Crusaders Fall to Northwestern Thursday Night

Crusaders Fall to Northwestern Thursday Night

Northwestern hit its first six 3-pointers on Thursday evening at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., as the Valparaiso University men’s basketball team found itself in an early hole en route to a 84-50 defeat.

How It Happened

–          Valpo was the team which was hot from deep early on, as sophomore Markus Golder (Portland, Ore./Clackamas [North Idaho]) and junior Joe Burton (Porter, Texas/Atascocita [Oklahoma State]) connected on 3-pointers on each of the Crusaders’ first two possessions for an early 6-2 lead.

–          Northwestern would go on a long-range barrage over the first quarter of the game, however. The Wildcats hit their first six from deep – four of which came from Vic Law – and totaled seven triples in the first 10 minutes.

–          Valpo was within 13-10 five minutes into the game before Northwestern went on a 14-0 run over a span of two and a half minutes to pull out to a 27-10 advantage at the 12:39 mark.

–          The Crusaders played the Wildcats even from there into the locker room for halftime, as Northwestern held a 43-26 lead at the break.

–          The Wildcats started the second half on a 19-2 run over the opening six-plus minutes to put the game away.

Inside the Game

–          Thursday’s defeat marks the first time Valpo has lost three straight regular season games since November of 2013.

–          Valpo hit 7-of-17 3-pointers (41.2%) on the offensive end, but was just 8-for-22 inside the arc and 13-of-23 from the foul line.

–          The Crusaders also committed 21 turnovers which Northwestern turned into 30 points.

–          Burton led the Crusaders in scoring for the third straight game, knocking down three 3-pointers in a 16-point effort.

–          Golder added 10 points and six rebounds, while sophomore Micah Bradford (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) chipped in nine points, four rebounds and three assists without committing a turnover.

–          Sophomore John Kiser (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) made his first start of the season and tied for team-high honors with six rebounds.

–          Law led all players with 18 points. Northwestern finished the night hitting 12-for-22 from behind the 3-point line against a Valpo team which entered the game among the top-10 teams nationally in defensive 3-point percentage.

Next Up

Valpo (8-3) heads to the West Coast to close out the non-conference slate, starting with a Monday night game at Santa Clara. The game is scheduled for a 9 p.m. CT tip, and links for live coverage will be available via ValpoAthletics.com.