Women’s Basketball Falls to Miami (Ohio) Tuesday
A run spanning the first and second quarters was too much for the Valpo women’s basketball team to overcome on Tuesday evening in Oxford, Ohio, as host Miami (Ohio) came away with a 67-49 win over the Brown and Gold.
How It Happened
– The two teams traded baskets early on, with Valpo earning an 8-6 advantage with 5:33 to play in the first quarter on the second early bucket from senior Ella Ellenson (Rice Lake, Wis./Rice Lake).
– Miami went on a 12-3 run from that point to end the quarter, going ahead 18-11 at the end of 10 minutes.
– The RedHawks’ run continued in the second period, as they outscored Valpo 12-2 over the first seven minutes of the quarter to extend their edge to 17 points.
– Valpo counted with a fast-break layup from junior Shay Frederick (Greenville, Wis./Hortonville) and a 3-pointer by senior Caitlin Morrison (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 12, but Miami scored the final five points of the half to take a 35-18 lead into the locker room.
– After Miami scored the first two baskets of the second half, Valpo went on a 10-2 run — including five points and an assist from junior Carie Weinman (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South [Denver]) — to close to within 41-28 with 6:52 to play in the period. But the RedHawks hit a 3-pointer on their next possession, and Valpo was unable to get any closer the rest of the way.
Inside the Game
– Weinman led Valpo on Tuesday with 16 points. The junior also came up with four steals for the third time this year and is averaging 3.5 steals/game through four contests.
– Frederick joined Weinman in double figures, finishing with 13 points to go with four assists.
– Ellenson added a season-best nine points, while Morrison paced the Brown and Gold with seven rebounds.
– Sophomore Cara VanKempen (Coopersville, Mich./Coopersville) made the first start of her Valpo career, while freshman Ava Interrante (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) scored the first points of her career by knocking down a trio of free throws.
– Valpo shot just 31.6% from the field Tuesday and was 5-of-27 from the 3-point line, while Miami hit at a 41.7% clip and was 7-of-19 from deep.
– The RedHawks enjoyed a 50-26 advantage on the glass.
– Valpo did force 21 Miami turnovers and held a 22-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
– Valpo played Tuesday without leading scorer Grace White.
Thoughts From Coach Evans
“We knew that protecting our paint and rebounding was going to be really important tonight. I think that Miami did a great job crashing the glass, and we needed to do a better job boxing out and rebounding. Miami brought a lot of energy and excitement and I don’t think we matched their energy. I need to do a better job getting our players ready to play. We will watch film and make corrections and get better. We will learn from this and get better, and that is what this time of the year is all about.”
“It is going to be really nice to get back home and play in front of our family and friends. It will also be great to get some time between games to work on some fundamentals and get better. We have played a lot of games over a short period of time, and it will be good to get some good practice time in and get better both offensively and defensively.”
Next Up
After four straight road games to open the season, Valpo (2-2) is slated to kick off the home schedule at the ARC Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. against Western Michigan.