Valparaiso (0-30, 0-19 MVC)
Game #31 - March 7, 2026 - 1 p.m.
Murray State (27-3, 18-1 MVC)
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women's basketball team finishes out the regular season with the final game of a three-game homestand as the Beacons take on MVC regular season champion Murray State Saturday afternoon.

Previously: Valpo played step for step with the Valley's second-place team in Belmont Thursday evening at the ARC for most of the night before the Bruins pulled away in the fourth quarter for an 83-63 victory. Milana Nenadic led the Beacons with her third double-double of the year, tallying 18 points and 10 rebounds.

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

Head Coach Courtney Boyd (0-30 at Valpo, 1st season; 180-98 [.647] 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: It's a brief series between the Beacons and the Racers, as the two programs did not meet on the hardwood prior to Murray State joining the MVC. The Racers have earned wins in all six meetings, including a 95-69 victory in Murray earlier this season - Valpo was within nine points at halftime of that contest before the Racers scored 40 points in the third quarter. Allia von Schlegell paced Valpo in that game with 22 points.

@ValpoWBB...
...versus Belmont
- The first half of the first quarter was a one-possession game the entire way, with Belmont holding a slim 11-10 lead at the halfway mark.
- Valpo outscored the Bruins 7-2 in the second five minutes of the opening period, as Allia von Schlegell scored five and Kamryn Winch had a putback basket to give the Beacons a 17-13 lead after 10 minutes.
- Valpo led by as many as seven points in the second quarter and still held a 33-31 advantage with 1:20 to play in the half after another basket from Winch.
- Belmont scored seven straight points in the final 65 seconds of the half to take a 38-33 lead into the locker room.
- The Bruins pushed their lead to 10 points with 6:43 to play in the third quarter before a 9-2 Valpo run — featuring five points from Fiona Connolly and buckets from Milana Nenadic and Kayla Sullivan — brought the Beacons within 49-46 with 3:11 remaining in the period.
- Belmont led 57-50 entering the fourth quarter. Valpo was still within eight points over three minutes into the final period before the Bruins went on a 15-1 run to pull away.
- Nenadic scored in double figures for the 11th time this season and paced Valpo for the sixth time as she scored her 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting. The redshirt junior also tied for team-high honors with her 10 boards to record her third double-double this season.
- Valpo's two leading scorers on the season, Connolly and von Schlegell both struggled from the field Thursday, but helped make up for it with their work at the foul line. Connolly hit 7-of-8 from the stripe as she finished with 15 points while also grabbing five rebounds and tying her best in the Valpo uniform with five assists.
- von Schlegell was a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line and finished with nine points.
- Led by the aforementioned duo's work at the charity stripe, the Beacons hit at an 85.7% clip (18-for-21) from the foul line — the team's second-best free throw percentage of the season.
- Winch matched Nenadic as she grabbed 10 rebounds in 15 minutes of action off the bench — her fourth double-figure effort on the boards this season. The pair of posts became the first Valpo players to both snag at least 10 boards in the same game since Amber Lindfors pulled down 15 rebounds and Dani Franklin 11 March 3, 2017 against Youngstown State.
- Valpo shot 28.8% from the field for the game and hit 7-of-23 from 3-point range, while Belmont hit at a 35.1% clip from the floor and was 9-for-33 from the 3-point line. The Bruins' field goal percentage was tied for second-lowest by a Valpo opponent this season.

...versus Illinois State
- Illinois State jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead as the Beacons scored just two points over the game's first five-plus minutes.
- The Redbirds held a 22-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
- The separation between the two teams in the second quarter came at either end of the period, as Illinois State went on a 6-0 run over its first three possessions and then reeled off seven straight to close the half with a 47-21 lead.
- The Redbirds led 74-35 at the end of the third quarter before the Beacons limited them to just nine fourth-quarter points.
- Fiona Connolly has started 31 times and appeared in 58 games for Valpo in her two years on campus. She scored a team-high 13 points — her 17th double-figure output of the year — and tied her career high with a game-best four steals.
- Mikayla Huffine has started all 29 games this season in her first year as a Beacon. Against the Redbirds, she scored two points, grabbed two rebounds and led the Beacons with four assists.
- Bella Swedlund made her 21st appearance in the Valpo uniform against Illinois State, tallying a pair of rebounds.
- Allia von Schlegell joined Connolly in double figures in the scoring department with 10 points.
- Milana Nenadic and Kamryn Winch tied for team-high honors with six rebounds.
- Autumn Dibb recorded three steals to go with Connolly's four as the Beacons totaled 10 steals to match a season high.
- Valpo shot at a 26.6% clip from the field and was 0-for-19 from 3-point range — its first game without a 3-pointer since March 4, 2013 at Youngstown State. Illinois State shot 45.2% from the floor and hit 11-of-26 from the 3-point line.

...looking ahead
- The 2026 MVC Women's Basketball Tournament from Coralville, Iowa will kick off for the Beacons at 8:30 p.m. next Thursday evening, where they will face either Drake or UIC based on this weekend's results.

...at the ARC
- Saturday's game is the last of 13 home games this season for the Beacons, as Valpo hosts three nonconference games and 10 MVC games.
- The Beacons are currently 0-12 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.

@RacersWBB
- Murray State enters the regular season finale as MVC regular season champions, as the Racers are 18-1 in Valley play and 27-3 overall.
- The Racers have won 11 in a row, although their last win required some last-second heroics, as Halli Poock hit three free throws with 1.5 seconds to play to cap a 38-point night in a two-point win.
- Poock leads the MVC and ranks 10th nationally with 22.3 points/game, while Sharneece Currie-Jelks averages 18.2 points/game and 11.8 rebounds/game - the latter mark good for eighth nationally.
- As a team, MSU ranks sixth nationally in scoring offense, posting 85.3 points/game.

Final Weekend? Must Be at Home...
- For the fifth straight season, Valpo finishes the regular season at home on the final weekend of play.
- This is the second time in that stretch the Beacons have hosted Murray State and Belmont in that final weekend, as they did so as well to close the 2022-23 campaign.
- In fact, discounting the COVID-affected 2020-21 season, in seven of the eight seasons since joining the Valley, Valpo has ended the regular season at the ARC.

...and Playing a Top Team
- When Valpo tips off against Murray State on Saturday, it will be the fourth time in the last five seasons it has faced a team atop the MVC standings at the ARC in the final weekend.
- Notably, last season the Beacons knocked off then-MVC co-leader Drake on the Thursday of the final weekend, preventing the Bulldogs from claiming a share of the regular season crown.
- In 2021-22, Valpo defeated Southern Illinois, which had already clinched the regular season title, in the regular season finale.
- In 2022-23, Belmont edged past the Beacons in the finale to clinch a share of the regular season title.

Gobbling Up the Boards
- Kamryn Winch needed just 15:18 of playing time Thursday versus Belmont to pull down 10 rebounds, the fourth time this year she has reached double digits on the glass.
- It was the second time she's reached double figures in less than 16 minutes, as at UIC, she matched her career high with 12 rebounds while playing just 13:10.
- Winch is the only Valpo player to record 10+ boards while playing less than 16 minutes against a D-I opponent since at least 2002-03 - Sylwia Zabielewicz tallied 10 rebounds in 14 minutes in November 2009 against Indiana Tech.
- Winch is the only MVC player and one of just three nationally with multiple such games this season.
- You have to go back to the 2019-20 campaign and Missouri State's Emily Gartner to find the last MVC player with multiple such games in the same season.

500 for Fiona
- With her final point late in the fourth quarter last Saturday against Illinois State, Fiona Connolly tallied the 500th point of her collegiate career.
- Connolly scored 53 points over two seasons at La Salle and scored 109 last year as a junior before exploding this year, scoring 343 to date.
- She has led the Beacons in scoring 11 times and has scored in double figures 18 times this year, including five games of 20+ points - highlighted by a career-best 22-point effort in the home game against Southern Illinois.
- Connolly's points/game average has jumped from 3.5 ppg last year to 12.3 ppg this season - that 8.8 ppg jump ranks 80th nationally and fourth in the MVC (among players who have played at least 15 games in both seasons).
- It is the second-biggest jump by a Valpo player in the Her Hoops Stats era (since 2008-09), behind only Addison Stoller, who went from 3.3 ppg in 2017-18 to 12.8 ppg in 2018-19 for a 9.5 ppg jump.

A Quick 20
- Connolly scored a game-high 20 points last Thursday at UNI - her fifth 20-point game of the season - despite playing just 19:09 due to foul trouble.
- It is the second time this year the Beacons have had a 20-point scorer play fewer than 20 minutes, as Milana Nenadic did so in 19:15 at Iowa State back in November.
- Before this season, Valpo had just three players accomplish the feat in the last 22 years.
- Connolly and Nenadic are the only two MVC players to accomplish the feat this season.

Allia's Big Day(s)
- Freshman Allia von Schlegell has been the Beacons' leading scorer in MVC play, but took it to another level in Valpo's home game against Southern Illinois.
- von Schlegell's 29 points bested her previous career high of 19 points by 10, as she established a career high for field goals made and matched her career best for 3-pointers made.
- von Schlegell scored the most points by a Valpo freshman since Ali Saunders scored 32 against UAB Nov. 21, 2022. It also matched the most points by an MVC freshman this season.
- 15 of von Schlegell's points came in the fourth quarter alone as she outscored SIU in the final period. It is the most points in a single period by a Valpo player this season.
- Even more impressively, von Schlegell scored those 29 points while not committing a single turnover in 35 minutes of action. She is one of just five D-I freshmen this year with a game with 29 or more points and no turnovers.

The Freshman Fills It Up
- von Schlegell has made a big impact in her rookie season.
- She has scored in double figures 18 times this year - 12 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 second among MVC freshmen in scoring (11.5 points/game) and is tied for first in 3-pointers made (60).
- She ranks 50th nationally in freshman scoring and is tied for 13th among freshmen nationally in 3-pointers made.
- von Schlegell scored in double figures six times in nonconference action, tied for seventh-most in program history by a freshman in nonconference games since Valpo joined the North Star Conference for the 1987-88 season.
- 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.

Freshman Scoring Leaders
- von Schlegell is one of just nine freshmen in program history to score at least 300 points as a rookie and has put herself in position to challenge Valpo's freshman scoring record.
- Sarrah Stricklett scored 377 points as a rookie in 1996-97, a mark which von Schlegell enters Saturday 33 points back of:
377 - Sarrah Stricklett, 1996-97
365 - Dani Franklin, 2014-15
351 - Debbie Bolen, 1989-90
344 - Allia von Schlegell, 2025-26
331 - Tabitha Gerardot, 2010-11
329 - Meredith Hamlet, 2015-16
326 - Jeanette Gray, 1999-2000
322 - Ali Saunders, 2022-23
302 - Jasmyn Walker, 2014-15
- Notably, every player on this list was an All-Freshman/Newcomer Team honoree in their respective season.

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.
- 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.
- Nenadic went on to score 18 points later that weekend against Drake and was named MVC Newcomer of the Week Jan. 19 for her efforts, becoming Valpo's first MVC weekly award winner in over four years.

Skip the Second?
- Four times in MVC play, the second quarter has proven to be the Beacons' undoing.
- Most recently, the Beacons were outscored by SIU at the ARC 25-13 in the second quarter, while the other three quarters saw Valpo hold the 60-57 edge.
- Drake outscored Valpo at the ARC 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
- For the first time this season, Valpo has utilized the same starting lineup - Huffine, von Schlegell, Connolly, Sullivan and Nenadic - in more than four consecutive games, as this quintet has started seven straight.
- The Beacons have used 10 different starting lineups this year.
- Ten different players have been a part of at least one starting five this year, with only one - 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).