Too many missed free throws and not enough attempts.
More Top Picks Best Hot Tub Covers For Winter
Too many turnovers.
Those factors were the primary ones
Valparaiso
coach Matt Lottich lamented after Saturday night’s 65-59 Missouri Valley loss at
Southern Illinois
.
Valparaiso shot 45.5 percent (5-for-11) from the foul line and committed 14 of its 17 turnovers in the first half. Southern Illinois shot 58.3 percent (14-for-24) from the line.
The Crusaders (12-13, 3-9) led for most of the game, but the Salukis (17-9, 8-4) scored the final nine points. Valparaiso has lost all six of its conference road games, including five by single digits.
“We played hard enough, I liked our effort,” Lottich said. “But to win a game on the road, especially against a quality opponent in that environment, we’re going to have to step up at the end of games.
“We were right there if we execute a little better down the stretch.”
Tevonn Walker led the Crusaders with 16 points. Bakari Evelyn had 13 points and a career-high nine rebounds. Markus Golder also had 13 points to go along with six rebounds and a career-high five assists.
Sophomore centers Derrik Smits and Jaume Sorolla had quiet games after they keyed Valparaiso’s 83-72 win against Southern Illinois on Jan. 6 at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Smits had seven points in 21 foul-plagued minutes. Sorolla had six points and four rebounds in 18 minutes, picking up his third foul and a technical for his fourth with 12:30 left, a sequence that ended with the score tied at 41. In the teams’ first game, Smits had 11 points and five rebounds and Sorolla had a career-high 17 points and five rebounds.
On the flip side, Southern Illinois center Kavion Pippen had 21 points, shooting 9-for-11, with six rebounds and four steals.
“He was hitting shots,” Lottich said of Pippen. “I have to look at the film, but our bigs weren’t allowed to be very aggressive. We got a little bit tentative and he was able to get some deep spots.
“It’s tough to defend in the post, Pippens’s a physical guy and typically physicality favors the offense. That’s the way the game’s officiated now. He made a lot of shots over good contests.”
Armon Fletcher made the game’s biggest shot, sending the Salukis to their fifth straight win and the 300th of coach Barry Hinson’s career. The junior guard, who finished with 12 points after pouring in a career-high 32 at Valparaiso, connected on a 3-pointer with 44 seconds left to give Southern Illinois a 62-59 lead.
“He hit a big shot,” Lottich said. “But that was not the one deciding factor.”
Evelyn missed a potential tying 3-pointer, getting a quality shot from the right wing. After Tyler Smithpeters made two free throws with 28 seconds left, Walker missed a 3-pointer and Fletcher added a free throw.
Walker made two free throws with 2:21 left to give Valparaiso a 59-56 lead before Pippen’s three-point play tied the score. The Crusaders led by as much as 39-31 three minutes into the second half.
Micah Bradford did not make the trip to Southern Illinois because of strep throat. The sophomore guard had eight points, five rebounds and six assists in the Crusaders’ win against the Salukis.
“I’ve expected us to continue to grow throughout the year and (Saturday) we did,” Lottich said. “We answered runs, we played hard enough.
“I remember talking to the guys, we needed to execute in the last 3:52.”
More Top Picks Best Treadmills For Home And Commercial
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff