Valpo U Falls to SIUE Friday Evening
Allia von Schlegell (Downers Grove, Ill./Nazareth Academy) scored a career-best 18 points to lead all scorers as five Beacons scored at least eight points, but it wasn’t enough Friday evening at the ARC as visiting SIUE came away with the 76-69 victory.
How It Happened
– The Beacons found themselves in an early hole, as the Cougars opened the game on a 10-2 run over the first four minutes.
– Valpo responded with an 11-2 run featuring points from five different players, and when Milana Nenadic (Kitchener, Ontario/Cameron Heights [Idaho State/Maine]) hit a jumper with 2:18 to play in the opening period, the Beacons led 13-12.
– SIUE held a 15-13 edge when the clock expired on the first quarter.
– The Cougars’ lead was six approaching the midway point of the second period before von Schlegell and Kennedy Sproule (Niverville, Manitoba/Churchill [Bay College]) hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, forcing SIUE to call a timeout with the score tied at 21 and 5:19 remaining in the half.
– Out of the stoppage, SIUE went on a 10-2 run over the next three-plus minutes to regain control. The Cougars’ lead was 36-30 at halftime.
– The story of the third quarter was close but no cigar for the Beacons. Six separate times, Valpo cut the SIUE advantage to a one-possession game, but was never able to tie or take the lead.
– A 3-point play from Autumn Dibb (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) and a pair of free throws from von Schlegell brought Valpo within 51-50 with 1:59 to play in the third period, but SIUE scored the final four points of the quarter to lead 55-50 with 10 minutes to play.
– Back-to-back triples for the Cougars blew a five-point lead up to 11, forcing a Valpo timeout with 6:02 remaining in the game. The Beacons battled back from as much as a 12-point deficit to get to within five late, but were unable to get any closer.
Inside the Game
– von Schlegell finished with a game-high 18 points, outdoing her previous best of 15 from earlier this season at Milwaukee. It was her fourth double-figure scoring effort of the season.
– Fiona Connolly (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]) joined her in double figures with 13 points, hitting double digits for the seventh time this year. Connolly also dished out a team-best four assists while not committing a turnover.
– Sproule came off the bench to hit 3-of-5 from 3-point range for nine points, while Nenadic and Kamryn Winch (Bonne Terre, Mo./North County [Maryville]) added eight points apiece.
– Valpo did a lot of its offensive damage at the foul line Friday, where it was a +14 over SIUE. The Beacons hit 20-of-24 from the stripe, their first time hitting at least 20 free throws while shooting at least 80% since doing so last December against Southern Illinois.
– The Beacons held the edge in the rebounding department for the third time in their last five games, finishing with a 38-33 advantage. A balanced team effort on the glass was led by six boards from Dibb.
– Valpo finished with a season-low 12 turnovers.
Next Up
Valpo (0-10) faces a quick turnaround, as it makes the short trip to Kalamazoo, Mich. for a noon CT tip at Western Michigan Sunday afternoon.