Men’s Basketball Scoreboard (Dec. 20)
Valparaiso 89, IUPUI 69
After a defensively sluggish first half, Valparaiso buckled down in the final 20 minutes to put away IUPUI, 89-69, at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Valparaiso (8-4) led 40-48 at the break, but allowed IUPUI to shoot 50 percent in the first half, as the Jaguars went 13-for-26 and 6-of-9 from the three-point arc. However, the Crusaders limited IUPUI to just one three-pointer in the second half as they outscored the Jags by 18.
The Crusaders outrebounded IUPUI, 41-21, leading to 23 second-chance points and 52 points in the paint.
Ryan Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk led the way down low, with Van Wijk anchoring the low block with 15 points before fouling out. Broekhoff’s versatile game led to a 6-of-11 performance, 17 points and nine rebounds.
Matt Kenney, making his first start of the year, had 15 points and six assists, while Ben Boggs added 12. Bobby Capobianco came off the Crusaders bench to chip in 10 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes.
Tied at 42 with 17:55 to play, Valparaiso made the game’s deciding run over the next three minutes, beginning with a Boggs layup. The Crusaders continually got to the rim during the 13-2 run, as Kenney, Van Wijk and Erik Buggs all had layups in the spurt.
Kenney’s layup led to a potential three-point play, but when his free throw came off the rim, Broekhoff grabbed the offensive board. On the ensuing possession, the 2012 Horizon League Player of the Year drained a corner three, pushing Valpo’s lead to 49-42.
Four straight points from Van Wijk and Buggs’ layup rounded out the run, putting the Crusaders ahead, 55-44, with 14:46 to play.
The Crusaders continued to push the pace, as Boggs and two more Broekhoff layups extended the advantage to 63-46.
Valparaiso would lead by as many as 21 points, holding off a late IUPUI run in which the Jaguars closed within eight with 5:29 on the clock. Broekhoff’s three-point play with 4:02 remaining put the Crusaders up, 76-61, and Valpo would hit free throws in the final minutes to close out the game and stay unbeaten at home.
John Hart led all scorers with 18 points for the Jaguars. Donovan Gibbs added 11 points and seven rebounds, Greg Rice 11 points and Ian Chiles 10 points. The Jaguars were a perfect 14-of-14 from the foul line on the night.
Tags: Valparaiso - Men's Basketball
