Game 18- vs. UW-Green Bay

LAST TIME(S) OUT

In their final game of 2015, the Valparaiso comeback bid came up just short at Belmont (8-6), the second game between the two teams on the season. Like the early-December matchup in Valpo, the Crusaders trailed for much of the game. Unlike that earlier matchup, Valpo was unable to complete the comeback, falling in a shootout by an 85-81 score in Nashville. Shane Hammink led the Crusader comeback attempt with 19 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals off the bench, while Keith Carter scored 16 and Tevonn Walker and David Skara each added 13 points. Alec Peters picked up a double-double in the losing effort, with 13 points and 10 rebounds, adding a steal and a block. Evan Bradds led Belmont with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Craig Bradshaw added 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block in dropping the Crusaders to 10-3.

The Crusaders rung in the new year on January 2, welcoming UIC (2-10, 0-1) to the ARC for the Horizon League opener for both teams and the start of the conference title defense for Valparaiso. Valpo never trailed, pulling away for a 75-47 victory and matching a program record with their 20th straight home victory. The Crusader defense led the way with a stellar effort, holding an opponent below 50 points for the fourth time this season. No UIC player scored in double figures, as they were led by Lance Whitaker, who had eight points, three rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block. UIC shot just 30.5% (18-59) from the floor. Keith Carter led Valpo in scoring for the first time on the season with 15 points, adding three rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Shane Hammink added 13 points off the bench, while Alec Peters tacked on 12 points and nine rebounds. Vashil Fernandez scored just six points, but also had 13 rebounds and six blocks. All 12 players appeared for Valpo. Both Nick Davidson and Chandler Levingston Simon picked up a double trillion (two minutes, no other stats) as Valpo moved to 11-3, 1-0 in the Horizon League.

A week ago today, Valpo traveled to the Blacktop at the O'rena to take on Oakland (9-7, 1-2 HL) in a nationally-televised contest on ESPN2. The Golden Grizzlies entered the game with a top-10 scoring offense in the country and a guard, Kay Felder, who would be named to the Wooden Award watch list. But none of that mattered, as Valparaiso cruised to an 84-67 victory, led by the defensive effort of  Keith Carter. He held Felder to 20 points on 8-28 (.286) shooting. Carter himself would put up nine points, two rebounds, six assists and a steal. Alec Peters had a double double, with 15 points and 11 boards, while Tevonn Walker was the game's leading scorer with 24 points. Vashil Fernandez had another monster day on the glass, with 12 rebounds, three blocks and an assist to go with his nine points. Max Joseph gained a spot in Club Trillion with no stats in one minute of action. Oakland and Felder were helped by 13 points from Jalen Hayes while Max Hooper had 12 points off the bench. The Crusaders improved to 12-3, 2-0 in the Horizon League.

Valpo closed out the Michigan road swing in the Horizon League with another victory, beating Detroit (9-6, 3-1 HL) by a 92-74 score in Calihan Hall. Even though the Crusaders led by 27 in the first half, and by 21 at the half, the Titans cut their deficit to eight in the second half, until Valpo pulled away for the victory. Alec Peters tied the program modern-era scoring record, putting up a double-double with 39 points and 14 rebounds, adding two assists and a block. He shot 12-20 from the floor and 11-11 from the free throw line. Tevonn Walker tacked on 21 points to go with three rebounds and two assists, while David Skara made his first start of 2016 and scored 10 points. For the second game in a row, Max Joseph picked up a club trillion, with no stats in one minute on the floor. The Titans were led by Anton Wilson, who scored 23 points (4-5 from three) and added three rebounds and two blocks. Off the bench, Paris Bass added a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards. Detroit only led once, by a point at the 16:23 mark of the first half. With the victory, the Crusaders improved to 13-3, 3-0 in the Horizon League and moved into sole possession of first place in the conference.

As they returned to the ARC last night to take on Milwaukee (12-6, 3-2 HL), there was a chance for Valpo to set an arena record with a 21st-straight home win. The Crusaders obliged, going on a late first-half run to lead by eight at the half and holding off the Panthers for a 68-56 victory. Valpo would lead by as much as 17 in the second half, even though the offense struggled for large portions of the night. Vashil Fernandez would be the leading scorer for the first time this season, posting 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Tevonn Walker added 11 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals as the only other Crusader in double figures. For Milwaukee, Matt Tiby had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Jordan Johnson scored 19 points, but no bench player would score for the Panthers. Valpo shot just 7-17 (.412) on free throws, but managed to get to 14-3, 4-0 in the Horizon League and in sole possession of first place in the conference.


UP NEXT
Tomorrow night, Valparaiso will welcome UW-Green Bay into the ARC for a 7:00 PM tipoff. The Phoenix currently sit in second place in the Horizon League. Things of note:

-The game can be seen on ESPN3, and will be on the radio at WVUR (95.1 FM).
-Green Bay enters at 11-6, 4-1 in the Horizon League.
-Last time out, Green Bay won at UIC on Thursday, 78-76. The Crusaders beat UIC by 29 points on January 2.
-These two teams last met in last season's Horizon League Tournament championship game, at the ARC. Valpo won to advance to the NCAA Tournament as conference champions.
-Green Bay played in the NIT Season Tip-Off this season, going 1-3. Their only victory was a home win over Akron.
-It will be 90s night at the ARC, with the first 1,000 fans receiving 90s-styled T-shirts. It will also be the 1971-1985 Crusader Classic night.
-This will be Valpo's final home game until January 28th, when Cleveland State comes to the ARC. Green Bay will not be back at home until January 23rd, against Oakland.
-The Crusaders are currently ranked 2nd in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, behind only Gonzaga. Valpo is receiving 3 first place votes. In this week's edition of the AP Top 25, the Crusaders received six votes. Valpo got five votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll.