Facing the University of Illinois Illini in Champaign, IL Wednesday, the Valparaiso Crusaders looked to rebound after dropping the season opener Sunday afternoon.
It was a HUGE win for the Crusaders after dropping the previous four meetings by at least 19 points each. The Crusaders earned their first win over the Illini and the first over a power five conference opponent since 2012.
Valpo held Illinois scoreless over the last 2:54 seconds to walk away with a 62-59 victory at State Farm Center in Champaign.
Senior Caitlin Morrison put Valpo up for good with a layup and 0:42.8 to play in the game.
Trailing by five going into the fourth quarter, it seemed the Illini would walk away victorious once again. The Crusaders surrendered the first basket to Illinois, but bounced right back on a three-pointer by junior Carrie Weinman. That cut the lead down to one. Another three-pointer by sophomore Cara VanKempen tied the game at 56 with 6:41 to play.
The next few minutes would become a defensive showdown as both sides stepped up the intensity. For a stretch of five minutes, only three points, all by Illinois, were scored. This put the Illini up 59-56 with under two minutes to play.
The biggest basket perhaps came when senior Grace White as on Valpo's first possession under two minutes, drove down the left side and finished up and over two Illinois defenders from the block to make it a one point lead for Illinois.
Illinois missed two shots on the next possession and that led to Valpo calling a timeout after rebounding the second missed shot to advance the ball into the frontcourt with only 0:49.3 to play. The inbounds went to White, whose attempted drive on the right side got cut off. Morrison would flash down the middle of the paint and caught a perfect pass from White. The easy bucket put Valpo up 60-59 with 0:42.8 left in the game.
Wienman came up with a block on an inside effort by Illinois on the defensive end. The forced foul put Valpo in the bonus. White would split the pair of free throws with 0:26.5 to push the lead to 61-59 in favor of Valpo.
Illinois would come down and miss two crucial free throws that could have tied the game and possibly sent it to overtime. Freshman Lauren Gunn corralled the second free throw after being put back in the game on the previous defensive possession. Gunn would draw the foul and split the pair of free throws to put Valpo up 62-59 with 0:10.7 to play.
The final desperation three-point attempt by Illinois to tie the game and send it to overtime was off the mark and the rebound bounced around until the final buzzer. This would secure the win by Valpo over Illinois and send the team into a locker room frenzy.
Head Coach Mary Perry Evans stated that the older players on the team have made so much progress over the years. They work hard and put in the effort to be in the position to win big games. "I am so proud of how they responded this week after a tough loss on Sunday. They came out with their only goal being to try and get a win."
Evans thinks the Missouri Valley Conference is one of the best in the country. "My staff and I have to schedule non-conference games that will prepare us for conference play."
Next up for the Crusaders is a trip to West Lafayette, Indiana and a matchup with the Purdue Boilermakers. That game tips off Sunday afternoon at 1pm. Fans can watch the game on Big Ten Network Plus or listen on WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso). This is the second of back to back Big Ten opponents for the women. Their third and final Big Ten opponent is the Wisconsin Badgers. That game is at the Athletics-Recreation Center and tips off on December 20 at 2pm.
The other two home games are December 12 against Western Michigan at 1pm. That game will be on ESPN3. The second home game is December 16 against Xavier. That game is on ESPN+ and tips off at 1pm. No fans are allowed in the Athletics-Recreation Center due to the COVID pandemic. Only family members of players and media personnel are permitted.
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