Grace White (Chippewa) Scores Career High 23 as Valpo Women Take Down Xavier

Another day, another win over a power conference program for the Valpo women’s basketball team, as the Brown and Gold used a big first-half run to take control against Big East foe Xavier Wednesday afternoon at the ARC and then held off a rally from the Musketeers down the stretch to win, 88-83, thanks in large part to a clutch 3-pointer from senior Caitlin Morrison (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) in the final minute.

How It Happened

–        Valpo got off to a slow start offensively Wednesday, scoring just one field goal in the first six minutes of the contest as Xavier pulled out to a 14-2 lead.

–        But like flipping a switch, the offense got hot really quick. It started with a 3-point play from senior Grace White (Chippewa/Red Lake Nation) with 3:47 to play in the quarter, included five points by sophomore Cara VanKempen (Coopersville, Mich./Coopersville) and finished with five points in the final 45 seconds of the period from junior Shay Frederick (Greenville, Wis./Hortonville).

–        In all, Valpo scored on seven of its last eight possessions of the first period in a 17-2 run over the final 3:47 of the quarter to pull ahead 19-16 at the end of one.

–        The quarter break did nothing to slow the offense down. Junior Carie Weinman (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South [Denver]) scored baskets on each of Valpo’s first three possessions in the second quarter to start a stretch of seven straight trips with baskets to open the period.

–        Weinman knocked down a 3-pointer later in the stretch as well, and the run closed just as it opened — with a 3-point play by White to extend the lead to 37-20. Valpo outscored Xavier 18-4 over the first 4:09 of the second quarter, making it a 35-6 run over 7:56 spanning the two periods which saw the Brown and Gold score 14 times in a 15-possession span.

–        The lead remained in double digits for the remainder of the second quarter, with Valpo eventually carrying a 41-29 advantage into the locker room.

–        Xavier pulled to within eight points halfway through the third period, but five straight points from Weinman and a pair of free throws by White comprised a quick 7-0 spurt to push the lead back to 15 points. The advantage was 15 at the end of the period as well, 66-51, thanks to a Frederick layup at the buzzer.

–        The lead reached its apex at 18 early in the fourth quarter and was still at 14 (81-67) with 4:03 to play. But Xavier scored 10 straight points to pull within 81-77 with 1:39 to play, and after Valpo split a pair of free throws, got a basket with 56 seconds left to make it a one-possession game at 82-79.

–        But Valpo made sure Xavier never got the ball back with a chance to tie the game. After running down the shot clock on an iso play, Frederick found Morrison behind the 3-point line on the left wing and the senior buried the triple to push the lead back to six points with 33.2 seconds remaining.

–        Xavier would get no closer than four points the rest of the way, as White hit 3-of-4 from the foul line down the stretch to secure the victory.