Valpo Drops Nonconference Finale at Northwestern
The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team played with Big Ten Conference foe Northwestern for long stretches of Tuesday’s nonconference finale at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill., but the host Wildcats went on runs early in both halves on their way to an 86-70 victory over the Beacons. Three Valpo players scored in double figures, led by JT Pettigrew (Lisle, Ill. / Bolingbrook), who turned in 13 points and six rebounds.
How It Happened
- Northwestern went on a 7-0 run to begin the contest, and stretched the early lead to 12 at 17-5 with 13:14 on the first-half clock.
- The Beacons orchestrated a 6-0 run to cut what had been an 11-point disparity to five when Brody Whitaker (Greencastle, Ind. / Greencastle [University of Indianapolis / Marian]) knocked in a second-chance jumper with 7:17 left in the opening half.
- Junior Mark Brown Jr. (South Phoenix, Ariz. / Bella Vista Prep [Snow College]) hit a 3 with 5:41 left in the opening half, climbing Valpo within six at 27-21. Freshman Rakim Chaney (Rockford, Ill. / Rockford Auburn [212 Sports Academy]) hit a 3 with 3:46 on the clock to shrink the lead to six again at 32-26, but NU scored the next five to boost the margin back to 11.
- Valpo went into the locker room at halftime within single figures at 39-30.
- A layup by Pettigrew put Valpo within eight at 40-32 with 18:38 left in the second half, but the Wildcats followed with an 11-0 run that lifted the lead to 19 at 51-32 with 16:21 on the clock. Valpo was whistled for six fouls in the first three and a half minutes of the second half.
- The Beacons continued to battle, scoring nine straight to get within 13 at 65-52 with 8:41 remaining, culminating with a tip-in by Pettigrew. The Beacons again battled it down to 13 when Whitaker had a late five-point burst, but that was as close as the guests would come.
Inside the Game
- Pettigrew’s 13 points represented his fourth straight game in double figures and his sixth straight with nine points or more.
- Whitaker chipped in a dozen points on 5-of-10 shooting, his third double-figure scoring effort of the season and his second-highest output as a Beacon.
- McNair posted 10 points, his third straight double-figure showing. He is 12-for-18 shooting during that three-game stretch.
- Pettigrew (+2) and fellow freshman Carter Hopoi (Tauranga, New Zealand / Mount Maunganui]) at +3 were the only Beacons with a positive plus-minus. Hopoi logged 18 minutes and had six points, all on traditional 3-point plays.
- Valpo held Northwestern to just 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from 3, but the Wildcats still shot 54.1 percent (33-of-61) overall.
- Northwestern won the turnover battle 15-7 and had a 24-6 edge in points off turnovers. On the season, Valpo has taken good care of the basketball, but this game’s turnover total was the second highest of the year.
- Valpo assistant coach Pat Baldwin returned to his alma mater, where he previously spent four years on Chris Collins’ staff as an assistant coach. Baldwin, one of the program’s all-time greats during his playing days, was recognized on the video board prior to the game and given a nice ovation.
Up Next
Valpo (6-5) will open Missouri Valley Conference play on Sunday by hosting Murray State at 1 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center. For ticket information, visit tickets.valpoathletics.com.