Men’s Basketball Scoreboard (Nov. 15):
Nebraska 50, Valparaiso 48
Cold-shooting Valparaiso rallied late, but could not overcome a double-digit deficit in the second half, falling 50-48 at Nebraska on Thursday night.
Valparaiso (2-1) came into the game averaging 77 points per game on the strength of 52.5-percent shooting, including a 54.2-percent effort from three-point range. However, those numbers came to a screeching halt against Nebraska, as the Crusaders shot 34.0-percent on the night and were just 2-for-15 from three-point range.
Kevin Van Wijk led Valparaiso with 20 points and six rebounds, scoring seven of the last nine points of the game for the Crusaders. His final two points of the game came with 3.4 seconds to play, slicing Nebraska’s lead in half, but the Crusaders were not able to foul immediately, letting precious time tick off the clock.
When Andre Almeida missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Matt Kenney had just over one second for a 65-foot heave that came up short.
Ryan Broekhoff was limited to just eight points, going 2-for-11 from the floor and 0-for-5 from three-point range. The senior added 10 rebounds for Valpo.
Valparaiso enjoyed a 17-14 lead just past the halfway point of the first half when Broekhoff collected his second foul; the offense stagnated, and Nebraska closed the half on a 14-5 run to take a 28-22 lead into the half. Nebraska led by as many as 14 points midway through the second half before the Crusaders rallied down the stretch.
As a team, Valparaiso rallied to finish 14-for-21 from the free-throw line.
