Valpo MBB Edged by Undefeated Drake in Dramatic League Opener
The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team pushed undefeated Drake to the brink, but the visiting Bulldogs escaped the Athletics-Recreation Center with their unblemished mark intact after a 66-60 victory over the Beacons, who were led by 20 points from fifth-year senior Tyler Schmidt (Valparaiso, Ind. / Victory Christian Academy). When the devastation of a tightly-contested defeat wears off, Valpo fans will have reason for optimism after an encouraging showing against the Missouri Valley Conference’s top team according to NET ratings.
How It Happened
- Valpo got off to a strong start, particularly on the defensive end by holding Drake to just five points over the game’s first seven minutes. The Beacons possessed a 12-5 edge thanks in part to early triples from freshman All Wright (Durango, Mexico / Link Year) and redshirt sophomore Isaiah Shaw (Phoenix, Ariz. / Davidson Academy).
- The Bulldogs ran off seven straight points to tie the game at 12, but Shaw hit his second 3-pointer to put the Beacons back in front. After falling behind by seven early, Drake outscored Valpo 17-4 during the next stretch to build up a six-point advantage with 7:49 left in the half.
- The Beacons chipped to within two, but another Bulldog burst ballooned the lead to eight with 3:45 on the first-half clock. Drake pushed the edge to double figures for the first time with 2:06 remaining in the half and led by as many as 12 before a 3 by Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro (LaSalle, Quebec, Canada / Orangeville Prep) beat the halftime buzzer to make it 35-26 at the break.
- Another 3 by De La Cruz Monegro cut the deficit briefly to eight, but for the majority of the first nine minutes of the second half Valpo trailed by double figures. A stretch carried by Schmidt helped Valpo claw to within five on a triple by the hometown product with 8:45 to play to make it 50-45.
- A big 3 by Wright cut the gap to four with seven minutes to go, and eventually the volume level in the ARC rose to a decibel reminiscent of some of the great moments of Valpo yesteryear when Schmidt hit the game-tying 3 with 3:41 to play.
- A flurry of baskets by Drake’s Bennett Stirtz were the difference down the stretch. He finished with 29 points while playing all 40 minutes.
Inside the Game
- Schmidt’s team-high 20 points came on 7-of-9 shooting and 3-of-5 from distance. He outdid his previous season high of 19 that occurred on Nov. 24 vs. Eastern Illinois. Schmidt made his first seven shots of the night.
- Schmidt, who entered the evening fourth on the team in scoring average, surpassed three teammates and is now the team’s leading scorer for the season at 11.9 points per game, leading four Beacons averaging in double figures.
- Shaw tallied a career-high 15 points, edging his previous personal best of 14 from Nov. 8 vs. Concordia Ann Arbor. He shot at a 5-of-7 clip and made three of his four 3-point attempts.
- The Beacons turned it over just 10 times, the team’s sixth time in eight games with 10 or fewer and fourth straight such contest.
- The Valpo bench outscored Drake’s bench 39-16. Schmidt and Shaw alone combined for 58.3 percent of Valpo’s points.
- Sophomore Kaspar Sepp (Tartu, Estonia / Fairmont Academy) squeezed a team-high seven rebounds. The Estonia native has grabbed seven or more boards on five occasions in the first eight games of the year.
- Drake outscored Valpo in the paint 32-18 including a 22-6 advantage in the first half.
- Drake remained one of only nine undefeated teams in the country.
Postgame Press Conference
Click here for postgame press conference.
Up Next
The Beacons (4-4) will have the next week off from game action for final exams before returning to the court to clash with Central Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 3 p.m. For ticket information, visit tickets.valpoathletics.com.
