Panthers to face road test against Valparaiso

Eastern+junior+guard+Danielle+Berry+dribbles+up+the+court+in+the+Panthers%E2%80%99+102-43+win+over+Oakland+City+on+Nov.+6.+Eastern+%283-2%29+goes+on+the+road+to+play+Valparaiso+on+Sunday.

Adam Tumino

Eastern junior guard Danielle Berry dribbles up the court in the Panthers’ 102-43 win over Oakland City on Nov. 6. Eastern (3-2) goes on the road to play Valparaiso on Sunday.

Adam Tumino, Women's Basketball Reporter

The Eastern women’s basketball team will look to avoid a second straight road loss when they travel to play the Valparaiso Crusaders on Sunday.

The Panthers suffered their second loss of the young season on Wednesday night against Bradley by a score of 67-64.

These two teams faced off last season at Lantz Arena where Valparaiso won 76-67. It was Eastern’s sixth straight loss in what turned out to be a 12-game losing streak. 

Valparaiso is 1-5 this season, having lost their first four games of the season before beating Saint Francis College from Brooklyn on Nov. 17. They then lost 65-59 against Toledo. 

The Crusaders are led on offense by senior guard Meredith Hamlet, who is averaging 15 points per game this season. 

Only one other Valparaiso player is scoring in double figures this season. Redshirt-sophomore Addison Stoller is averaging 10 points per game and is leading the team with 6.8 rebounds per game. 

Despite Valparaiso’s record, Eastern head coach Matt Bollant said he expects a competitive game. 

“(Valparaiso) has played close games,” Bollant said. “They just played a Toledo team that would probably win our league, or be a top team in our league, and lost by six. So they’re certainly not far off.”

Eastern’s guard depth may play a big part in the game on Sunday, especially with redshirt-senior Grace Lennox having a breakout game against Bradley. 

Another factor for the Panthers is bench play, which has been inconsistent so far this season. 

After getting 61 points off the bench in the opener against Oakland City, the Panthers got only 13 against Butler. 

The bench came back against Lincoln Christian and scored 57, but then scored just 10 points combined against Fort Wayne and Bradley. 

Bollant said he is still working out the rotation, and it may change from game to game, depending on the opponent’s strengths.

“Bradley’s post players were so good, so we tried to go a little more guard oriented,” Bollant said. “I feel like against (Valparaiso), we might be able to score a little bit more inside.”

Valparaiso is in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, and has played an OVC team already. 

They lost to OVC leaders Morehead State 68-62 back on Nov. 16. Morehead State’s leading scorer, Miranda Crockett, scored 30 points for the Golden Eagles in the game. 

Bollant said he expects another close road game from the Panthers after the loss on Wednesday. 

“We’re excited for another challenge,” he said. “We lost a fairly close game to (Valparaiso) last year at home. We feel like we’re better, and we’ll see what happens.”

The game tips off at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Adam Tumino can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].