The Valparaiso University women's basketball team suffered a defeat to Drake University on Sunday at the ARC, despite mounting a late comeback from a double-digit deficit. The Beacons showed early promise but couldn't overcome the Bulldogs' strong second-half surge.
Valparaiso jumped out to a quick start, with Allia von Schlegell, Kayla Sullivan, and Kayla Preston each hitting 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to lead 9-3 less than two minutes into the game. The Beacons held the advantage through the first quarter, ending it ahead 18-14. In the second quarter, a layup from Nenadic extended the lead to 22-16 with 6:42 remaining, but Drake responded with a 17-3 run to take a 33-25 halftime lead.
The Bulldogs opened the second half with five straight points, pushing their advantage into double digits for the first time. Their lead peaked at 48-34 with 3:36 left in the third quarter, before Preston's 3-point play provided a brief spark for Valpo. Trailing 54-45 entering the fourth, the Beacons' defense stifled Drake for the first five possessions, allowing Preston's layup and three points from Nenadic to narrow the gap to 54-50 with 6:51 to play.
Drake then scored on three consecutive possessions, prompting a Valpo timeout at 60-50 with 5:14 remaining. The Bulldogs extended to a 12-point lead, but Nenadic's triple and Fiona Connolly's layup brought it back to 62-55 with 2:08 left. Valpo secured two more defensive stops, but missed shots at the rim prevented a closer finish.
Nenadic led Valpo with 18 points and five rebounds, going 3-for-6 from beyond the arc after a strong previous game. Sullivan added 11 points, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, while Preston scored 10 on 4-of-5 shooting. Connolly and von Schlegell were held to seven points each, though Connolly also grabbed five rebounds. Mikayla Huffine contributed four assists and three steals. Valpo shot 32.1% from the field but 36.8% from 3-point range (7-for-19), while holding Drake to 5-for-19 from deep despite the Bulldogs' 41.1% overall shooting. Turnovers were close at 18-17, with Valpo edging points off them 17-13.
