Game #20- UIC Sunday January 22 2pm ARC

[talksalot]

Your First Place Crusaders; with Alec Peters needing 6 points for the 2nd career record in two games.

Great watching the crowd react to Alec's rebounds against GB... when he got to 14... then 15 for the tie...and finally... the spontaneous standing ovation when he got #911.

[humbleopinion]

Let me be the first to say it, talksalot.  I do not want any updates on the Packers game.  I do not want any spoilers.  As is the case with many fans, I will be recording the game (as suggested by Luke in the post-game interview), and want to watch it without knowing how it will progress beforehand.

I hope to see the same Crusaders team that played last night.

[agibson]

I did, however, appreciate the scoring update with Oakland losing!

[RedHawk]

About a month I ago, I coordinated a road trip from Indy with some friends and happened to pick Sunday's game. I picked a great game to make a road trip to!

We're doing a double-header this weekend. Going to the Butler game Saturday at DePaul and the Valpo game Sunday.

humbleopinion - If you can make it out of the ARC with no Packers updates, I'll be impressed. Be sure to record extra time.

[talksalot]

Let's see ... no packer updates... That's easy...  I would only announce it if they are losing BIG.   (Like the ORena update).  I for one am looking forward to reading Oren's story in the paper about the game.  I'm guessing he'll be in the ARC, watching the Atlanta game.   

[talksalot]

Here's the Box Score from the 12/30 games at the Pavilion

http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/boxscore/2016-17/5936/valpo-vs-uic-12-30-2016/

in front of 3,826 ... which I'm told was about 1/3rd Valpo people!
==========================================
Here's the recap
Friday, December 30, 2016
The Valparaiso University men's basketball team closed out the 2016 calendar year on a high note in opening Horizon League play with a road win Friday afternoon, taking down UIC in front of a national TV audience by a 70-59 final. The Crusaders were led by the efforts of junior Tevonn Walker (Montreal, Quebec/Vanier College), who tallied 17 of his season-best 23 points in the second half.

How It Happened

UIC led for much of the early stages of the lead, pulling out ahead by as many as five points (14-9, 12:57). But the Crusaders responded with a 10-0 run spanning the next four minutes to claim the lead for good.
Valpo earned its largest lead of the first half at the horn for halftime, as freshman Derrik Smits (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) closed out a nine-point effort in the opening 20 minutes with a tip-in at the buzzer to give the Crusaders a 31-24 lead at intermission.
With the lead cut to three points early in the second half, Walker scored five straight points for the Crusaders to push the advantage to 38-30 with 15:18 remaining.

The Flames scored the next seven points in less than a minute's time to close to within one point, but again Walker stepped up, connecting on 3-pointers on back-to-back Crusader possessions. In all, the junior scored 13 straight points for Valpo to help stave off UIC.

The Flames cut their deficit to one possession just once the remainder of the game, as a Tarkus Ferguson layup with 8:35 to play made it a 47-44 ball game. But the Crusaders answered with a layup by senior Shane Hammink (Millingen aan de Rijn, Netherlands/Oakley College [LSU]) and two free throws from senior Alec Peters (Washington, Ill./Washington) to extend the lead back to seven points.

A 3-point play by UIC's KJ Santos cut Valpo's lead to 58-53 with 3:50 to go, but the Crusaders reeled off six straight points over the next 1:29 to ice the game, while the Flames failed to get a shot off in that same stretch.
Inside the Game

Walker missed just one field goal attempt on Friday, finishing 8-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the foul line for his season-best 23 points – the second 20-point effort of his season. It was his first time pacing the Crusaders in the scoring column since dropping 24 in a win at Oakland last season on Jan. 8.

Despite struggling from the floor, Peters finished with 18 points, thanks in large part to a 7-of-8 effort from the foul line. The senior also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for his fifth consecutive double-double.

With his third rebound of the day, Peters moved into second place in program history in career rebounds. He now sits at 2,032 points and 849 rebounds for his career – just 110 points and 61 rebounds shy of the program's records in both categories.

Peters also moved into second in Valpo history in career field goals made (684, 12 shy of the record) and eighth place in Horizon League history in career scoring on Friday.
Smits finished with a season-high 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting in his second career start. The freshman also pulled down a season-best six rebounds.
Valpo out-rebounded UIC by a 41-28 margin – the fourth time this year the Crusaders have held a double-figure edge on the glass. 15 of the Crusaders' boards came on the offensive end, leading to 20 second-chance points.

The Crusaders, who entered the nation fifth in the nation in free throw percentage, continued their strong effort at the foul line this year. Valpo went 16-of-19 at the charity stripe, including 14-of-15 over the final 20 minutes.

UIC (7-7, 0-1 Horizon) placed three players in double figures, led by 16 points from Tarkus Ferguson.

With the win, Valpo closes out the 2016 calendar year with a 31-7 record, bookending the year with wins over UIC. Peters finishes 2016 with 809 points over the 38 games.

Friday's win was the Crusaders' 16th consecutive victory over the Flames, including their eighth straight at the UIC Pavilion.

[Kyle321n]

I think this might be a tough game. They beat up on the bottom half of the league so far, and might have their confidence built up. Their only losses so far are to us and Oakland, arguably the top teams in the conference. And with a good chance of being 4-2 coming here it'd be a good game to give a team their third loss.

[VU2014]

I'm pretty happy Alec has the chance to break the record at the ARC in front of the home crowd and almost just as importantly that I can hear Todd Ickow on the call. Todd is an icon of Valpo Basketball.

https://twitter.com/ToddIckow/status/821139011519610881

[valpotx]

Valpo 77
UIC 66

[Pgmado]

Let's see ... no packer updates... That's easy...  I would only announce it if they are losing BIG.   (Like the ORena update).  I for one am looking forward to reading Oren's story in the paper about the game.  I'm guessing he'll be in the ARC, watching the Atlanta game.   

Unfortunately I won't be in attendance. It will be first D1 Valparaiso home game I've missed since becoming the beat reporter. Best friend lives in Vegas and is turning 40. Flying out on Friday night and back Sunday night. The fact Green Bay is playing for Super Bowl berth is icing on the cake.

[VU2014]

Unfortunately I won't be in attendance. It will be first D1 Valparaiso home game I've missed since becoming the beat reporter. Best friend lives in Vegas and is turning 40. Flying out on Friday night and back Sunday night. The fact Green Bay is playing for Super Bowl berth is icing on the cake.

Parker moves well for 40 

https://twitter.com/ParkerGatewood/status/818922042879832065

[M]

Valpo 76-60 winners!

[NativeCheesehead]

Joking aside, can we confirm there will NOT be any score updates on the NFL game?

[talksalot]

Yes I will confirm that.

[agibson]

Joking aside, can we confirm there will NOT be any score updates on the NFL game?

It's like #LastMan come early!

Didn't Whelliston's game get broken -at the ARC- one year, by somebody in the student section with a sign board?

[JPEven]

Joking aside, can we confirm there will NOT be any score updates on the NFL game? It's like #LastMan come early! Didn't Whelliston's game get broken -at the ARC- one year, by somebody in the student section with a sign board?

Yes, that was my friends

[PlumStreetBum]

Didn't Whelliston's game get broken -at the ARC- one year, by somebody in the student section with a sign board?

Guilty as charged.

[agibson]

Nice!

I don't know how he took it, personally.

But, from his blog (RIP, RIP) it sounded like he got a real kick out of it.

[covufan]

Now that we are back in the driver's seat, we need to put the pedal to the metal.  The defense has been good, but we can get better!

Valpo   81
UIC      65

[StlVUFan]

Joking aside, can we confirm there will NOT be any score updates on the NFL game?

It's like #LastMan come early!

Didn't Whelliston's game get broken -at the ARC- one year, by somebody in the student section with a sign board?

Yes it did.  I suspect ValpoHoops was in on it, in fact

By the way, I'll be hoping Green Bay loses Sunday because I have a coworker who is a huge Packers fan, and if they are in the Super Bowl, I'm afraid he'll kill me in #Lastman at some point.

At first I panicked for an instant because that's the weekend of my Milwaukee-Green Bay road trip, but fortunately I'll be long gone from Wisconsin by the time the Super Bowl starts   But avoiding my coworker will be a lot harder.

[a3uge]

So this is what Bears fans do during the playoffs?

[valpo84]

So this is what Bears fans do during the playoffs?

There's a football game this weekend? 

[agibson]

There's a football game this weekend?

There's football every weekend, in some country or another. The Bundesliga is back this weekend, the Premier League continues, etc. But the Champions League isn't back until Valentine's Day.

[M]

Ewww soccer...the only sport that I hate more then football.

[talksalot]

Go back to 1993... eerie similarities ...

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-02-07/sports/9303176531_1_valparaiso-coach-homer-drew-casey-schmidt-overtime