1997-98 Women's Basketball --
Results and Game Summaries
11/21/97 vs. Aurora [at Aurora Tournament] 77-85 (0-1) Monmouth dropped its season opener on the road to Aurora University in the first round of the Spartan Classic as the Fighting Scots could not hold onto a 44-40 halftime advantage. Senior F Jill Schultz paced the Scots with a team-high 22 points and Monmouth also received double-figure efforts from sophomore G Angie Myers (12 pts) and junior F Christy Keller (11 pts). Sophomore F Julia Ross led the team with 13 rebounds and Keller added 12 boards as the Scots held a 56-46 rebound advantage.
11/22/97 vs. Albion, Mich. [at Aurora Tournament] 62-59 (1-1) Monmouth claimed the consolation title at the Spartan Classic, defeating Albion College of Michigan by three points, and evened their season mark at 1-1. Junior C Karen Valentas led three Monmouth players in double figures with 17 points on 7-of-11 floor shooting. Jill Schultz scored 12 points and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Christy Keller's 11 rebounds paced the team and Valentas added nine.
11/29/97 vs. Blackburn [Pizza Hut-Giant Foods Classic] 62-82 (1-2) Monmouth was soundly defeated by Blackburn in the first game of their home opener doubleheader at Glennie Gymnasium. The Beavers' Tanya Cole lit up the Scots for 33 points, the second-highest total scored against Monmouth, and led the Blackburn effort in the paint. Blackburn led 34-28 at the break and slowly extended its margin throughout the second half. Monmouth was paced by forward Jill Schultz' 21 points while center Karen Valentas added 10 points and shared team rebounding honors (8) with Christy Keller. In the game Schultz tied the team record for consecutive free throws made.
11/30/97 vs. UW-Platteville [Pizza Hut-Giant Foods Classic] 74-70 (2-2) Monmouth rebounded from its Saturday loss to claim a thrilling four-point victory over the visiting Pioneers. The game was in doubt until the final seconds as neither team could pull away with a strong scoring run. Monmouth held a slim 34-33 halftime lead and bolted to a ten-point advantage at 43-33 two minutes into the second half. UW-P stormed back to take the lead with 11:00 left but the Scots went back in front for good with six minutes remaining. Monmouth did not attempt a free throw in the first half but made 16-of-21 in the second period, many down the stretch, to hold off another Pioneer rally. Karen Valentas led Monmouth players with 18 points, including 10-of-12 FTs.
12/03/97 at MacMurray 68-59 (3-2) Monmouth won its first regular-season non-conference road contest as the Scots picked up a 9-point win in Jacksonville. Sophomore guard Angie Myers led a balanced Monmouth scoring attack with 14 points, including 8-of-9 free throws, and was joined in double digits by teammates Jill Schultz (13) and Christy Keller (12). Center Karen Valentas grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
12/06/97 at Lawrence 63-51 (4-2, 1-0) The Fighting Scots won their MWC season opener and stretched their winning streak to three games. Jill Schultz paced Monmouth with 20 points, her third 20+ effort of the season and Karen Valentas added 11. Junior guard Kari Walters recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and also dished out six assists as Monmouth extended a slim 24-21 halftime margin with a solid second-half performance. The Scots continued to beat their opponents on the boards as they racked up a 49-31 rebounding advantage.
12/10/97 at Augustana 51-74 (4-3, 1-0) The Fighting Scots saw their short three-game winning streak snapped at Rock Island as Augustana cruised to a 23-point victory. Monmouth suffered from cold shooting as the team could manage only a 17-of-61 (28%) effort from the floor and converted only 17 of 32 free throws. The game was still close at half with the host Vikings leading 36-28 but Augustana pulled away in the second period for the easy win. Christy Keller (15 pts, 11 rebs) and Kari Walters (14 pts, 10 rebs) both had double-double games but it wasn't enough for the Scots.
12/12/97 at Cornell 80-66 (5-3, 1-0) Monmouth won for the fifth time in six road games to close out the pre-holiday portion of their schedule. The Fighting Scots had an easy time with former MWC rival Cornell, breaking the game open in the second period, and kept the Rams winless on the year. Four players hit double digits, led by Kari Walters' 21 points. Angie Myers added 17 (including 9-of-10 FTs), Jill Schultz scored 14 and Karen Valentas tallied 11 points to go along with a team season-high 18 rebounds. The Scots controlled the boards by a 53-42 margin.
01/09/98 vs. Beloit 63-69 (5-4, 1-1) Monmouth fell to 1-1 in the conference with a close 6-point loss to Beloit at home to open up the 1998 portion of its schedule. The Scots led 31-30 at the break but could not sustain the lead as Beloit, the reigning MWC champion, came from behind for the win. Karen Valentas led the Scots with 18 points and Christy Keller, despite fouling out, turned in a solid all-around game with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
01/10/98 vs. Ripon 74-62 (6-4, 2-1) The Fighting Scots reversed their second-half performance from the previous night with a crucial 12-point win over Ripon at Glennie Gym. Monmouth handed the Red Hawks their first conference loss by turning up the pressure after intermission and converting on critical possessions late in the game. Four Scots hit double figures, paced by junior Kari Walters with 20 points, and center Karen Valentas posted 13 points and 13 rebounds.
01/16/98 at Carroll 69-66 (7-4, 3-1)
01/17/98 at Lake Forest 54-76 (7-5, 3-2) Monmouth split a pair of road games this weekend but still maintained its second-place spot in the MWC South. The Fighting Scots earned their second victory over a North Division opponent in as many weeks with the Friday win at Carroll but dropped their Saturday contest against division-leading Lake Forest . Senior Jill Schultz, the team's leading scorer, hit for 21 points at Carroll but was limited to only 6 points at LFC. Junior center Karen Valentas posted a pair of double-double efforts, scoring 12 and 14 points and snaring 11 rebounds in each game. Monmouth jumped out to a ten-point halftime lead on Friday and held on for the close win but Saturday was a different story as the Scots could not recover from a 40-25 halftime deficit against a rested Lake Forest team.
01/20/98 vs. Illinois College70-64 (8-5, 4-2) Monmouth snapped a 12-game losing streak against Illinois College, defeating the defending MWC South Division champions by six points at Glennie Gymnasium. It was the Fighting Scots' first win over IC since the 1990-91 season and solidified the team's hold on second place in the division. Three players scored in double figures, led by center Karen Valentas. Valentas scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her third consecutive double-double performance. Jill Schultz added 13 points and senior Jennifer Cameron came off the bench to score a season-high 12. Monmouth led at the break 32-26 and never trailed in the second half , leading by as much as 14 at one point. IC cut the margin to five but clutch free throws down the stretch clinched the win for Monmouth.
01/23/98 at Grinnell 61-56 (9-5, 5-2) Monmouth took another step towards a possible South Division title with a road victory at Grinnell. The Scots held a slim 32-30 lead at the break, extended the margin to 12 late in the game and withstood a Pioneer rally for the crucial MWC victory. Three Scots scored in double digits, led by Jill Schultz with 18 points. Kari Walters added 17 and Karen Valentas chipped in 13. Monmouth was outrebounded 42-39 but benefitted from 31 Pioneer turnovers.
01/26/98 vs. Iowa Wesleyan 65-52 (10-5) The Scots overcame 38% shooting and 19 turnovers to claim the non-conference win over Iowa Wesleyan at Glennie Gym. Monmouth fell behind quickly but recovered to tie the game at halftime (29-29) and took control midway through the second period. Jill Schultz paced the Scots with 16 points and Karen Valentas added 14 as 12 players saw action for Monmouth. The Scots took the lead for good with 11 minutes remaining and held their largest advantage at the buzzer.
01/30/98 vs. Knox 64-50 (11-5, 6-2) Monmouth defeated arch-rival Knox in this year's first matchup at Glennie Gymnasium by holding the Fire to 50 points and forcing 24 turnovers. The Scots once again enjoyed a balanced offensive attack, getting double-digit points from four players. Karen Valentas (16 pts, 10 rebs) and Christy Keller (10 pts, 14 rebs) each posted a double-double performance for Monmouth, which won its fourth straight game. The Scots led at half 29-23 and extended its lead to as many as 19 points in the second period.
02/03/98 vs. Eureka 58-53 (11-6) The Scots' four-game winning streak was snapped in a non-conference defeat at home against Eureka. Poor shooting proved to be Monmouth's downfall as the team hit only 26% of its shots from the floor and 45% from the free-throw line. The teams traded leads throughout a slow-moving first half with the Red Devils holding a 24-22 halftime advantage. Junior center Karen Valentas tied a Monmouth single-game record with 20 rebounds, 10 on each end of the court, and her 13 points topped the scoring stats.
02/06/98 vs. St. Norbert 66-51 (12-6, 7-2) Following a close first half of play, Monmouth opened a big lead on the visiting Green Knights and captured a 15-point decision at home. The Scots enjoyed 44% shooting and made 13 of 15 free throws in the second half to blow open a tight game. Monmouth had three players in double digits, led by senior forward Jill Schultz' 16 points. Sophomore forward Julia Ross recorded her best performance as a Fighting Scot with 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
02/07/98 vs. Lake Forest 77-60 (12-7, 7-3) The Scots' troubles with MWC South Division newcomer Lake Forest continued as the Foresters beat Monmouth at Glennie Gym in a showdown of the top two teams in the division. LFC enjoyed a 34-27 advantage at the break and fought off several Monmouth second-half runs to maintain its lead. The Scots' offense suffered from 15 turnovers and 58% foul shooting. Karen Valentas (15 points) and Jill Schultz (14) led the scoring but no other MC player scored more than six points.
02/14/98 vs. Grinnell 36-35 (13-7, 8-3) Jennifer Cameron celebrated Senior Night by playing in her 86th consecutive basketball game and then hit the winning shot with 3 seconds remaining to beat Grinnell in one of the lowest-scoring games in team history. The Scots' victory pulled the women to within one of the school record for most wins in a season and clinched the team's first-ever MWC postseason berth. Monmouth wrapped up the #2 spot in the South Division and will advance to the conference tournament for the first time in school history. The teams were tied 18-18 at the half and traded leads throughout a sluggish second period until Cameron's dramatic game-winner.
02/18/98 at Illinois 77-73 (14-7, 9-3) Monmouth swept the season series from Illinois for the first time in ten years with a four-point win in Jacksonville. The Fighting Scots lived up to their nickname, clawing their way back from a 41-32 halftime deficit, to win their record-tying 14th game of the season. Karen Valentas' 16 points led four Monmouth players in double figures and the Scot defense pressured IC into 24 turnovers and recorded 14 steals. Jill Schultz and Kari Walters each connected on 3 three-pointers as Monmouth enjoyed their best long-range shooting game of the season.
02/20/98 at Knox 72-61 (15-7, 10-3) Monmouth established new team records for most victories (15) and most MWC league wins (10) in a single season with a road victory at Knox in the regular-season finale. The Fighting Scots swept the season pair from the Fire and have a three-game winning streak heading into their first-ever conference tournament. Monmouth used 40% floor shooting and a rare three-point attack (4-of-6) in the first 20 minutes to open a 34-26 lead at halftime and maintained the pressure throughout the second half. Kari Walters hit 3 three-pointers on her way to a team-high 19 points and center Karen Valentas scored 15.
02/27/98 MWC Conference Tournament (at Beloit) Beloit 55-91 (15-8)
02/28/98 MWC Conference Tournament (at Beloit) Ripon 78-67 (16-8) Monmouth split its two tournament games to claim third place in its first-ever appearance in the MWC playoffs. On Frdiday the Scots were soundly defeated by the host Beloit squad, which went on to claim its second consecutive league title. Beloit jumped out to a 46-26 halftime advantage as Monmouth struggled mightily from the floor, shooting only 27% from the floor and 9-of-24 on three-pointers. The Bucs kept the pressure on in the second period and cruised to the victory. Kari Walters was the only Monmouth player in double figures with 11 points.
The Fighting Scots rebounded with a win on Saturday in the consolation game against Ripon. Karen Valentas scored a team-high 22 points, Walters added 20 and Christy Keller chipped in 11 points as the women established a new team record with their 16th victory of the season. Monmouth shot 42% on its way to a 37-28 halftime lead and kept the margin throughout the second period. The Scots' defense claimed seven steals and forced 20 Red Hawk turnovers.