Valparaiso’s Bakari Evelyn feels comfortable.
The sophomore point guard doesn’t believe he’s had to shake off the rust after sitting out last season following his transfer from Nebraska.
His business-as-usual approach was evident in Saturday’s hurricane relief exhibition game at Chicago State.
Evelyn had 12 points and five assists as the Crusaders beat the Cougars 77-42 to close their preseason schedule.
He drove to the rim effectively, crediting Valparaiso’s shooters, including Tevonn Walker and Joe Burton, for creating space for him.
“I’m going to be able to do that all season,” Evelyn said. “It’s just good to see in a game what I’ve been working on in practice. It’s just seeing the different reads out there.”
Evelyn has been heeding coach Matt Lottich’s words about trying to limit his “fancy” passes.
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“Sometimes, he just has to keep it simple because he can make great plays,” Lottich said. “He can see passes that other guys can’t.”
The Crusaders again showed their depth. Nine of their 10 available scholarship players scored at least four points, and nine of 10 played at least 13 minutes.
But whereas their offense impressed in Thursday’s 117-69 exhibition win over Robert Morris, their defense shined Saturday against Chicago State.
Valparaiso held the Cougars to 24.1 percent shooting (14-for-58), including 3-for-20 from 3-point range. Chicago State scored just 15 points in the second half.
“I don’t know the last time we had a defensive effort like that,” Lottich said. “I was proud of our defensive effort.
“That was consistent.”
The Crusaders, whose 19 turnovers were their main concern, used a 21-1 burst to open a 77-38 cushion with 2:27 left. During that stretch, Walker scored nine straight points in 1:30. The senior guard finished with game highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The Crusaders outrebounded the Cougars 54-26.
Burton had 10 points, while Markus Golder and Mileek McMillan had eight each. Freshman forward McMillan, a Merrillville graduate, and Jaume Sorolla also had six rebounds each.
“Crashing the glass is important at both ends of the floor,” McMillan said. “I just have to pick my spots to take shots and be as efficient as I can. I have to think of my teammates before myself and sacrifice my body for my teammates.”
With John Kiser (nose) again sidelined, sophomore guard Micah Bradford also was not in uniform with a walking boot on his right foot. His status was uncertain.
“I don’t know,” Lottich said. “His foot was hurting the last game. It’s day-to-day.”
Freshman forward Marten Linssen absorbed a blow to the head midway through the first half and headed to the locker room before returning to the bench. He returned to play in the game’s waning minutes.
“He took a heck of a shot,” Lottich said of Linssen. “He got some concussion tests.”
The Crusaders open the regular season Friday against North Park at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
“Guys are starting to understand their roles a little bit, when I’m going to take them out,” Lottich said. “We’re very deep and that’s a great problem to have. I’m still trying to learn our team because it’s so new.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff