The Valpo women's basketball team used a hot shooting start to jump out to a double-digit lead in the first half Thursday evening in MVC action at Drake and still held the advantage past the halfway mark of the fourth quarter before a run by the Bulldogs gave the hosts a 79-68 victory.
 
How It Happened

• Drake was the team which started on the front foot Thursday, as the Bulldogs led 12-5 just 3:02 into the ballgame.
• But the Beacons exploded over the next few minutes offensively, scoring on eight consecutive offensive possessions and putting up 21 points. Five different players hit 3-pointers during the stretch, which saw Valpo go up by seven points with 2:15 to play in the period on a layup from Fiona Connolly (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]).
• Another drive and finish by Connolly in the final 40 seconds closed the scoring in the opening frame, as Valpo held a 28-21 lead.
• An 11-1 run for the Beacons, capped by a 3-pointer by Milana Nenadic (Kitchener, Ontario/Cameron Heights [Idaho State/Maine]), pushed the Beacons' lead to 41-26 with three minutes to play in the half.
• Valpo carried a 46-34 lead into the locker room at halftime.
• Kayla Sullivan (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran North [State Fair C.C.]) connected from deep 1:19 into the third quarter, restoring Valpo's largest lead at 15 points.
• Drake went on a 14-2 run over the next six-plus minutes to cut Valpo's lead to three points, where it remained at the end of the quarter, as the Beacons were in front 56-53.
• The Bulldogs scored on back-to-back possessions early in the fourth quarter to take their first lead since the first quarter with 8:18 to play, but Valpo responded with a 9-1 run — including five points from Allia von Schlegell (Downers Grove, Ill./Nazareth Academy) — and when Kamryn Winch (Bonne Terre, Mo./North County [Maryville]) connected on a foul-line jumper with 5:22 to play, the Beacons led 65-58.
• That proved to be Valpo's last point for over four and a half minutes, as Drake scored 17 in a row to take the lead for good. Abbie Aalsma started the key run with back-to-back triples following Winch's basket.

 
Inside the Game

• The 28-point first quarter was Valpo's highest scoring quarter of the season.
• The Beacons led at halftime for the third time this year and after three quarters for the first time.
• For the second time this season, four Beacons scored in double figures, led by a game-best 20 points from Connolly, including a 7-of-8 mark from the foul line. It was the senior's fourth 20+ point game of the season.
• Nenadic tallied 14 points and paced Valpo with seven rebounds.
• von Schlegell scored in double figures for the 16^th time with a 12-point night, while Sullivan reached double digits for the fourth time with 11 points, including a season-high three 3-pointers.
• Sullivan also pulled down six rebounds and was matched by Autumn Dibb (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) in that department.
• Mikayla Huffine (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Lutheran [Quincy/Iowa Western C.C.]) was one off her season best with six assists.
• Valpo shot 36.4% from the field Thursday evening and was 10-for-33 from 3-point range — its second-highest total of triples this year. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were 43.3% from the floor, including 8-for-18 from the 3-point line.

 
Next Up
Valpo (0-27, 0-16 MVC) has a week before its next game, as the Beacons will return to Iowa next Thursday evening to face UNI.