Post-Tribune |

VU men’s basketball notes: Freshmen Ben Krikke and Donovan Clay play well as Valparaiso shuts down Southern Illinois

Freshman Donovan Clay fired a pass to freshman Ben Krikke, who threw down a dunk.

That play with less than nine minutes remaining Wednesday night was a fitting way for Valparaiso to push its lead to 17 points for the first time in a 55-38 Missouri Valley Conference win over visiting Southern Illinois at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

Krikke, a 6-foot-9 forward, had 15 points and seven rebounds. Clay, a 6-7 guard/forward, had a career-high five assists to go along with seven points and five rebounds.

Krikke’s performance was his second impressive one in the past four games.

“It’s staying committed to the game plan and taking coaching and just giving my all,” Krikke said.

The Crusaders (13-13, 6-7) used outstanding defense to end Southern Illinois’ seven-game winning streak. Valparaiso allowed its fewest points against a Division I opponent since a 35-33 win against Green Bay on Jan. 21, 1984. The Salukis (15-11, 9-4) shot just 23.6% (13 of 55), including 5-of-28 from 3-point range, and posted their season low in points.

“It’s something we’ve been working on and working on and working on,” Valparaiso coach Matt Lottich said of the defense. “They took our game plan and executed. … Our effort and intensity on the defensive end was really what set the tone.”

Valparaiso used a 9-0 run to take a 14-8 lead and then a 10-0 run to lead 24-11 with 5:05 left in the first half.

“They played extremely well,” Southern Illinois coach Bryan Mullins said. “They outplayed us. They did a great job guarding us all night.”

Lottich again praised the Crusaders’ depth. Star sophomore guard Javon Freeman-Liberty had 14 points and seven rebounds; he played less than 11 minutes in the second half after sitting for a significant stretch.

Lottich called Freeman-Liberty “special” for the way he responded to a challenge.

“Javon missed some defensive assignments,” Lottich said. “We brought some guys in and made a push, and then he was able to take coaching positively and finish a ballgame.”

Man down: Senior guard/forward John Kiser suffered an apparent injury to his left ankle with 1:26 left. As Kiser was getting treated on the court, Lottich made his way over to check on the former walk-on.

Clay and Ryan Fazekas carried Kiser, who was putting no weight on his leg, to the bench, where he sat with a towel draped over his head as he received further treatment. After the game, Mileek McMillan and Brock Pappas carried Kiser off the court.

“He has a lot of swelling in his ankle,” Lottich said. “We’ll look at it and go from there.

“You look at it (Wednesday), bringing him off the bench in the first half and second half, we had huge runs. It’s not a surprise. He plays with toughness, plays with a lot of energy. He has an extremely high basketball IQ. He makes us go in a lot of ways. Losing John would be a huge loss.”

Krikke agreed.

“He’s been a good leader for the freshmen all year, keeping us accountable in practice and pushing us and being a tough guy. … We’re just praying he’s going to be OK,” Krikke said.

Kiser hit the deck twice earlier, including when he was fouled hustling for an offensive rebound. He received a standing ovation after getting back to his feet and hit his two free throws.

“If I’m watching a guy that really resonates with our community, Northwest Indiana, it would be Kiser,” Lottich said. “He has that toughness about him that makes you cheer for him.”

Up next: Valparaiso plays at Illinois State (8-17, 3-10) at 6 p.m. Saturday.

In the teams’ first game Feb. 1, the Crusaders won 80-70 behind a career performance from Krikke, who had 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Illinois State is coming off a 71-63 loss at conference-leading Northern Iowa on Wednesday.

“We want to build on this,” Lottich said. “We haven’t had a tendency to play well after a win, especially on the road. That’s going to be our focus as we move forward.”