2015-16 Crusader Men’s Basketball Game Notes Contact: AARON LEAVITT Offi ce: 219.464.6953 Valpo Sports Media Relations [email protected] Cell: 219.476.6680 Athletics-Recreation Center www.valpoathletics.com 1009 Union Street Valparaiso IN 46383 2015-16 Schedule and Results #rv/rv Valparaiso (20-4, 10-1 Horizon) Date Opponent Time/Result Nov. 3 Indianapolis (exhibition) W 75-67 Game #25 - Thursday, February 11 - 7 p.m. Nov. 13 IPFW W 78-64 Northern Kentucky (9-14, 5-7 Horizon) Nov. 15 Iona ! W 83-58 Nov. 17 at Rhode Island W 58-55 Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind. Nov. 18 IU Kokomo ! W 78-40 Nov. 19 Trinity Christian ! W 89-42 Next Up in Crusader Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball Nov. 22 at #25/rv Oregon L 73-67 team returns home to the ARC in search of its fi fth consecutive victory on Thursday Nov. 24 at Oregon State ! W 63-57 evening as the Crusaders host Northern Kentucky. Four of the Crusaders’ next Nov. 28 at Ball State L 69-66 fi ve games will be at home as Valpo looks to maintain its spot atop the Horizon Dec. 3 Belmont W 61-57 League standings. Dec. 9 at Indiana State W 69-63 Dec. 11 at Chicago State W 71-53 Last Time Out: Valpo senior Vashil Fernandez set the Crusaders’ career blocked Dec. 19 Missouri State W 74-45 shots record last Saturday afternoon as Valpo won its 20th game of the season Dec. 28 at Belmont L 85-81 with a 73-55 victory at UIC. Fernandez’s second block of the game broke Raitis Jan. 2 UIC * W 75-47 Grafs’ previous record, and Fernandez would end the game with six blocks to Jan. 8 at Oakland * W 84-67 go with eight points and nine rebounds. Alec Peters paced Valpo with 15 points Jan. 10 at Detroit * W 92-74 and added seven rebounds as well. Jan. 14 Milwaukee * W 68-56 Jan. 16 Green Bay * W 85-70 Following the Crusaders: Video – ESPN3 - Todd Ickow (PxP) and David Jan. 18 at Youngstown State * W 96-65 Huseman (Color) Jan. 22 at Wright State * L 73-62 Radio - WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso) Jan. 24 at Northern Kentucky * W 71-46 Links for the video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com. Jan. 28 Cleveland State * W 77-52 Jan. 30 Youngstown State * W 97-68 Feb. 6 at UIC * W 73-55 Head Coach Bryce Drew: Bryce Drew (114-46) is in his fi fth season at the helm Feb. 11 Northern Kentucky * 7 p.m. of the Crusader men’s basketball program in 2015-16. In his fi rst four years, Feb. 13 Wright State * 7 p.m. Drew has led Valpo to three Horizon League regular season titles, two Horizon Feb. 16 at Cleveland State * 6 p.m. League tournament championships and four postseason berths, including a pair Feb. 19 Oakland * 7 p.m. of NCAA Tournament appearances. The 2012 and 2015 HL Coach of the Year, Feb. 21 Detroit * 1:30 p.m. Drew ascended to the head coaching position on May 17, 2011 after spending Feb. 26 at Milwaukee * 6 p.m./8 p.m. six seasons as an assistant and associate head coach with the Crusaders. Feb. 28 at Green Bay * 1 p.m. Mar. 5-8 at Horizon League Championship Series Notes: The Crusaders’ all-time series against Horizon League newcomer (Detroit, Mich.) Northern Kentucky just started this season with Valpo’s fi rst trip to Highland Heights. Valpo claimed the victory in that showdown on Jan. 24, 71-46, holding All times Central. NKU to just 30% shooting for the game. Offensively, four Crusaders scored in Home games in bold and played at double fi gures, led by 16 points from Keith Carter. Athletics-Recreation Center. ! – Beaver Showcase (Campus sites) * - indicates Horizon League game @ValpoBasketball Valpo Men’s #ValpoGameday Basketball #GoValpo 2015-16 Crusader Men’s Basketball Game Notes Contact: AARON LEAVITT Offi ce: 219.464.6953 Valpo Sports Media Relations [email protected] Cell: 219.476.6680 Athletics-Recreation Center www.valpoathletics.com 1009 Union Street Valparaiso IN 46383 @ValpoBasketball... - Valpo enters Thursday’s game against Northern Kentucky with 24 consecutive ...and the @HorizonLeague home wins, breaking the previous record of 20 last month. - Valpo has been picked to win the Horizon League in preseason polling, earning - The Crusaders have not lost at home since falling to New Mexico on Dec. 6, 36 of the 43 fi rst-place votes. 2014 - Valpo went 15-0 at the ARC in the 2015 calendar year. - The Crusaders have not fi nished worse than their preseason projection in the - The previous 20-game home win streak at the ARC started Nov. 24, 2001 last fi ve years. with a win over Milwaukee and came to a close Feb. 1, 2003 with an overtime - Junior Alec Peters was named to the preseason First Team All-League for a loss to UMKC. second straight season. - Valpo’s 24-game home winning streak currently ranks seventh nationally. - Seniors Vashil Fernandez and Darien Walker and sophomore Tevonn Walker all earned spots on the preseason Second Team. @NKUNorseMBB - Northern Kentucky enters Thursday’s game at 9-14 overall this season and ...looking back at last year owns a 5-7 record in its fi rst season of Horizon League play. - Valpo won a program-record 28 games en route to the Horizon League regular - The Norse are coming off of a 75-71 home victory over Milwaukee last season and tournament titles. Saturday evening. - The Crusaders advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time since - Senior Jalen Billups leads four NKU players in double fi gures, averaging 13.8 1996 and the 14th time overall. ppg on 63.3% shooting. - Valpo has won two of the last three Horizon League Championships and three - Sophomore Cole Murray adds 10.4 ppg and ranks among the nation’s top of the last four HL regular season titles. shooters, hitting at a 49.2% clip from 3-point range. - The Crusaders are one of just four programs in league history to capture at least three regular season titles in a four-year span. 20-4 - Bryce Drew was named Horizon League Coach of the Year for the second - This season marks the fourth time in Crusader history that Valpo has been time, as well as NABC District Coach of the Year. 20-4 or better through 24 games. - Alec Peters was a First Team All-League selection and an NABC First Team - Last year’s team also was 20-4 through 24 games en route to a school-record All-District choice. 28 victories. - Vashil Fernandez was named HL Defensive Player of the Year and a member - Prior to that, you had to go back to the FDR administration, as the “World’s of the All-Defensive Team. Tallest Team” in 1944-45 ended the season 21-3. - Jubril Adekoya claimed Sixth Man of the Year honors, while Tevonn Walker - The Crusaders won their fi rst 19 games in 1923-24 en route to a 24-4 record, earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team. while the 1930-31 squad fi nished at 16-2. - This year’s team reached 20 victories with the win over UIC - the 19th team ...notes from UIC in Valpo men’s basketball history to win at least 20 games and the fourth under - The Crusaders led by 20 points at the half en route to their 10th double-fi gure Bryce Drew. victory in as many league games. - Last year’s team reached 20 wins on Jan. 31, the earliest in program history, - Valpo handed out 20 assists, setting a new season high - the Crusaders have while this year’s squad reached the mark on Feb. 6 - no other Valpo team has tallied at least 19 assists in each of their last three games after not reaching the reached the 20-win mark before Feb. 12. mark in their fi rst 21 games. - Keith Carter came up one assist shy of his career best, tallying eight assists, King of Blocks and set a new career high with fi ve steals. - Senior Vashil Fernandez brokeValpo’s career blocked shots record in Satur- - Vashil Fernandez recorded eight points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots. day’s game at UIC. - The Crusaders out-rebounded UIC 48-41, including 20 offensive rebounds - Fernandez blocked six shots to fi nish the win over the Flames with 233 career which Valpo turned into 22 second-chance points. blocks, surpassing Raitis Grafs’ previous Crusader record of 228. - Valpo limited UIC to 32.8% shooting, while the Flames were just 2-of-15 - Fernandez blocked 14 shots as a freshman, 58 as a sophomore and 98 as a from 3-point range. junior - he has tallied 63 blocked shots to date during his fi nal season, already - UIC leading scorer Dikembe Dixson scored 18 points, but the Crusaders held fi fth-most in a single season in program history. him to 7-of-23 shooting from the fi eld. No Doubt In League Play ...looking ahead - Outside of the loss at WSU, the Crusaders have had little drama in the stretch - Valpo continues this home weekend as it hosts Wright State on Saturday, Feb. run of Horizon League games, as each of their fi rst 10 league wins have come 13 on Hall of Fame Night. by at least 12 points - including fi ve by at least 25 points.