Crusaders Can’t Capitalize on Wright State’s Shooting Struggles in Loss to First-Place Raiders
The Valparaiso University women’s basketball team held first-place Wright State to under 30 percent shooting for the second consecutive meeting, but the Raiders racked up 23 offensive rebounds and forced 17 turnovers on their way to a 63-48 win on Thursday evening at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. Dani Franklin (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / George Washington) scored 17 of her team-high 19 points after halftime and matched a career high with 16 rebounds for her second straight double-double.
How It Happened
- Neither team could find the bottom of the net in the first 5:34 of the game. When play stopped for the first media timeout with 4:47 left in the first quarter, neither team had scored and the two squads were a combined 0-for-15 shooting. The Raiders were 0-for-10, while Valpo was 0-for-5 with five turnovers.
- The Crusaders were the first team to break through when Meredith Hamlet (McBain, Mich. / McBain) worked her way into the lane for a jumper with 4:26 left in the first. Wright State scratched its way onto the scoreboard 10 seconds later when Lexi Smith converted a pair of free throws. After a layup by Amber Lindfors (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove) put Valpo up 4-2, the Raiders finally achieved their first made basket of the game on a layup by Chelsea Welch 8:32 into the game.
- The first quarter ended with Wright State in front 8-4. The Raiders shot 11.1 percent (2-of-18) in the first 10 minutes, while the Crusaders were 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) and committed eight turnovers.
- The Raiders led 15-8 with 4:11 left in the second quarter, but the Crusaders put together a 5-0 run to climb to within one possession. The run was capped by an Allison Schofield (McCordsville, Ill. / Heritage Christian) 3-pointer with 1:57 left in the second quarter, the first made 3 of the day by either team.
- Valpo trailed 20-16 with 30 seconds left in the first half and had the ball coming out of a timeout. The possession came to an abrupt halt when Valpo was called for double dribbling, giving Wright State the ball with 22 seconds to go in the half. The Crusaders played strong defense for the majority of that time, but with less than a second remaining in the half Franklin was whistled for a foul, followed by a technical against Valpo’s bench. Four straight free throws by Welch closed the half and doubled Wright State’s lead to eight.
- Lindfors scored the first basket of the second half to trim the deficit to six, but the Raiders followed with a 9-0 run to boost the lead to 15 at 33-18 with 5:33 left in the third quarter. The run was highlighted by a made 3 by Welch, Wright State’s first made 3 of the game after an 0-for-13 first half. That triple came with 7:01 left in the third and boosted the Wright State edge to double figures for the first time in the game.
- Valpo’s scoring drought of over four minutes in length was snapped when Schofield swished in her second triple of the game at the 5:15 mark of the third. The Crusaders whittled the deficit down to single digits on Franklin’s first made 3 of the game with 3:59 left in the third, but Valpo trailed by double figures for the remainder of the quarter.
- The Crusaders started the fourth with layups by Hamlet and Caitlin Morrison (Glenview, Ill. / Glenbrook South) on back-to-back possessions to make it 46-39 with 8:30 to go, but Valpo would get no closer.
Inside the Game
- Franklin equaled her rebounding career high after also grabbing 16 boards on Nov. 30, 2016 against Evansville.
- Franklin has back-to-back double-doubles for the third time this year. She now owns seven double-doubles this season and eight for her career.
- Franklin now has the eighth-highest single-season point total in Valpo history with 448 points this season. She passed Lyn Swanson (1985-86) and Agnieszka Kulaga (2007-08) to move from 10th to eighth with her performance on Thursday.
- Lindfors racked up four blocked shots in the game, lifting her season total to 53. She now has two 50-block seasons in her Valpo career, becoming the first player in Crusader history to do so. Her season total now ranks fourth in school history.
- Lindfors also chipped in six points and pulled down 12 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass. Lindfors was limited to 22 minutes due to foul trouble and eventually fouled out with 1:47 left. The Crusaders were already playing without backup center Haylee Thompson, sidelined by an injury.
- Schofield’s eight points matched a career best set on Dec. 4 of this season at Notre Dame. This was the first time she knocked down a pair of triples since the game against the Fighting Irish. Schofield also dished out a career-high and game-high three assists.
- Hamlet scored nine points on 4-of-9 shooting in her first game back after missing two games with a concussion.
- The Crusaders were outscored 17-2 in points off turnovers. Combining the two meetings with Wright State, Valpo was outscored in points off turnovers 40-5.
- Smith finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, all of them coming on the offensive glass. The Raiders also received 17 rebounds from Symone Simmons, who became one of three players with a 17-rebound game in Horizon League play this season. Welch led Wright State with 26 points.
Next Up
The Crusaders will continue the road swing on Saturday for a noon Central Time start at Northern Kentucky in Highland Heights. The game can be seen on ESPN3, WatchESPN and the ESPN app. It can also be heard on 95.1 FM Valparaiso with Brandon Vickrey and Ben Ariano providing the hometown call. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.
Crusader Cross Country Teams Earn Academic Recognition
The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s cross country teams have been named U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Teams for their success this past season in the classroom.
In order to be selected for this recognition, teams need a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The Crusader men’s squad garnered a team GPA of 3.31, while the women recorded an impressive 3.45.
Along with this award, both teams placed several student-athletes on the 2016 Fall Horizon League Academic Honor Roll. Eight Crusader men were named to the honor roll, led by senior Adam Bruno (Bloomington, Ill./University), who owns a 3.93 cumulative GPA as a history and secondary education major. On the women’s side, five Crusaders were honored, with sophomore Emma Chelsvig (Jacksonville, Ill./Jacksonville) posting the team’s top GPA with a 3.98 as a geography major.
To be eligible for the Horizon League Honor Roll, student-athletes must participant in one of the league’s 19 sports during the most recent or current season, complete three semesters as a full-time student as the same institution and lastly, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a 4.0 scale.
Emhardt, Schorsch Continue to Climb ITA Rankings
The good news just keeps coming for the Valparaiso University men’s tennis program.
A day after sweeping the Horizon League’s weekly awards, Valpo received more positive attention as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its latest batch of Oracle/ITA collegiate singles and doubles rankings on Wednesday. The team’s top doubles duo of Jeffrey Schorsch (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg) and Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) continued to climb the national rankings.
Schorsch and Emhardt have cracked the Top 10 and are now ranked eighth in the nation. They jumped nine spots from their previous ranking of No. 17. The Crusader pair is 13-5 overall and 3-1 in dual matches this spring. The two players rank first and second in Valpo history in career doubles wins, and Emhardt’s next victory will make him the first player in program history with 100 career doubles triumphs.
Valpo (3-1) returns to the courts on Sunday in Kalamazoo, Mich. for a date with Western Michigan that is slated to begin at 1 p.m. Central Time.
New Era of Crusader Golf to Tee Off on Friday
When the Valparaiso University women’s golf team cracks out the clubs for the first time this spring on Friday afternoon in Port St. Lucie, Fla., a new era of Crusader golf will begin.
This week’s Ball State Sunshine Invitational will mark the debut of first-year head coach Jon Haas, who was hired in December to guide the Crusaders.
So far, the transition from his previous post at Crown Point High School, where he was the head coach for both the boys and girls programs, has been a smooth one for Haas.
“It’s been phenomenal,” Haas said. “The girls have really worked hard and embraced me and my coaching style. They’ve been awesome to work with.”
The Crusaders may have a new face in charge of the program, but there’s no shortage of familiarity on a team comprised of two newcomers and six returnees. It all starts with senior Angie Kim (Schaumburg, Ill. / Fremd), who had the team’s top average during the fall at 78.92. Junior Katie Willenbrink (Mishawaka, Ind. / Penn) was also a fall standout, narrowly behind Kim for the team lead at 79.00.
“Angie and Katie both had really good falls,” Haas said. “Both worked really hard over the winter. They came back to campus with their swings looking good after Christmas break. I think those two have been the highlights of the year so far.”
After the opening meet this weekend, the Crusaders continue the spring docket with the Bulldog Florida Invitational (March 8-9), the Fort Wayne Spring Classic (April 2-3) and the Crusader/Jaguar Challenge (April 9-10). The season culminates with the Horizon League Championships (April 23-25) in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
“The goal is to win the Horizon League championship,” Haas said. “I’ve spent a lot of time looking through stats from the fall and what other teams have done, and I think if we play well over that three-day stretch we can be very competitive.”
But first thing’s first for the Crusaders, and that’s this weekend’s spring lid-lifter in the Sunshine State. The Crusaders leave for Port St. Lucie on Thursday in advance of Friday’s opening day of competition.
“It’s going to be my first tournament as a college coach,” Haas said. “It’s going to be my first time out on the golf course with these girls. Our golf room is a great resource for us, but I’m looking forward to getting out on grass and seeing how the girls do there.”
The Crusaders feature a slew of names that locals may recognize, as junior Kiana Jongsma (Dyer, Ind. / Lake Central), sophomore Kylie Shoemake (Schererville, Ind. / Lake Central) and freshman Tiffany Curtis (Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point) all play for the Crusaders after competing in Northwest Indiana during their prep tenure. In addition, Valpo welcomes first-year assistant coach Bri Davy, who graduated from Lake Central and played collegiately for the Crusaders.
Kayla Krueger (Spring Lake, Mich. / Spring Lake) joins Curtis to form this year’s freshman class, while Sydney Shrum (Cloverdale, Ind. / Cloverdale) joins Kim as the senior duo. Madison McCreary (Batesville, Ind. / Batesville) is back for her sophomore season after playing in 10 events and shooting 23 rounds as a rookie.
“The one thing all of our players need to work on is their ability to grind through rounds when things aren’t going the best,” Haas said. “Just like any golf team, we’re going to be as good as our fourth and fifth scorers. If our girls can maintain really good mental toughness and grind through each round, I think we can have an exceptional season.”
Valpo Sweeps Horizon League Player of the Week Awards
Valparaiso University men’s tennis player Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) has been named the Horizon League Player of the Week, his first individual Player of the Week honor this season. In addition, the Crusaders No. 3 doubles team of Kyle Dunn (Fond du Lac. Wis. / Fond du Lac) and Garrett Gardner (Poland, Ohio / Poland) has been named the Horizon League Doubles Team of the Week.
Valpo has now captured four Horizon League weekly awards in the last three weeks after the Crusaders also swept the awards two weeks ago. Emhardt, a senior, picks up the fourth Horizon League Player of the Week award of his career and the first since the fall of his sophomore campaign. Dunn and Gardner notched their first Doubles Team of the Week recognition as the award was just started this season.
After winning at No. 5 and No. 6 singles in Valpo’s first two dual matches, Emhardt was elevated to No. 3 singles this weekend. He captured a pair of wins, beating Butler’s Mason Dragos 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Friday and William & Mary’s Addison Appleby 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 on Sunday. In both cases, Emhardt rallied after losing the first set to win his match. On Sunday, his comeback win provided the clinching point of a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Tribe.
After sitting out the match against Wisconsin on Jan. 28, Valpo's No. 3 doubles team returned to the court and didn't skip a beat, winning both matches this weekend. Their 6-2 win over Butler's Spencer Lang and Temilope Adelakun allowed the Crusaders to earn the doubles point despite their No. 1 team falling. The win over Damon Niquet and Christian Cargill on Sunday was also important, as it clinched the doubles point in an eventual 4-3 win for the Crusaders.
After sweeping their first home weekend to improve to 3-1 on the season, the Crusaders hit the road for Kalamazoo, Mich. on Sunday. The match against Western Michigan is slated to begin at 1 p.m. Central Time.
