigan State put up 36 in that quarter, though, and held an 83-29 lead with 10 minutes to play.
- The Beacons and Spartans played to a 15-15 tie in the final quarter.
Inside the Game
- von Schlegell led Valpo on Tuesday with nine points and five rebounds.
- Making her collegiate debut, Nogués finished with eight points.
- Nogués was one of two freshmen to start in their debut on Tuesday, as Dani Guedet (Washington, Ill./Washington) was in the starting five as well.
- Also making their collegiate debuts off the bench were Aravena and Denza Allen (Sunbury, Ohio/Big Walnut), who finished with six points and five stocks — two steals and a game-best three blocks.
- Three other players saw their first action in the Valpo uniform: Igbinedion, Maddie Vejsicky (New Concord, Ohio/Newark [Akron]) and Hillary Offing (Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork [Fort Wayne]).
- After missing the final game of the 2024-25 season and all of last year due to injury, Maci Rhoades (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek [Radford]) returned to action on Tuesday.
- The Beacons ended the game shooting 26.7% (16-for-60) from the floor versus MSU's 52.2% (36-for-69) clip. Valpo also committed 30 turnovers which the Spartans turned into 38 points.
Next Up
Valpo (0-1) comes home to the ARC for its regular season home opener Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. against Detroit Mercy.
