Valparaiso (0-23, 0-12 MVC)
Game #24 - February 5, 2026 - 6 p.m.
Southern Illinois (7-13, 4-7 MVC)
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women's basketball program hosts its annual Pink Game for cancer awareness on Saturday as the Beacons take on Southern Illinois. Cancer survivors and warriors will be honored at halftime of the game.

Previously: Allia von Schlegell continued her strong scoring run in MVC play with a team-high 16 points Thursday, while Mikayla Huffine had her highest-scoring game of the season as the Valpo women's basketball team fell to Evansville on Girls & Women in Sports night at the ARC Thursday, 83-59.

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

Head Coach Courtney Boyd (0-23 at Valpo, 1st season; 180-91 [.664] 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 10-5 advantage in the all-time series over Valpo, including a 4-2 edge at the ARC. In their first meeting this year, SIU earned a 97-59 win in Carbondale - Allia von Schlegell led the Beacons with 15 points in that contest.

@ValpoWBB...
...versus Evansville
- After Evansville scored mere seconds into the game right off the opening tip, Valpo held the Purple Aces scoreless for a stretch of over four minutes, going on an 8-0 run to take an 8-2 lead.
- Evansville came back to even the score at 12-12 with 2:27 to play in the quarter before Allia von Schlegell scored five in a row to restore the lead. Valpo's edge was 17-14 at the end of the first period.
- Back-to-back triples by von Schlegell and Milana Nenadic had the Beacons ahead 23-18 with 8:53 to play in the opening half.
- The Purple Aces went on a 16-3 run over the next four-plus minutes to pull in front, 34-26.
- Mikayla Huffine and Kayla Sullivan had back-to-back baskets to make it a four-point game, but Evansville scored the final five points of the half to lead 39-30 at intermission.
- The Purple Aces scored on each of their first five possessions of the third quarter to double their lead within the opening 2:29, extending to a 50-32 lead.
- Evansville led 69-40 at the end of the third quarter and Valpo got no closer than the final margin in the fourth period.
- von Schlegell finished with a team-best 16 points, including three 3-pointers — her 10th game with at least three triples this season.
The freshman has now tallied 15 or more points 10 times this year.
- Nenadic scored in double figures for the seventh time this year with 11 points, including three 3-pointers to tie a career best.
- Huffine came up just short of making it three Beacons in double figures, scoring a season-best nine points on 4-of-5 shooting. The senior also paced Valpo with five assists while committing just two turnovers.
- Autumn Dibb had a season-best eight rebounds to lead Valpo on the glass, while Kennedy Sproule tallied a season-high three steals to tie for game-high honors.
- Led by Sproule's three steals, the Beacons racked up a season-best 10 steals as a team.
- Valpo hit at a 36.7% clip from the field Thursday and was 8-of-29 from 3-point range, while Evansville was 14-of-29 from deep as part of a night when it shot 47.6% overall.
- The Beacons held a 26-24 advantage in points in the paint, their first time having the edge in that department this season.

...at UIC
- A slow start led to UIC taking an early 12-3 lead, prompting a timeout from head coach Courtney Boyd just 3:27 into the contest.
- Valpo scored seven straight out of the stoppage to pull within 12-10 with 3:42 to play in the opening period.
- The Flames held a 20-14 lead at the end of the first.
- UIC scored the first six points of the second quarter to extend its lead to double digits for the first time, but the Beacons pushed back, closing to within seven on a Milana Nenadic basket with 6:17 to play in the period.
- The Flames out-scored Valpo 17-4 over the remainder of the half, including seven second-chance points in the last 90 seconds of the half, to take a 43-23 lead into halftime.
- A quick 9-2 spurt over the opening 1:43 of the third quarter, including two triples by Allia von Schlegell, brought the Beacons within 45-32.
- They were unable to get any closer than 13 points in the second half, however. UIC held a 53-37 lead at the end of the third quarter and maintained at least a 15-point lead throughout the final period.
- von Schlegell went 4-of-7 from behind the 3-point line as part of her team-best 19-point effort, matching her career high set earlier this season at Evansville.
- No other Beacon reached double figures in the scoring column, as Kamryn Winch was Valpo's next-highest scorer, tallying nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 from the foul line. Winch also led all players with 12 rebounds, tying her career best set earlier this year in the overtime game against Milwaukee.
- Valpo held a 41-36 advantage over the Flames in rebounds — the fifth time this season the Beacons have held the edge in that department.
- Valpo shot 36.4% from the floor and hit 5-of-15 from the 3-point line — a season low in terms of 3-point attempts. UIC ended the game at 44.6% overall and 7-of-17 from deep.
- The Beacons were 12-of-16 at the foul line, hitting at least 75% of their free throw attempts for a third straight game.
- The turnover column hurt Valpo, as the Beacons committed 23 miscues — their highest total in MVC play — while forcing just 10 UIC turnovers. The Flames held a 31-7 advantage in points off turnovers.

...looking ahead
- The Beacons hit the road for four straight road games Feb. 13-26, starting with games at Murray State and Belmont next weekend.

...at the ARC
- Saturday's game is the tenth of 13 home games this season for the Beacons, as Valpo hosts three nonconference games and 10 MVC games.
- The Beacons are currently 0-9 at the ARC this year.
- Valpo posted a 9-6 record at the ARC last season, the program's first winning record at home since the 2019-20 season.

....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 with a 7-13 record this year and sits at 4-7 in MVC play.
- The Salukis have won three of their last four games, including a buzzer-beating win over UIC Thursday on a putback by Jeniah Thompson.
- Four of SIU's five starters average double figures in the scoring department, led by 15.1 points/game from Alayna Kraus.

Allia Heats Up
- Freshman Allia von Schlegell has made a big impact in her rookie season.
- von Schlegell has scored in double figures 13 times this season, including in 10 of Valpo's last 14 games. 
- 10 times, von Schlegell has dropped at least 15 points - the most 15+ point games by a Valpo freshman since Dani Franklin hit the 15-point mark 12 times in the 2014-15 season.
- von Schlegell currently ranks third among MVC freshmen in scoring (10.5  points/game) and is tied for first in 3-pointers made (45).
- She ranks 73rd nationally in freshman scoring and is tied for 12th among freshmen nationally in 3-pointers made.

Doing Work on the Road
- von Schlegell has excelled in the scoring department on the road in MVC play.
- The freshman has scored 15 or more points in five of Valpo's six MVC road games to date, including a career-high 19 twice - at Evansville and at UIC.
- von Schlegell has shot 50% (18-for-36) from 3-point range in road MVC games and is averaging 15.3 points/game in those contests.

Winning the Paint
- Valpo held the advantage in points in the paint on Thursday against Evansville, edging the Purple Aces in that department, 26-24.
- It was the first time the Beacons have come out on top in that category since March 1 of last season at Illinois State, when they bested the Redbirds, 32-24.
- That effort also came in a defeat, as both games saw the opposition get hot from deep - ILS was 13-for-23 from 3-point range in that game last season, while Evansville was 14-of-29 from the 3-point line Thursday.

Milana Feasts
- Redshirt junior Milana Nenadic has been on a tear offensively lately, averaging 16.0 points/game over the last six games while leading the Beacons in four contests.
- This recent stretch comes after Nenadic averaged 6.6 points/game and scored in double figures just twice in the season's first 17 games.
- Nenadic became Valpo's first MVC weekly award winner in over four years Jan. 19, as she was named MVC Newcomer of the Week after scoring 34 points at Illinois State (more on that game later) and 18 points versus Drake.
- Nenadic has also hit the glass more recently, averaging 6.2 rebounds/game over the last six games after averaging 4.0 rebounds/game over the first 17 games.
- Nenadic recorded her first career double-double last Thursday against Indiana State, going for 19 points and 12 rebounds - she is the first Valpo player to reach those marks in a game in which she committed zero turnovers since Sharon Karungi tallied 22 points and 16 boards without a turnover Feb. 22, 2014 versus Oakland.

Taking Advantage of PT
- Redshirt junior Kamryn Winch might have played just 13:10 off the bench at UIC, but she took full advantage of every second.
- Winch scored nine points (3-5 FG; 3-3 FT) and tied her career best with a game-high 12 rebounds.
- That is the second-fewest minutes played by a D-I player who recorded 12 rebounds this season (USC's Yakiya Milton, Nov. 18 versus Portland, 12:01).
- Winch is the first D-I player to register at least nine points and 12 rebounds while playing fewer than 14 minutes since Charlotte O'Keefe did so for UTRGV Nov. 23, 2024.

Nenadic's Night
- It was truly a night to remember for Milana Nenadic at Illinois State Jan. 15, 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. Nenadic's 34 points are the most by a player coming off the bench 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.
- Nenadic's previous career best was 20 points earlier this year while facing All-American Audi Crooks at Iowa State.
- 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.

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.

Skip the Second?
- Three times in MVC play, the second quarter has proven to be the Beacons' undoing.
- 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.

Shifting Starters
- Valpo has used nine different starting lineups this year, the most recent change coming last Thursday against Indiana State with Fiona Connolly out.
- With Connolly back, she returned to the lineup alongside Huffine, von Schlegell, Sullivan and Preston at UIC - that quintet has now started six times this year after the Evansville game, the most of any lineup.
- Ten different players have been a part of at least one starting five this year, with only one - Mikayla Huffine - starting every game. All ten have started at least three games apiece.
- The Beacons have not used the same starting lineup in more than four consecutive games this season.

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).