Jan. 15, 2012
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VALPARAISO, Ind. - Valparaiso's Kevin Van Wijk scored 23 points, one of four Crusaders in double figures, as Valparaiso defeated Cleveland State, 72-66, on Sunday afternoon at the Athletics Recreation Center.
The loss drops CSU to 15-4 overall and 5-2 in Horizon League play, while the Crusaders improved to 12-7 this year (5-2 HL).
"I thought our kids played hard today and didn't give up," head coach Gary Waters said. "Valparaiso plays very fast offensively and you have to either match them or stop them. They hit some big three's early in the second half to open up a lead, but we were able to battle back and get a lead. But when Jeremy (Montgomery) picked up his third foul, they were able to take advantage and get the lead back.
"We were able to get a split on this trip and that's not a bad thing. If we were able to sweep these two games, that would have been special. Now, we get to go home where we have to take care of business next weekend."
Tim Kamczyc led the Vikings with 18 points and four rebounds, while Trey Harmon scored 13 points, all in the second half. Jeremy Montgomery added 11 points and D'Aundray Brown finished with nine points and five steals. Anton Grady chipped in nine points and a career-best 10 rebounds off the bench.
Ryan Broekhoff aided Van Wijk with 14 points, while Jay Harris scored 12 points and Matt Kenney added 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Crusaders stormed out with three quick buckets to take a 6-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest, forcing the Vikings into a quick timeout. Another Valparaiso basket made it 8-0 before two free throws by Tim Kamczyc got the Vikings on the board with 16:32 left in the half.
Kamczyc's free throws started a 13-4 spurt by the Vikings, giving CSU a one point lead (13-12) on Anton Grady's basket at the 11:39 mark. Matt Kenney answered with a three-pointer on the other end for Valpo, starting a 13-2 run that gave the Crusaders a 10 point advantage (25-15) with 4:16 remaining in the half.
It was still a 10 point advantage two minutes later, but back-to-back three-pointers by Kamczyc and Montgomery helped CSU pull within 29-25 at the half.
The Crusaders dominated play inside the three-point arc, hitting 10-of-12 from two-point range in the first half and tallying nine assists on their 12 baskets.
But it was the three-pointer that helped Valparaiso build an 11 point lead early in the second half as the Crusaders hit four three's in the early going, including back-to-back trifectas from Jay Harris that put his squad ahead 45-34 at the 14:51 mark.
That's when the Vikings turned to their defense, forcing several turnovers in the full court press and using offensive rebounds to spark a 19-4 run, capped by a Brown three-pointer and a three-point play by Grady that gave CSU a 53-49 lead with 8:48 remaining.
After the teams traded baskets, Montgomery picked up his third foul with just under eight minutes left and CSU up, 55-51. The Crusaders took advantage, going on an 11-2 run over the next three plus minutes to assume a 62-57 lead with just over four minutes to play.
Harmon answered with a three-pointer to bring CSU within two at 62-60 with just over three minutes left, but eight straight Crusader points gave them a 10 point lead (70-60) with 46 seconds left. A Brown layup and three-pointer by Kamczyc off a Grady steal brought the Vikings back within five (70-65) with 23 seconds left, but the Crusaders used a fast break dunk by Broekhoff to seal the win.
Valpo shot .600 (27-45) from the floor, including 15-of-23 (.652) in the second half. The Vikings were 24-of-59 (.407) for the game, including 6-of-21 (.286) from three-point. CSU did win the battle of the boards, 32-29, and made 10 steals.
Valparaiso received 24 points from its bench and scored 38 points in the paint.
The Vikings are back in action on Friday (Jan. 20) when CSU hosts Green Bay at 8:00 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
