Defensive Domination: Women’s Basketball Triumphs in MVC Opener Against SIU

The Valpo women’s basketball squad showcased one of its standout defensive efforts of the season to commence the Missouri Valley Conference with a 1-0 record, as the Beacons maintained the lead for the last 35 minutes of a 69-51 triumph at the ARC against Southern Illinois. Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) topped three Beacons in double figures offensively with 22 points and contributed 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double this season.
 
How It Unfolded

• The Beacons had a sluggish start offensively, trailing the Salukis 6-2 four minutes into the match.
• Valpo seized the lead for good with an 11-0 run, which included two three-pointers from Nevaeh Jackson (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) and five points from Earnest, to take a 13-6 lead with 3:28 remaining in the initial period.
• SIU narrowed the gap to three late in the quarter, but Katie Beyer (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) capped an eight-point opening quarter with a last-second layup off a pass from Mor Shabtai (Tel Aviv, Israel/Tichonet) to close the quarter at 21-15 in favor of Valpo 10 minutes into the contest.
• The match took what seemed to be a critical turn a bit past the halfway mark of the second quarter, as SIU had reduced the deficit to 26-25 and held two possessions with a chance to take the lead.
• Valpo executed defensive stops both times, and following the second stop, Beyer connected on a three-pointer to not only provide the Beacons some breathing space, but also ignited a 9-0 run, extending the lead into double digits for the first time.
• Valpo eventually headed into halftime with a 36-26 advantage.
• The Beacons’ lead fluctuated between 10 and 13 points for the initial five plus minutes of the second half before a swift three-possession burst — an Earnest layup, a Jackson three-pointer, and a fast-break layup by Lexi Castator (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) initiated by an Earnest blocked shot — elevated the lead to 18 with 3:22 left in the quarter.
• Valpo’s lead was 58-41 with 10 minutes remaining.
• This decisive advantage proved very advantageous in the last quarter, as the Beacons began the final stanza with 12 consecutive empty possessions. SIU scored on four of its five offensive trips to close the gap to 58-49 with 7:44 to play, prompting a Valpo timeout.
• While the Beacons continued to struggle offensively, their defense held strong, restricting the Salukis to just two free throws in the subsequent four minutes to maintain some distance.
• Layla Gold (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) finally ended the offensive dry spell with a driving layup with 3:23 left, and Jackson added a drive and finish on the next possession to make it 62-51, forcing an SIU timeout with 2:45 remaining.
• The Beacons did not concede a point for the rest of the game, securing victory with an 11-0 run and holding the Salukis scoreless from the field in the final 7:44 and without a point over the last 5:05.

 
Game Insights

• The victory marked Valpo’s first in an MVC opener since initiating the 2020-21 season 1-0 in Valley play with a win over UNI. Significantly, this was the only other instance since joining the Valley where Valpo commenced the conference schedule at the ARC.
• This win was Valpo’s fifth in 14 historical confrontations against SIU, halting a three-game winning streak by the Salukis. The 18-point victory margin represented the largest for Valpo in this series.
• The Beacons held the Salukis to 19-of-60 shooting from the field on Sunday, establishing a 31.7% shooting percentage — the lowest for a Valpo D-I opponent this season.
• Moreover, Valpo restricted SIU to 1-of-14 shooting from beyond the arc, replicating the performance against Goshen earlier this year. This constituted the best defensive three-point percentage by Valpo against a D-I rival since allowing Purdue to shoot 0-of-15 from deep in the win against the Boilermakers on Dec. 6, 2020.
• Leading with three steals from Earnest, the Beacons accumulated 10 steals on Sunday — marking their seventh double-digit steal game this year.
• On the offensive side, Valpo recorded a shooting percentage of 46.5% from the field and was 9-of-20 from three-point land. The Beacons’ 45% accuracy beyond the arc was their second-best this season — they have now achieved at least 40% from three-point range in four of the last six contests.
• Valpo also capitalized on its foul shot opportunities over the weekend, finishing 20-of-24 from the free throw line — the 83.3% free throw efficiency being the team’s second-best of the season.
• Earnest concluded the match with 22 points, including a 10-of-12 performance from the foul line, and recorded 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double this season.
• Earnest’s performance represented her third double-double of over 20 points this year, tying her for the highest number among MVC participants.
• The graduate student stepped onto the court for the 125^th time in her Valpo career, tying for the second-most in the program’s history. She also rose two spots on the all-time free throws made list, advancing to fourth with 285 career free throws.
• Jackson supported Earnest with an 18-point contribution, including a 4-of-7 showing from the three-point line. The sophomore has reached double digits for the ninth time this season and has made at least four three-pointers on four occasions.
• Additionally, Jackson recorded a season-best six rebounds, a mark matched by Maci Rhoades (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek [Radford]), who also achieved a season-high.
• Thanks to her eight-point opening quarter, Beyer concluded with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting to register in double digits for the fourth time this season.
• Shabtai earned her first collegiate start in this victory, registering a season-high five assists in 27 minutes of play.
• Even though they surrendered 11 offensive rebounds and 21 overall boards to SIU’s Gift Uchenna — the D-I leader in offensive rebounding — Valpo faced only a slight disadvantage on the boards with a 35-32 margin in this win. After the Salukis netted eight second-chance points in the opening quarter, the Beacons contained SIU to merely two second-chance points in the last 30 minutes.

Postgame Press Conference – Mary Evans and Nevaeh Jackson

Upcoming

Valpo (5-7, 1-0 MVC) embarks on a challenging phase of four straight away games on Thursday evening from Cedar Falls, Iowa, as the Beacons face UNI at 6 p.m. The contest can be viewed live on ESPN+.