Nenadic Sets Field Goals Record; Beacons Drop Road Tilt at Illinois State
Valpo women’s basketball redshirt junior Milana Nenadic (Kitchener, Ontario/Cameron Heights [Idaho State/Maine]) had the game of her life Thursday evening at Illinois State, setting a program record for field goals made in a single game by going 16-for-25 from the floor in a 34-point performance. The Beacons led the Redbirds after the opening quarter, but Illinois State took the lead for good in the second quarter in an eventual 93-74 win.
How It Happened
– Allia von Schlegell (Downers Grove, Ill./Nazareth Academy) knocked down a pair of early 3-pointers, Fiona Connolly (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]) hit from deep and Nenadic had five quick points as the Beacons used a 11-2 run to jump out to a 14-8 lead approaching the midway mark of the first quarter.
– von Schlegell hit her third triple of the game with 2:28 to play in the period, and after Illinois State moved within one late in the quarter, converted a driving layup to put the Beacons up 23-20 after 10 minutes.
– The Redbirds regained the lead early in the second quarter, but von Schlegell returned the lead to the Beacons with another triple with 7:25 to play in the half. After a quick five-point spurt from ISU, Connolly slowed the Redbird momentum with a triple.
– Valpo was within 34-33 at the halfway mark of the second period before Illinois State went on a 17-2 run, closing the half leading 51-35.
– The Redbirds started the second half with another 17-2 run to push their lead to 68-37. The Beacons outscored ISU 13-8 over the final half of the third quarter — including nine points from Nenadic — to make it a 76-50 game with 10 minutes to play.
– After winning the first quarter, Valpo closed the game by winning the fourth quarter as well, 24-17. Nenadic nearly outscored the Redbirds herself in the final period, dropping 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting over the final 10 minutes.
Inside the Game
– Nenadic was the story of the night for the Beacons, 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 is just the fourth MVC player in the last nine seasons with at least 16 baskets in a game, and joins some pretty good company in that department — Drake’s Katie Dinnebier, Belmont’s Destinee Wells and Murray State’s Katelyn Young. She is tied for 24th overall in MVC history for baskets 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.
– To reiterate, Nenadic came off the bench on Thursday — the 34 points are the most by a reserve in program history.
– She scored her 34 points Thursday while being matched up primarily against a likely All-MVC honoree in Illinois State’s Doneelah Washington — notable, as Nenadic’s previous career best was 20 points earlier this year while facing All-American Audi Crooks at Iowa State.
– Thursday marked the second time in the last three years a Beacon has dropped 30 or more at Illinois State, as Leah Earnest finished with 32 points at CEFCU Arena in 2024. No other Valpo opponent has had more than one 30-point performance against them since the start of the 2009-10 season.
– Nenadic also paced Valpo on the glass with six rebounds.
– The game was bookended by big periods, as Nenadic closed with a 14-point quarter after von Schlegell had kicked off the game with 11 points in the first quarter.
– The freshman finished with 16 points, her 10th double-figure scoring effort of the year. She matched her season best for made field goals, going 6-of-9 from the floor — including 4-for-5 from 3-point range.
– von Schlegell also dished out a season-high five assists, matching Mikayla Huffine (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Lutheran [Quincy/Iowa Western C.C.]) for team-high honors.
– Led by Nenadic and von Schlegell, Valpo shot a season best from the field, hitting 32-of-72 — its 32 made baskets the program’s most in a single game since Dec. 28, 2019 against Chicago State.
– The Beacons gave themselves that many chances at the basket because they committed a season-low eight turnovers, their lowest mark since committing just eight miscues against Bradley Jan. 29, 2023. Contrast that with the team’s 17 assists, their second-best mark of the season.
– Despite forcing just nine turnovers, Valpo won the turnover battle for the first time this season.
– Illinois State shot 54.5% from the floor to earn the win on Thursday. The Redbirds also went 16-for-20 from the foul line versus the Beacons’ 1-for-5.
Next Up
Valpo (0-18, 0-7 MVC) continues Valley play on Sunday afternoon at the ARC at 1 p.m. against Drake, capping a busy weekend in Valpo Athletics as the All-Sports Reunion weekend comes to an end. The Kids Zone will be open, and tickets are available at https://tickets.valpoathletics.com/event/valpo-womens-basketball-vs-drake-1dp82p.