Drake Bulldogs vs Valparaiso Beacons Match Player Stats On Feb 07, 2021

Ben Krikke scored 15 points and host Valparaiso handed No. 25 Drake its first loss of the season, 74-57, on Sunday in a Missouri Valley Conference contest in Valparaiso, Ind.

The Crusaders came close to pulling off the upset when these teams met Saturday, but the Bulldogs rallied for an 80-77 victory.

In the rematch, Valparaiso (7-12, 4-6 MVC) seized the lead in the first half and never let go while snapping a three-game losing streak.

Sheldon Edwards and Jacob Ognacevic each scored 11 points for the Crusaders. Donovan Clay added nine points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, and Eron Gordon had nine points and nine boards.

Roman Penn led Drake (18-1, 9-1) with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. ShanQuan Hemphill tossed in 12 points with 10 rebounds. The Bulldogs were limited to 36.5 percent shooting from the field and made just 2 of 15 3-point attempts.

Valparaiso made half of its field-goal attempts in the first half and established a 36-24 halftime lead.

The Crusaders reeled off 10 unanswered points midway through the half to take a 21-12 lead. Ognacevic provided the jolt, tallying eight of those points after coming off the bench.

From there, Valparaiso's lead fluctuated between seven and 11 points until Daniel Sackey made a layup just before the halftime buzzer.

The Crusaders opened the second half with an 8-2 spurt to stretch their lead to 18 points. Krikke had four points in that span.

Edwards extended the lead to 53-33 with 11:39 left on consecutive baskets. On the second, Edwards dunked in transition after a Bulldogs turnover.

Joseph Yesufu's layup with eight minutes remaining cut Valparaiso's lead to 56-44. Penn's three-point play made it 60-50 with 4:26 left.

Clay knocked down four free throws in a six-second span with less than two minutes left to nudge the Crusaders advantage back to 70-57. Krikke punctuated the victory on a dunk in the final minute.

--Field Level Media