The Valparaiso University women’s basketball team used an 8-0 run midway through the first half to build an 11 point halftime lead and effective free throw shooting down the stretch to seal the deal and secure a spot in the Horizon League quarterfinals with a 67-57 victory over the University of Illinois-Chicago on Monday night.
Junior forward Tabitha Gerardot finished with a game high 25 points and 11 rebounds. Gerardot played well early to set the tone for the Valpo victory, recording 16 points and six rebounds before halftime.
The Crusaders shot 12 first half free throws and finished the night 22-for-29 (75.9 percent) from the stripe in a very physical contest. Gerardot said frequent Flames’ fouls, especially in the first half, helped Valparaiso settle into a groove.
“It definitely let us play our game because when you don’t get those called, it’s hard not to get knocked out of your element a little bit,” she said. “They were swinging really hard and the refs were calling it, and that’s how it should be.”
Senior Laura Richards was questionable for the game due to illness, but she finished with 12 points in her final game at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
The Crusaders limited UIC to just a 34.4 field goal percentage in the second half. In the first half, the Flames went over four minutes without a point while Valpo scored eight straight.
“I just felt like our defense was very solid, almost the entire day,” Valparaiso head coach Tracy Dorow said. “During that stretch I would imagine we were moving our feet very well and talking and getting to their players and playing their personnel. I thought we did a pretty good job of containing their kids that we knew were going to drive, keeping them in front and making them take tough runners.”
Shaquira Scott went down with an ankle injury in the first half and did not return. Dorow is optimistic about Scott’s chances of returning on Wednesday.
“Fortunately, we don’t think it’s too serious,” she said. “She’ll be doing rehab the next couple of days.”
The win marked the 11th Crusader victory of the season, surpassing the 10 win total from last season. Valparaiso will travel to Green Bay to collide with the host Phoenix, who are the top seed in the tournament, on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Green Bay has won 15 straight Horizon League regular season titles and rapped off 21 straight conference victories. Valpo will be playing its third game in five days.
“It’s much more fun to play than to practice,” Dorow said. “We have some things that we’re ready to do tomorrow morning; we’re going to practice here before we leave, and hopefully get tons of rest tomorrow so we’ll be ready to go again on Wednesday.”