Valpo Falls to Ball State Monday Night

Spans of just under four minutes on either side of halftime proved to be the difference Monday evening as the Valparaiso University men’s basketball team dropped a 77-61 decision to in-state rival Ball State at the ARC.
How It Happened
The two teams traded the lead back and forth in the early going. Ball State pushed out to a five-point lead at 13-8 with 12:55 to play in the first half, but a 3-pointer from junior Markus Golder (Portland, Ore./Clackamas [North Idaho]) and a fast-break dunk by junior Ryan Fazekas (Chesterton, Ind./Marquette Catholic [Providence]) tied things up a couple of minutes later.
The next seven minutes would all be played within one possession, with another Golder triple tying the game at 25-25 with 3:40 remaining in the first half.
Ball State out-scored Valpo 10-0 going into the break to claim a 35-25 halftime lead. During the half-closing run, the Cardinals went 4-of-5 from the field, while Valpo was 0-for-5 with a turnover.
Ball State then enjoyed a 10-3 advantage over the first 3:41 of the second half to extend its advantage to 45-28 with 16:19 to play.
Valpo made one big push in the closing stages of the game. The deficit was 63-47 with 6:22 remaining before Valpo went on a 12-4 run, capped by a Fazekas 3-pointer with 2:45 to play which cut the lead to 67-59 – the first time Valpo had been within single digits in the second half.
That would prove to be Valpo’s last basket, however, as BSU pulled away again down the stretch.
Inside the Game
The loss was Valpo’s second straight at home in non-conference play, the first time Valpo has dropped consecutive non-conference home games since 2006.
Valpo’s up-and-down shooting performances continued on Monday, as it hit just 3-of-16 from 3-point range one game after going 15-of-27 from deep. Overall from the field, Valpo hit just 40% for the game.
Ball State held a 27-13 advantage in points off turnovers, forcing 17 Valpo miscues, and out-scored Valpo in the paint, 48-26.
Fazekas led Valpo with 19 points, overcoming an off night from the perimeter by going 4-of-5 inside the arc and 8-of-9 from the foul line.
Golder also scored in double figures, finishing 5-of-7 from the field for 14 points.
Freshman Daniel Sackey (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada/Thornlea) tallied four points and handed out a team-best three assists.
Junior Jaume Sorolla (Tortosa, Spain/Sunrise Christian [Kan.] Academy) continued to round back into form, playing a season-high 25 minutes and pulling down a team-best six rebounds.
Next Up
Valpo (6-5) faces a quick turnaround as it flies down to College Station, Texas to face Texas A&M on Wednesday evening. Tip is slated for 7:30 p.m., and the game can be seen live on SEC Network+.