Valpo vs Illinois State - 1/2

[VU2010]

They're trying like kind of ... at times ... just not familiar with the rims at this gym. Oh, wait... it's our home court 😂

[VU2010]

I give Lottich credit for being more vocal with the refs but he doesn't stand a chance unless or until he establishes himself more .... will take time I guess. Gotta get a T every now and again maybe?

[VUSL98]

Stop the cross-court passes!

[VU2014]

Golder needs to learn to pass sometimes...

[bbtds]

Clutch, clutch shot by Bakari. Hope we can make the stop and get it to OT.

[bbtds]

I meant  2 stops.

[bbtds]

I was going to blast Golder for missing his FT but I guess I'll forgive him.

[nkvu]

Holy Crap!!!

[valpolaw]

Wow, way to fight back.

ESPN needs to update their final score. Apparently they thought it was over.

[VUSL98]

I hope it will be this kind of year!  We need miracles!

[vu72]

GOOD LORD!!  What a finish!  I have no words, except---Daniel Sackey: Erik Buggs without a shot (you know what I mean).  Do we have a shooter? One, Fazekas.  Do we have a guy with heart?  Yes, MARKUS GOLDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, can anyone remember a shot to win a game like that?  From that range??

[VULB#62]

SportsCenter Top 10??

[NativeCheesehead]

Holy crap.

[vu72]

SportsCenter Top 10??

Top 1!!!!!!!!

[VULB#62]

It wasn't just the dramatic finish. It was losing in the second half because of a 14 minute dry spell, being down by as much as twelve and Todd acknowledging that this would go down as a loss, and finally, no one giving up while chipping away at a lead that seemed insurmountable.  Did anyone see Matt running around the court afterward and waving his arms at the fans? 

[VUGrad1314]

That was AMAZING!!! The ARC ROCKED in the second half! Such energy! And that comeback What words describe that? I have none. Incredible finish! So glad I was there for that! It felt like the entire ARC didn't move for like 20 minutes. Everyone was just cheering. Matt Lottich pumping up the crowd as he walked off the floor. "Welcome to the Missouri Valley" from our PA man. This could be a program changing win. The shots didn't fall until they did but this team played with HEART Hustle Grit and energy the whole game and got rewarded for it. If they draw one less offensive foul If they get one less 50-50 ball. If they pull down one less rebound they aren't even in position for Golder to make that shot. Now we just need to keep it going! Go Valpo! Thank you for that wonderful finish! It was tremendous to see all that hard work pay off.

[oklahomamick]

Golder not only made the buzzer beater but he also had a defensive stop and drew a charge.  Without those we get no buzzer beater. 

[VULB#62]

Golder
Really
Is
Tough

[valporun]

GOOD LORD!!  What a finish!  I have no words, except---Daniel Sackey: Erik Buggs without a shot (you know what I mean).  Do we have a shooter? One, Fazekas.  Do we have a guy with heart?  Yes, MARKUS GOLDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, can anyone remember a shot to win a game like that?  From that range??

I wasn't there, but I heard the tale of folklore of Greg Tonagel's game winning shot against Belmont in 1998.

[valporun]

Golder caused Yarbrough fits. 2 charges in the last minute, plus Yarbrough at the pushoff at half court that should have been called for another foul on his part. Great fight from this team tonight.

[justducky]

With 4 minutes left I was already mentally writing the obituary for our 2018-19 MVC season. I'll put that process on hold for now while I try to figure out what just happened. 

Meanwhile I am going to have a drink and think about our prospects from here forward.

[ml2]

Here's Tonagel's shot. I can't think of another game winner from beyond half court. Just one of those special rewards for fandom that comes along once every couple of decades. What an awesome comeback!

https://youtu.be/ZsjEXkJcXVg

[VUGrad1314]

Golder caused Yarbrough fits. 2 charges in the last minute, plus Yarbrough at the pushoff at half court that should have been called for another foul on his part. Great fight from this team tonight.

Keys to the game: Valpo needs to build on what we saw against PNW. Bring the energy from start to finish get after loose balls rebound Take smart shots\ run efficient offense Illinois State: Discipline  X Factors:  Valpo: Markus Golder may well be tasked with slowing down Yarbrough for at least awhile. How he performs in that role will go a long time in determining the outcome.  Go Valpo! Hope the crowd and the team bring it tonight as we have a real opportunity to start off well with 2 of 3 winnable games at home to open MVC play.

Not bad if I do say so myself.

[M]

Amazing finish! Hope this is the turning point we've been waiting for!

It will be one of our few wins if they don't clean up a bunch of stuff.

First, our freshmen played like freshmen. Hopefully they got the jitters out and will be good going forward. Next, our zone offense was garbage. Next, I can't count how many times our guys went under the screen while chasing Copeland. Next, free throw shooting was awful, but I think most of those misses came from Smits.

I thought VU did rebound pretty well, and probably would've won the rebound battle had VU shot a little better.

Who had the better buzzer beater celebration? Lottich tonight or Bryce with the fall to the ground arms extended in the win over Green Bay?

[VUGrad1314]

Here's what everyone needs to remember: The team that deserved to win tonight did. We outplayed them in every way. Yes our offensive woes were quite pronounced but the main issue really was that we didn't make shots until the very end. We did literally everything else right and we STILL found a way to win. With our newfound grit and toughness we're going to be really difficult to beat if we can make shots at a decent clip. I feel very optimistic about the rest of the year now. I think we've turned a corner.