(VALPARAISO RELEASE)
Bradley (9-7, 3-4 MVC)
at Valparaiso (5-9, 2-3 MVC)
Game No. 15 – Thursday, Jan. 28 – 6 p.m. CT
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: A game that was originally scheduled to kick off the Missouri Valley Conference slate on Dec. 28 will finally occur precisely a month later as the Valparaiso University men’s basketball team hosts Bradley on Thursday night in a rematch of last year’s MVC title game. Valpo is seeking its third straight victory as the two teams get together for the first of two midweek makeups as a result of the original series being postponed due to COVID-19. A victory on Thursday would allow Valpo to secure its first three game winning streak since its majestic run of three victories in three days last March in St. Louis to reach the MVC championship game.
Last Time Out: Valpo played its best basketball of the season this past weekend, receiving contributions from a variety of individuals in a two-game road sweep of Illinois State. Donovan Clay (20 points, 12 rebounds) and Eron Gordon (14 points, 10 rebounds) had double-doubles to lead the way to Saturday’s 69-60 victory, then it was the Canadian-born duo of Ben Krikke (25 points, 15 rebounds) and Daniel Sackey (16 points, eight assists) propelling the squad to a narrow 70-66 win on Sunday.
Following Valpo Basketball: Television/Streaming – The Valley on ESPN Exclusive (ESPN3) – Jordan Bernfield (play-by-play) and David Kaplan (analyst)
Radio – WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso) – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Garrett Willis (analyst)
Twitter updates - @ValpoBasketball
Links for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich (78-69) is in his eighth season overall at Valpo and fifth as head coach in 2020-21. Just two years removed from finishing in last place and being knocked out in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as a first-year Valley member, Lottich’s team did more than hold its own in 2019-2020, ascending into a tie for sixth in the league standings before finishing as the conference tournament runner-up. Valpo became the first team in the history of Arch Madness to reach the title game after playing in the opening round. Lottich, hired as the 22nd head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program in April 2016, graduated from Stanford University in 2004 and New Trier High School (Illinois) in 2000.
Elite Company
With his 25-point, 15-rebound effort in the Sunday, Jan. 24 win over Illinois State, Ben Krikke became just the third Valpo player in the last 25 years to enjoy a 25&15 game, joining Alec Peters (3x) and Dan Oppland. Overall, he posted just the seventh 25&15 game by a Valpo player in the last 33 seasons (since ’89-90). In addition, Krikke accounted for the first such performance by any Missouri Valley Conference player since Missouri State’s Alize Johnson over four years ago on Dec. 31, 2016 vs. Indiana State.
Oh, Canada
Edmonton’s Ben Krikke and Winnipeg’s Daniel Sackey accounted for 41 of Valpo’s 70 points (58.6 percent) in the four-point win over Illinois State on Sunday, Jan. 24. The Canadian-born combo produced 26 of the team’s 38 first-half points (68.4 percent).
Krikke’s 15 rebounds obliterated his previous personal best of eight, achieved most recently on Dec. 17 of this season vs. Purdue Northwest. This marked the sophomore forward’s first career double-double.
Krikke also established a career high in the scoring column as his 25 points outdid his previous watermark of 21, which came this season vs. Missouri State. He also made 12 field goals, the most by a Valpo player since Javon Freeman-Liberty also had a dozen last January at UNI.
Krikke’s 15 rebounds marked the second most by a Missouri Valley Conference player this season behind Missouri State’s Gaige Prim, who had 16 on Jan. 9 at Valpo.
Sackey had his third eight-assist game of the season, joining Drake’s Roman Penn as the only Missouri Valley Conference players with three outings featuring eight or more dimes in 2020-21. Sackey had eight assists in both games against the Redbirds this weekend, one shy of a career high.
Sackey’s 16-point outburst on Sunday, Jan. 24 accounted for his first double-figure scoring output of the season. It marked the Valpo point guard’s second-highest career point total, behind only his personal best of 22 on Nov. 9, 2019 at Saint Louis.
Double-Doubles Galore
Entering the Jan. 23-24 weekend at Illinois State, Valpo had just three double-doubles in its last 54 games dating back to the 2018-19 season (only one this year). Valpo matched that total with three double-doubles in a two-game span in Normal, Ill.
Eron Gordon and Ben Krikke both had their first career double-doubles over the weekend, while Donovan Clay enjoyed his second.
Clay and Gordon became the first Valpo tandem to have double-doubles in the same game since Alec Peters and Tevonn Walker on Jan. 16, 2017 vs. Green Bay. It was the first same-game double-double not involving Peters since Darien Walker and Vashil Fernandez on Nov. 19, 2015 vs. Trinity Christian and the first dual double-double not involving Peters vs. a Division-I opponent since Ryan Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk on Feb. 26, 2013 vs. Youngstown State.
Clay and Krikke became the fourth and fifth players with 20-point, 10-rebound games under Matt Lottich, joining a quality group that also includes Javon Freeman-Liberty, Derrik Smits and Alec Peters.
Bouncing Back on the Boards
Entering the Jan. 23-24 weekend at Illinois State, Valpo had been outrebounded in seven straight games, 10 out of 12 this season and 17 of the last 21 dating back to last season. That turned around in a big way as Valpo owned the glass 42-32 on Saturday and 42-34 on Sunday, combining for a +18-rebounding margin in the two games.
Valpo’s highest single-game rebound total in a league contest since joining the Missouri Valley Conference is 43. Entering the weekend in Normal, Valpo had just two games with 42 or more rebounds in conference action since joining The Valley prior to the 2017-18 campaign. The team matched that total in just two games at Redbird Arena with back-to-back 42-rebound performances.
Valpo owned a rebounding edge of +8 or better in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2018-19 season vs. Indiana State and Drake.
The Brown & Gold held a combined 27-15 edge on the offensive glass in the two games at Illinois State and outdid the hosts in second-chance points 31-14. Valpo’s 16 offensive rebounds on Sunday, Jan. 24 were the team’s most since pulling down 18 in the 2019-20 season opener vs. Toledo.
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