Women’s Basketball Season Comes to End at Hoops in the Heartland Quarterfinal
The 2021-22 season came to a close for the Valpo women’s basketball team on Friday night in Moline, Ill., as the sixth-seeded Beacons dropped their quarterfinal matchup at Hoops in the Heartland to third-seeded UNI, 63-39.
How It Happened
– Caitlin Morrison (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) connected on a 3-pointer 3:46 into the game to bring Valpo within 6-3.
– The Beacons were limited to one basket over the final six minutes of the opening quarter as UNI scored eight of the final 10 points of the period to lead 14-5 at the end of the first.
– Carie Weinman (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South [Denver]) knocked down a pair of field goals in the first five minutes of the second quarter, the second of which made the score 21-11.
– UNI scored the final 10 points of the half to lead 31-11 at intermission.
– The Panthers led by as many as 25 points in the third quarter and were up 45-21 with 10 minutes to play.
– Ava Interrante (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) scored four quick points early in the fourth quarter, while Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) had seven points late in the period as Valpo played UNI even over the final 10 minutes.
Inside the Game
– This marks the fourth time in as many appearances at Hoops in the Heartland that Valpo has advanced to the quarterfinals before falling.
– Valpo shot just 28.6% from the floor Friday, its worst percentage from the field since hitting at a 25% clip in its regular season road loss to the Panthers.
– Weinman led Valpo on Friday with nine points and matched a season best with four steals.
– Shay Frederick (Greenville, Wis./Hortonville) added eight points and a team-best three assists, as she closed the season with 144 assists — sixth-most in a single season in program history.
– Earnest finished with seven points and a team-high six rebounds.
– Interrante matched her career bests for scoring, rebounds and assists, finishing with four, two and two respectively in nine minutes of fourth-quarter action.
– Jayda Johnston (Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area) connected on her first career field goal in the fourth quarter, finishing with three points in the final period.
Inside the Careers
– Morrison closed out a career during which she donned the Valpo uniform 141 times and started on 137 occasions, both program records.
– Morrison finished up with 850 points and 485 rebounds, and ranks fourth in program history with 136 career blocked shots.
– Weinman appeared in 78 games for Valpo and finished her career with 1,116 points, 927 of which came for Valpo.
– With her four steals Friday, Weinman finished with 177 steals in her three seasons at Valpo, eighth-most in program history.
– White saw action in 75 games for Valpo and scored 747 points in the Brown and Gold, part of a collegiate career in which she totaled 1,024 points.
– White also tallied 405 rebounds, dished out 161 assists and registered 137 steals in her time at Valpo. Her .787 career free throw percentage at Valpo ranks seventh in program history.