Valparaiso (17-15, 9-9 MVC)
vs. Loyola (21-10, 13-5 MVC)

Game No. 33 – Friday, March 6 – 6 p.m. CT
Enterprise Center (16,502) – St. Louis, Mo.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team has secured a Missouri Valley Conference victory for the second straight season, advancing to the quarterfinal round thanks to Thursday’s escape of Evansville. Valpo will match up with Loyola in an Arch Madness quarterfinal for the second consecutive season. The Ramblers took both of this year’s regular season matchups between the two nearby foes, winning the two games by a combined five points.

Last Time Out: The program’s bright future was on full display on Thursday night as freshmen Donovan Clay and Ben Krikke were the top two scorers, combining for 26 points in Valpo’s 58-55 win over Evansville. Valpo snapped a streak of 298 games with a made 3-pointer and became the first team in Arch Madness history to go 0-for from beyond the arc, missing all 10 tries from distance. However, 38 points in the paint helped Valpo survive and advance even when the shots weren’t falling from the perimeter. Javon Freeman-Liberty had eight points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals in his return to action after missing the final two regular-season games due to mononucleosis.  

Following Valpo Basketball: Television – MVC TV Network (FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports Indiana, FOX Sports Kansas City; tape delayed on NBC Sports Chicago) – Mitch Holthus (play-by-play), Kevin Lehman (analyst) Scott Warmann (host) and Tom Ackerman (sideline) 

Video – ESPN+ (blacked out in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, but not blacked out in Indiana or Illinois)

Radio – WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso) – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Paul Oren (analyst); KTRS (550 AM St. Louis) – Brendan Wiese (play-by-play) and Rich Zvosec (analyst)

Twitter updates - @ValpoBasketball

Links for the audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.

Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich (71-59) is in his seventh season overall at Valpo and fourth as head coach in 2019-20. Lottich led the team to 15 victories in his third season in charge in 2018-19, the program’s second campaign in the Missouri Valley Conference. In his first year as head coach (2016-17), Lottich guided Valpo to its fifth Horizon League regular season championship in a six-year span as he led the team to 24 wins and an at-large berth into the NIT. Lottich, hired as the 22nd head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program in April 2016, graduated from Stanford University in 2004 and New Trier High School (Illinois) in 2000.

Series Notes: Valpo enters Friday seeking to beat Loyola for the first time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. Loyola holds a 41-15 advantage in the all-time series with the Brown & Gold and has won seven consecutive matchups since Valpo joined The Valley. The most recent Valpo victory occurred on Feb. 19, 2013 in Chicago, 85-76. However, Valpo lost this year’s two meetings by a total of five points. Loyola ended Valpo’s Arch Madness run a year ago, prevailing 67-54 in a quarterfinal showdown. Loyola swept this year’s regular season series in large part thanks to its ability to get to the free-throw line. Valpo had a combined 11 free-throw attempts over the two regular-season meetings, while the Ramblers had 51.

Feb. 9: Loyola 70, Valpo 58: Valpo incurred a heart-breaking 70-68 setback in the matchup at Gentile Arena, coming from down by 14 points with under eight minutes remaining to pull to within two. Four of the team’s five starters scored 13 points or more, led by Mileek McMillan’s 14 points in only 16 minutes. Nick Robinson handed out a career-high nine assists. Loyola’s Cameron Krutwig scored 20 points, helping the Ramblers to 58.7 percent shooting. 

Dec. 30: Loyola 66, Valpo 63: Valpo incurred a narrow defeat on Dec. 30 in the conference opener, falling 66-63 to Loyola at the Athletics-Recreation Center. A career night from Donovan Clay was the Valpo highlight, as the freshman knocked down all eight of his shot attempts including four 3-pointers to accrue 21 points. Nick Robinson returned after missing the previous game with an injury and didn’t miss a beat, handing out a personal-best seven assists to go along with 15 points. Valpo outscored the Ramblers 35-31 in the second half after trailing 35-28 at the break.

With a Victory Over Loyola Valpo Would… 

• Reach the Arch Madness semifinals for the first time since joining the league (third season).
• Become just the second team since The Valley expanded to its current 10-team format in 1997 to play in the opening round and reach the semifinals.
• Become the first team since Bradley in 1998 to advance to the MVC Semifinals after playing in the opening-round. The Braves were a No. 7 seed and finished 9-9 in MVC play, identical to Valpo’s status this season.
• Marked Valpo’s 18^th win of the season and put the team within two victories of the 21^st 20-win season in program history.
• Pick up its first victory over Loyola since joining the Missouri Valley Conference (0-7).
• Play in three or more conference tournament games in the same season for the first time since 2010-11. (Valpo needed to win just twice to garner Horizon League titles in 2013 and 2015.)

Wrapping Up Game 1: Valpo 58, Evansville 55 (March 5)

• Less than two weeks removed from setting the Missouri Valley Conference record for 3-pointers in a game with 18 on Feb. 22 vs. Bradley, Valpo didn’t hit a trey in the victory. The team snapped a 298-game streak of made 3s, failing to connect from distance for the first time since Nov. 18, 2011. Valpo went 0-for-14 in that game, a 62-59 win over Akron. Valpo went 0-for-10 in Thursday’s contest. Strangely enough, over its last 300 games, Valpo is 2-0 when failing to hit a 3-pointer.
• Valpo became the first team in the 30-year history of Arch Madness to fail to hit a 3-pointer in a game.
• Clay led the team with 16 points while sharing the rebounding team lead with Freeman-Liberty with seven apiece. Krikke’s 10 points came on 4-of-5 shooting while squeezing five rebounds.
• Clay has held or shared the team lead in scoring in three consecutive games after he did so just twice in the first 29 games of the season.
• Freeman-Liberty returned after missing the previous two games with an illness and contributed eight points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals, holding the outright team lead in both assists and steals.
• Freeman-Liberty scored in double figures in all 29 regular-season games, but his impressive streak came to an end in Thursday’s tournament opener.
• Valpo beat Evansville for the third time this season, recording a three-game sweep of a conference foe for the first time since March 7, 2015, a 60-55 Horizon League semifinal win over Cleveland State at the ARC. All three of Valpo’s victories over Evansville came by three points or fewer.
• Valpo won its first-round MVC Tournament Game for the second consecutive season and extended its season win total to 17. The three-point game was Valpo’s closest Arch Madness contest in the three years in the league.
• This was Valpo’s eighth game of the year decided by three points or fewer as Valpo bolstered its record to 5-3 in such contests.
• Valpo improved to just 4-26 under Matt Lottich when scoring fewer than 60 points. Two of the victories have come this season as Valpo beat Southern Illinois 55-38 on Feb. 12.

Inside the Honors

• Valpo received a nice haul of postseason Missouri Valley Conference honors, with Javon Freeman-Liberty earning First Team All-MVC, All-Defensive Team and Most-Improved Team, Donovan Clay nabbing All-Freshman Team recognition, Mileek McMillan receiving Most-Improved Team recognition and John Kiser being named to the All-Bench Team and MVC Scholar-Athlete Second team.
• Freeman-Liberty finished second in the MVC Defensive Player of the Year voting and third in the Larry Bird Player of the Year voting. He was one point behind UNI’s Isaiah Brown for Defensive Player of the Year, the first time in the history of the award a single point separated first from second.
• This marks the second straight season Valpo has boasted a member of the All-Freshman Team after Freeman-Liberty earned a spot a year ago. Valpo has had a player on either the All-Newcomer Team or the All-Freshman team in every season since joining The Valley.
• Valpo has boasted a member of the MVC All-Defensive Team in each season since joining The Valley. Tevonn Walker earned a place on the 2017-18 All-Defensive squad before Freeman-Liberty grabbed a spot a year ago. Freeman-Liberty and UNI’s Isaiah Brown are the only players to earn MVC All-Defensive Team status in each of the last two seasons.
• This marks the sixth consecutive season Valpo has placed a player on the all-defensive squad. Vashil Fernandez (2014-2015, 2015-2016) and Walker (2016-17) earned Horizon League all-defensive recognition over the school’s last three years in the league before Walker and Freeman-Liberty have continued the string of defensive standouts over the first three years in The Valley.
• Freeman-Liberty became the first Valpo player since joining The Valley to achieve first-team status. He became just the fifth Valpo player over the last 30 years to earn first-team all-conference as a freshman or sophomore, joining Alec Peters (2014-15), Raitis Grafs (2000-01), Lubos Barton (1998-99) and Bryce Drew (1995-96).
• Valpo had at least one first-team all-conference performer in each of the program’s last seven seasons in the Horizon League, but Freeman-Liberty’s honor ended a two-year drought that coincided with the move to The Valley.
• Freeman-Liberty earned his way on to the MVC Most-Improved team by finishing the regular season second in the league in scoring, seventh in rebounding, sixth in assists and first in steals after not earning first or second team all-conference last season. He upped his scoring average from 11.0 points per game to 19.3 points per game.
• McMillan’s Most-Improved status came after he went from 2.8 points per game to 9.2 points per game while over doubling his rebounding average from 1.5 to 3.2. He finished the regular season third on the team in scoring after finishing ninth on the squad a year ago.

Scouting the Ramblers

• Have won 18 or more games in four straight seasons for the first time in over 70 years.
• Have finished second or better in the Valley in three consecutive seasons, the first time they’ve placed second or better in league play three years in a row since doing so six straight times from 1979-80 through 1984-85.
• Earned a first-round bye and the right to take on the winner of a first-round game by virtue of finishing as the MVC regular-season runners-up.
• Closed the regular year with a narrow 67-66 victory over Bradley.
• Cameron Krutwig leads the team in scoring (15.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 ppg) and finished as the runner-up in the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year voting.

Valpo in Arch Madness

• In just its third year as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Valpo is 2-2 all-time in the MVC Tournament.
• The program was the No. 10 seed in 2018 and dropped an opening-round matchup 83-79 to Missouri State in its first Arch Madness appearance.
• Valpo progressed to a No. 9 seed in Year 2 in the Valley and earned its first Arch Madness victory, beating Indiana State 77-55 in the opening round. The team fell 67-54 vs. Loyola in the quarterfinal round a year ago.
• This year, Valpo is the No. 7 seed after finishing tied for sixth in the conference standings, its best finish since joining The Valley.
• This marks the second consecutive season Valpo has notched at least one victory at Arch Madness.

Making History Like I Do

Valpo sophomore Javon Freeman-Liberty…

• Has 69 steals this season, shattering the previous single-season program record set by Lubos Barton (63, 2001-02) that had stood for nearly two decades.
• Has 129 career steals, 16 away from entering Valpo’s career Top 10.
• Is in position to become the first player to lead the MVC in steals in consecutive seasons since Hersey Hawkins of Bradley did so in 1986, 1987 and 1988.
• Is up to 569 points for the season, putting him on the brink of breaking Alec Peters’ sophomore scoring record of 570 points in 2014-15. That is also the threshold for entrance into Valpo’s all-time Top 10 for points in a single season.
• Has 934 career points, putting him 66 points away from becoming the second player in program history to reach 1,000 points by the end of his sophomore season. He would need an extended postseason run to have a chance to reach that feat.
• Is also approaching the Top 10 in program history for made field goals in a single season. He is currently at 207, with Vern Curtis (1966-67) 10^th in program history at 214.
• Needs to get to 609 points to move into a tie with John S. Williams (Indiana State, 1983-84) for the 10^th-most points by a sophomore in Missouri Valley Conference history.
• Scored in double figures in all 29 regular season games he played before seeing his streak snapped in the MVC Tournament opener as he finished with eight points against Evansville.

Valpo Single-Season Scoring List

1. Bruce Lindner 1969-70 725
2. Alec Peters 2015-16 679
3. Alec Peters 2016-17 666
4. Dick Jones 1966-67 662
5. Bryce Drew 1996-97 617
6. Bryce Drew 1997-98 613
7. Tracy Gipson 1992-93 595
8. Dan Oppland 2004-05 577
9. Dan Oppland 2005-06 573
10. Alec Peters 2014-15 570
11. Javon Freeman-Liberty 2019-20 569

Thievery Feats

• Valpo currently leads the league with 7.9 steals per game, narrowly ahead of Loyola with 7.8.
• Valpo has 252 steals this season, already the team’s most in the last seven years. Valpo finished with 272 in 2011-12. This is just the fifth time in the last 30 years Valpo had accrued 250+ steals in a season.
• Valpo has nine games this season with 10 steals or more and 17 with nine steals or more. By comparison, Valpo had just four games a year ago with nine steals or more and two with double-figure steal totals.
• Valpo’s steals average of 7.9 per game is up from 6.1 per game last season.

Clay Leading the Way

• During leading scorer Javon Freeman-Liberty’s two-game absence due to mononucleosis over the final week of the regular season, freshman Donovan Clay averaged team bests in both points per game (16.5) and rebounds per game (6.0) over two contests.
• Clay’s efforts helped him receive Missouri Valley Conference recognition, as he nabbed the league’s final Newcomer of the Week award for the 2019-20 season, which was announced on Sunday evening.
• In the first game of Freeman-Liberty’s absence on Tuesday, Feb. 25 vs. Missouri State, Clay turned in a career-high 22 points to lift Valpo to an 89-74 victory. He led the team in both points and rebounds (seven). The rookie followed that up by sharing the team lead in scoring in the Feb. 29 road loss at Indiana State, turning in 11 points and five boards.
• Clay joins Eron Gordon as the only two Valpo players to appear in all 31 regular-season games. The Valpo rookie came off the bench in each of his first two collegiate contests on Nov. 5 vs. Toledo and Nov. 9 at Saint Louis, but has started 29 consecutive games since.
• Clay has been in double figures in 17 of his 32 games, including Thursday’s MVC Tournament opener vs. Evansville. He finished in double figures just once over the first seven games of his career, but has done so in 16 of 23 games since.
• His hometown of Alton, Ill. is just over 20 miles from St. Louis.
• Clay has led or shared the team lead in scoring in three straight games after doing so twice prior to that in the first 29 games of the year.

3-Point Specialist

• Valpo senior Ryan Fazekas is shooting 50 percent from 3-point range at 38-of-76 this season. He would currently rank eighth in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference for single-season 3-point percentage.
• Fazekas has reached the minimum of 75 attempts needed to qualify for the Valpo record book for single-season 3-point percentage. The record of 52.1 percent was set by Lance Barker in 1991-92. Mike Jones (1988-89) currently ranks second at 49.2 percent, a spot Fazekas would take over if he remains at his current clip.
• Fazekas is up to a career 3-point percentage of 46.0. He has met the minimum 150 career attempts and is in position to shatter the previous program record for career 3-point percentage set by Samuel Haanpaa (2006-2008) at 44.5 percent.
• Fazekas suffered a broken wrist in the second game of the season on Nov. 9 at Saint Louis and did not return to action until Jan. 23 at Missouri State after being sidelined for 17 games. Fazekas also missed 13 games due to two separate injuries last season, and has missed 30 games while playing in 34 over his two seasons in a Valpo uniform.
• With his 20 points on Feb. 25 vs. Missouri State, Fazekas became just the third Valpo player in the last 17 seasons to score 20 points or more on his senior night, joining good company. Both of the other Valpo players who had a 20-point output on senior night during that time frame went on to play in the NBA, Alec Peters (21, 2017 vs. Milwaukee) and Ryan Broekhoff (23, 2013 vs. Youngstown State).
• Fazekas scored in double figures in four straight games to close out the regular season and was 16-of-26 (.615) from beyond the 3-point arc during that stretch.

Next Man Up

• After starting at point guard for his first 23 games of the season and averaging 28.2 minutes per game, sophomore Daniel Sackey accepted a different role for a five-game stretch from Feb. 9 to Feb 22.
• During that stretch, Sackey took a reserve role in stride, coming off the bench and playing just 12.0 minutes per game.
• Due to an injury to Nick Robinson (back) and Javon Freeman-Liberty’s illness that caused him to miss the final two games of the regular season, Sackey’s had his number called as he returned to the starting lineup for the Feb. 25 game against Missouri State.
• In his return to the first five, Sackey had 14 points, the second-highest total of his career. He followed that by sharing the team lead with 11 points in the Feb. 29 regular-season finale at Indiana State. He also handed out a team-high five assists against the Sycamores.
• Sackey hit double figures in back-to-back games to close out the regular season after eight straight in single figures. He had scored six points total over the previous six games before coming through with 25 points over the final two regular-season contests.

Glue Guy

• When senior John Kiser suffered an ankle injury on Feb. 12 vs. Southern Illinois, it briefly appeared that the former walk-on turned key player had played his last game in a Valpo uniform.
• However, Kiser quickly returned to the court after missing just two games, and did so as a starter for the Feb. 22 game vs. Bradley. He’s started four straight and 22 total over his four years while appearing in 110 Valpo games.
• Kiser is third on the team behind Clay and Freeman-Liberty in season plus/minus at +48 (+2.64/40 minutes).
• Kiser is the only four-year member of the program and the first four-year player of Matt Lottich’s career as a head coach.

From Sophomore Slump to Junior Jump

• After averaging just 2.8 points per game a year ago, junior Mileek McMillan finished the regular season third on the team in scoring at 9.2 points per contest. He has also over doubled his rebounding average from 1.5 to 3.2.
• The Merrillville, Ind. native played just 8.1 minutes per game and made one start as a sophomore. This year, he’s started all 30 games he played in the regular season and averaged 18.2 minutes per contest.
• McMillan started 18 of his 32 games as a freshman in 2017-18, posting 3.2 rebounds per game.
• He went just 6-of-26 (.231) from beyond the 3-point arc during the nonconference slate this year, but hit at a .423 (30-of-71) clip in Valley action.
• McMillan scored a career-high 20 points on Feb. 19 at Drake, shattering his previous mark of 16 set on Nov. 17 of this season against North Dakota. He tied Eron Gordon (Dec. 18 at High Point) for the most 3-pointers made by a Valpo player in a game this season by draining six in the overtime defeat to the Bulldogs. McMillan became the first Valpo player to convert a half a dozen 3s in a conference game since Ryan Fazekas on Jan. 5, 2019 at Missouri State. McMillan became (at the time) just the fourth Missouri Valley Conference player to hit six or more 3s in a league game this season, joining UNI’s A.J. Green (three times), Illinois State’s Zach Copeland and Bradley’s Nate Kennell. McMillan had previously made no more than four 3s in any of his first 88 career games.

Valpo in St. Louis

• Although Valpo is the new kid on the block when it comes to Arch Madness, the program’s history at the building now known as the Enterprise Center goes beyond the team’s three MVC tournament games over the last two years.
• Valpo’s Sweet Sixteen game against Rhode Island in 1998 was played at the building, which was then known as the Kiel Center.
• Valpo also appeared in the 2002 NCAA Tournament in St. Louis, but the first-round date with Kentucky was played at the Edward Jones Dome.
• Head coach Matt Lottich played at Stanford from 2000-04 and was part of the Cardinal team that participated in the first and second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Edward Jones Dome in 2002. His squad joined Valpo as two of the eight teams competing in St. Louis in the opening round of the tournament that year. Stanford beat Western Kentucky 84-68 in the first round before falling 86-63 to Kansas. Lottich saw action in both contests

Reaching New Valley Heights

• Valpo finished with its highest league win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference after finishing 6-12 in Year 1 and 7-11 in Year 2.
• Valpo completed the league slate with a Valley mark of .500 or better for the first time and has a chance to secure an overall winning record with a victory on Thursday vs. Evansville.
• The Feb. 25 win over Missouri State allowed Valpo to knock off the MVC preseason favorite for the first time since joining the league. The Brown & Gold were previously 0-7 against the team projected first in The Valley Preseason Poll.
• Valpo exceeded expectations this year, tying for sixth in the league standings after being picked ninth in the preseason poll.

Sharp Shooting

• Valpo shot a season-best 58.6 percent (34-58) from the field in the 89-74 win over Missouri State on Feb. 25 at the ARC. That marked the team’s best field-goal percentage of the season, eclipsing the high of 55.6 percent set in the team’s previous game, Feb. 22 vs. Bradley.
• Valpo scored 89 points or more in back-to-back games (90 vs. Bradley, 89 vs. Missouri State) for the first time since November 2013 games against Mercer (L 117-108) and Cincinnati Christian (W 94-58). That marked the first time Valpo has scored 89 points or more in consecutive games against Division-I teams since January 2006 against Longwood (W 105-73) and Oakland (W 95-64).
• The field-goal percentage of 58.6 against Missouri State was Valpo’s highest since Dec. 2, 2018, 60 percent (33-55) in an 82-73 win over UC Riverside.
• The field goal percentage was Valpo’s highest in a Missouri Valley Conference game since joining the league and the highest in any league game since shooting 60.4 percent (32-53) on Jan. 8, 2015 vs. UIC.
• Valpo shot 55 percent or better from the field for the second straight game and 50 percent or better from long range in consecutive contests. The last time Valpo shot 50 percent or better from 3 in consecutive games was January 2018 against Southern Illinois and Drake. The last time Valpo shot 55 percent or better from the floor in back-to-back outings was February 2015 against Detroit Mercy and Oakland.
• Valpo is averaging 72.4 points per game and has a chance to finish with its second-highest single-season scoring average over the last eight years. The team’s top mark in that span was 74.7 percent in 2016-17.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Missouri State (Feb. 25)

• Missouri State led for just 1:53, while Valpo held the lead for 35:56.
• Donovan Clay finished with 22 points, eclipsing his previous career high of 21 set in the Dec. 30 conference opener against Loyola. He bookended the home portion of his first MVC voyage with outputs of over 20 points. He also held the team lead with seven rebounds while going 11-of-17 from the field in Tuesday’s triumph.
• This marked Clay’s third time this season leading the team in scoring and first since posting 18 on Jan. 11 vs. Drake.
• Ryan Fazekas accrued 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting including 5-of-6 from 3-point range during his ARC farewell. The fifth-year senior started the home portion of his final campaign with a career-high 23 on Nov. 5 vs. Toledo and had his second 20-point output of the year during the home finale. He canned a season-high five triples for the second straight outing. The seven made field goals replicated a career high.
• John Kiser’s eight assists shattered his previous personal best of five. It was the first time in his collegiate career that he held the outright team lead in assists. He committed just one turnover while notching three steals and registering seven points in his final collegiate home game.
• Daniel Sackey returned to the starting lineup after coming off the bench in each of the last five contests. He responded by turning in 14 points, the second-highest total of his career behind 22 earlier this season on Nov. 9 at Saint Louis.
• Ben Krikke had 14 points to finish in double figures for the seventh time this year. The freshman got there on 5-of-6 shooting while grabbing four rebounds.
• This was Matt Lottich’s 70^th win as the head coach at Valpo.

It’s Raining 3s

• Valpo converted 18 3-pointers in a 90-78 win over Bradley on Feb. 22 at the Athletics-Recreation Center, coming one shy of establishing a school record for 3s in a single game while shattering the mark for the most in a Missouri Valley Conference contest.
• The record for 3s by a Valley team in any game is 20, but the previous record in conference play was 17, reached on five occasions.
• It was the most triples Valpo has knocked down in a game since the record-setting night against Butler on Feb. 6, 1989 at the ARC.
• Valpo’s 64.3 percent clip from 3-point range came against a Bradley team that entered the evening allowing opponents to shoot just 29.7 percent from 3 for the season. The Braves were in position to shatter the school mark for 3-point field goal percentage defense and entered the evening with a single-season 3-point field goal percentage defense that ranked fourth in Missouri Valley Conference history.
• The 18 3s tied for the 24^th-most nationally in a single game this season.
• Seven of the eight Valpo players who logged at least one minute hit at least one 3-pointer in the game.
• The 18 3s were the most Bradley has permitted in program history.
• Valpo had just set its previous season high for made 3s in a game with 14 on Feb. 19 at Drake.
• Valpo’s previous season high for 3-point field goal percentage was 47.1 percent on Nov. 9 at Saint Louis. The 64.3 percent vs. Bradley marked Valpo’s first game above 50 percent from distance since Dec. 8, 2018 at George Washington. Valpo’s last time above 60 percent was 10-of-16 (62.5 percent) on Jan. 20, 2015 at Youngstown State.
• The performance against the Braves was Valpo’s best 3-point shooting percentage since going 12-of-18 (66.6) on Nov. 10, 2013 vs. North Park. It was the best against a Division-I team since Jan. 18, 2007 at Western Illinois, when Valpo went 12-of-16 for 75 percent from 3.

Putting Up Points

• Valpo’s 90-point output on Feb. 22 vs. Bradley marked the team’s highest point total against a Division-I opponent this season, surpassing 89 on Nov. 12 at SIUE.
• In fact, it was Valpo’s highest single-game point total against a D1 team since scoring 94 on Nov. 15, 2017, also at SIUE.
• It was Valpo’s highest point total in an MVC game since joining the conference and highest in any league game since Jan. 22, 2017, 96 in a Horizon League matchup with UIC.
• The 90 points came against a Bradley team that entered the evening ranked 65^th nationally in scoring defense at 65.0 points per game and 19^th in field-goal percentage defense at 38.8.
• Valpo improved to 7-0 this season and 29-2 under Lottich when scoring 80 points or more.

Turnaround Talk: Valpo turned a 13-point loss from the Jan. 7 date at Southern Illinois into a 17-point win over the Salukis on Feb. 12. That marked the first time Valpo turned a double-figure defeat from the first meeting into a double-figure win in the second meeting since joining The Valley. The program didn’t have to wait long for the second such instance, as Valpo turned an 80-69 defeat from Jan. 29 at Bradley to a 90-78 victory over the Braves on Feb. 22 at the ARC. Before this season, Valpo hadn’t lost the first game of a conference double-round robin by double figures and turned it around to win the second matchup by double figures since 2008-09 in Horizon League play against Loyola.

Year                Opponent       First Mtg        Second Mtg

2019-20           Bradley           -11                   +12

2019-20           SIU                  -13                   +17

2018-19           Bradley           +11                  -25

2016-17           Green Bay       +24                  -17

2013-14           Green Bay       +15                  -14

2011-12           Youngstown    +14                  -18

2010-11           Loyola             +10                  -20

2008-09           Loyola             -15                   +24

Comeback Kids

• Valpo has come from double figures down to either win or force overtime in three consecutive games.
• This a season-long trend of the team erasing deficits. Five times this year including three in conference play, Valpo has come from double figures down to win.
• Valpo has come back to tie or take the lead after trailing by double figures 10 times this year.
• During Matt Lottich’s head coaching tenure (only his fourth season), Valpo has trailed by double figures and won on 14 occasions. Valpo has led by double figures and lost just once in that span, this season at UNI.
• The 90-78 victory over Bradley on Feb. 22 marked the sixth time under Lottich and second time this season Valpo has trailed by double figures and gone on to win by double figures. This was the second time in the last three years that Bradley has led by double figures at the ARC and lost the game by double figures. In 2017-18, the Braves led by as many as 10 in an eventual 77-64 Valpo win.

Erasing Double-Figure Deficits Under Lottich

Year                Opponent                    Largest Deficit            Outcome

2019-20           Bradley                       13                                W 90-78

2019-20           Illinois State*             17                                W 65-62

2019-20           Indiana State               11                                W 86-77

2019-20           SIUE                           10                                W 89-76

2019-20           Toledo                         14                                W 79-77

2018-19           Illinois State               12                                W 58-56

2018-19           George Washington    10                                W 82-79

2018-19           UNLV                         11                                W 72-64

2017-18           Bradley                       10                                W 77-64

2017-18           UNCW                        10                                W 79-70

2016-17           Wright State               10                                W 84-74

2016-17           Cleveland State           12                                W 78-67

2016-17           BYU                            12                                W 92-89

2016-17           Trinity Christian         16                                W 89-75

*largest comeback since Jan. 17, 2012 vs. Detroit Mercy

Tight Battles: Valpo dropped to 6-5 in games decided by five points or fewer with the two-point loss at Drake on Feb. 19. It was Valpo’s seventh game of the season decided by three points or fewer, with the team 4-3 in such contests and five decided by two points or fewer. This season marks Valpo’s largest number of games decided by three points or fewer since also having seven such contests in 2014-15.

Working Overtime: Valpo played its third overtime game of the season with the 77-75 loss at Drake on Feb. 19 and the team’s first extra session since an 81-79 win at Evansville on Jan. 4. Valpo also played OT on Nov. 25 vs. Cincinnati in the U.S. Virgin Islands, losing 81-77. 

Another Valley Honor: For his efforts in the Valpo victories over Southern Illinois and Illinois State, Freeman-Liberty was awarded the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Feb. 17. He averaged 19.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game over the two contests leading up to the honor. That marked the third time this season Freeman-Liberty has received MVC Player of the Week honors.

JFL Doing JFL Things: Javon Freeman-Liberty worked his magic on Feb. 15 at Illinois State, propelling the team to the 65-62 victory from 17 points down. He scored 19 of his game-high 25 points after halftime, going 8-of-9 from the field after the break. He finished with a career-high five steals including two in the final 15 seconds while also totaling seven rebounds and three assists. It was Freeman-Liberty’s seventh game this season with 25 points or more, his 13^th game with 20+ points and at the time his 27^th straight game with 10 points or more.

Defense Dominates: The accomplishments of the Valpo defense were numerous in the 55-38 victory over Southern Illinois on Feb. 12 at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

• The 37 points were the fewest allowed against a Division-I opponent since Jan. 21, 1984, when Valpo edged Green Bay 35-33. Wednesday set the record for the fewest points allowed by a Valpo team since the advent of the shot clock in 1985-86.
• Valpo’s performance tied for 16^th in Missouri Valley Conference history since the advent of the shot clock for the fewest points allowed in a conference game.
• The 38 points were the second-fewest scored by the Salukis (15-11, 9-4) in school history since 1950 and the fewest since 36 at Bradley in 1981.
• The 38 points were the fewest scored by any Missouri Valley Conference team this season. The previous low was Loyola’s 39 on Feb. 5 at Indiana State. Wednesday marked the lowest point total by a Valley team since Loyola had 35 on Jan. 23, 2019 vs. Missouri State.
• The 38 points also marked the fewest allowed by a Valley team in any game this year and the fewest since the aforementioned outing by Missouri State last season.
• The 13 made baskets by Southern Illinois were the fewest by any MVC team in conference play this season and the second-fewest by any MVC team in any game. The Salukis had just 10 baskets on Dec. 15 at Missouri.
• Valpo became the first MVC team to allow 13 made field goals or fewer in a game this season. Bradley previously topped that chart with just 14 field goals allowed vs. North Carolina A&T on Dec. 7.
• The 23.6 percent shooting was the best defensive performance in terms of field-goal percentage by an MVC team this season. The last Missouri Valley Conference team to hold an opponent to that low of a single-game field goal percentage was Drake on Nov. 8, 2018 vs. Division-III Buena Vista.
• That performance marked the best field-goal percentage defense by any Valley team in a game against a Division-I foe since Wichita State held Cal Poly to 20.7 percent on March 21, 2014. Valpo held SIU to 23.6 percent, the lowest single-game field goal percentage by an MVC team in a conference game since March 2, 2007, when Creighton limited Indiana State to 23.3 percent.

Cruising to Victory: Blowout victories in league play have been hard to come by since Valpo joined the Missouri Valley Conference given the quality of the competition. But the Feb. 12 triumph over Southern Illinois was a rare exception with Valpo rolling to the 55-38 win. The 17-point margin of victory equaled Valpo’s largest since joining the conference. The team previously topped Drake 77-60 on Jan. 10, 2018. It was also Valpo’s second-largest margin of victory against a Division-I team this year behind a 22-point win over Central Michigan.

Enough to Win: Valpo didn’t put on a scoring clinic in the Feb. 12 game against Southern Illinois, but the 55 points were more than enough to emerge victorious. Valpo improved to 1-4 this season and 3-25 under Matt Lottich when scoring fewer than 60 points. Two of the three victories under Lottich when scoring under 60 have come against Southern Illinois at the Athletics-Recreation Center as Valpo beat the Salukis 55-52 last season. The other such win was 58-56 over Illinois State to start conference play last year. Over the last five seasons, Valpo has just two victories when scoring 55 points or fewer, both against Southern Illinois. The last time Valpo prevailed with a lower point total was 54-44 over Green Bay in the 2015 Horizon League Championship to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

Setting the Tone: Valpo set the tone for the memorable defensive evening in the first half on Feb. 12 vs. Southern Illinois, holding the Salukis to 16 points. Previously, Valpo’s best defensive half in conference play this season was allowing 23 points against Evansville and the season low was 22 permitted against Central Michigan. The 16 points were the low for a Valpo opponent in a half since the team held Milwaukee to 16 in the 2017 Horizon League Tournament. (We’ll whisper this part: The Panthers led 16-12 at halftime of that game.) The 16 points tied for the fewest allowed by Valpo in a half since March 22, 2016, when the team limited St. Mary’s to 13 points after halftime in an NIT game at the ARC.

#SCTop10 Again: Javon Freeman-Liberty slammed home a poster dunk in the first half of this season’s game at Southern Illinois, gaining national attention as the play appeared on ESPN throughout the evening. The play checked in at No. 5 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays, marking the second time this season that the program has been featured on the daily countdown, as Daniel Sackey had the No. 9 play for an August buzzer-beater to top Carleton as part of the program’s foreign tour. Since Valpo joined the Missouri Valley Conference, the University has been featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays on seven occasions spanning five sports – men’s basketball (three times), women’s basketball, softball, men’s soccer and volleyball.

Winning Ways: Thanks to the Dec. 18 win at High Point, Valpo locked up a winning record during the nonconference portion of the schedule for the 10^th consecutive season. The last time Valpo entered the conference slate with a sub-.500 mark was 2009-10, when Valpo went 5-7 prior to the start of Horizon League action.

A Flair for the Dramatic: Valpo added a new name to its long list of late-game heroes in the program’s storied history during the Nov. 5 season opener vs. Toledo as Javon Freeman-Liberty knocked down an off-balance 15-footer from the left elbow with 3.7 seconds left in a 79-77 victory at the Athletics-Recreation Center. That marked the 24^th time since the start of the 1992-93 season Valpo has prevailed on a game-winner in the final five seconds. Although it was the first game of the regular season, it was already the second time Valpo has won in dramatic fashion this year as Daniel Sackey’s overtime buzzer-beater lifted the team past Canadian powerhouse Carleton 83-80 in overtime on its foreign tour in August.

Nonconference Highlights: Valpo’s nonconference schedule was highlighted by seven opponents that qualified for the postseason last year. Here are a few of the opponents that highlighted the 13-game docket that led into the start of Missouri Valley Conference action.

• Toledo (Nov. 5) went 25-8 last season including a 13-5 conference mark. The Rockets went to the NIT a year ago and have won back-to-back MAC West Division titles.
• Saint Louis (Nov. 9) has made four NCAA Tournament appearances in the last decade and went 23-13 in 2018-19 on its way to the Atlantic 10 Tournament title.
• Grand Canyon (Nov. 22) went 20-14 overall and 10-6 in the WAC last season, qualifying for the postseason with a CBI berth. The Lopes have reached the WAC title game and qualified for the postseason in each of their first two years as a Division-I postseason eligible team.
• Nevada (Nov. 24) went 29-5 and 15-3 in the Mountain West last season on the way to an NCAA Tournament appearance.
• Cincinnati (Nov. 25) posted a 28-7 (14-4 American) record last season, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
• Central Michigan (Dec. 8) enjoyed a 23-12 overall record and 10-8 MAC mark last season, winning two games in the MAC Tournament and qualifying for the CBI. The 23 victories tied the program’s highest total in 16 years.
• Arkansas (Dec. 21) closed out Valpo’s nonleague schedule in North Little Rock. The Razorbacks, members of the SEC, reached the second round of the NIT last season and finished 18-16 overall. Against one of the top teams nationally in the NET rankings, Valpo led by eight with under eight minutes remaining, but fell 72-68.

Wrapping Up Canada

• Valpo finished its four-game Canadian Foreign Tour from Aug. 10-14 with an unblemished mark after notching wins over McGill (84-78), Concordia (94-90), Carleton (83-80, OT) and the University of Quebec (81-68).
• Valpo battled from 90-80 down with 4:56 to play to top Concordia 94-90 in Montreal on Aug. 11 thanks to a game-closing 14-0 run.
• The highlight of the tour came on Aug. 13, when Winnipeg native Daniel Sackey drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to top Carleton 83-80 in overtime.
• Valpo stopped Canadian powerhouse Carleton’s 15-game winning streak against NCAA Division-I teams that included triumphs over USF, Ole Miss, Providence, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt and Alabama.
• The Sackey buzzer-beater was No. 9 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays that evening.
• Javon Freeman-Liberty scored a team-high 18.8 points per game during the Canada journey, while Donovan Clay and Mileek McMillan shared the team lead by averaging 5.3 boards apiece. Sackey averaged 15.0 points per game during the trip.

Preseason Picks

• Javon Freeman-Liberty and Ryan Fazekas both earned All-MVC Second Team honors.
• They joined Tevonn Walker (2017) as the only Valpo players to be tabbed preseason all-MVC since joining the conference.
• The last time Valpo had multiple players on the preseason all-league first or second teams in the same season was 2016, when Alec Peters and Shane Hammink were first and second team Horizon League preseason picks, respectively.
• Valpo was picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll, based on a survey of the conference’s head coaches, sports information directors and media. Missouri State was named the preseason favorite.

Wrapping Up 2018-2019

• Valpo moved up two spots in the standings from Year 1 to Year 2 in the Missouri Valley Conference while also earning its first Arch Madness victory by beating Indiana State 77-55 in the opening round of the MVC Tournament.
• Valpo allowed 66.3 points per game, ranking 48^th of 351 nationally in scoring defense.
• The team finished with 15 victories for the second straight season including nonconference triumphs over UNLV and George Washington. Valpo started 4-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play, but finished the year 15-18 overall and 7-11 in league action.

New Year, New Look

• Valpo has five returning letter winners after seven letter winners departed following the 2018-19 campaign.
• Valpo has 40.1 percent of its scoring and 35.7 percent of its rebounding back from last season.
• The five returning letter winners are Valpo’s fewest since the 2013-14 campaign, when Jordan Coleman, LaVonte Dority, Bobby Capobianco and Vashil Fernandez were the only players back from the previous season.

Staff Sidebars

• Associate head coach Luke Gore is in his 18^th year on staff and has served under four different head coaches. The Valpo veteran has helped the team to seven postseason berths in the last nine years and was on staff for the three winningest seasons in program history. He oversees the team’s post players.
• Assistant coach Rob Holloway is back for his second season after spending the previous two years on staff at Eastern Illinois, his alma mater.
• Assistant coach Matt Bowen returned to Valpo’s staff in 2018-19 after previously spending four seasons with the Brown & Gold from 2002-2006. He was the head coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth from 2012-2018.
• Director of Basketball Operations Jason Karys is in his first season in that capacity, but has been around the program in a variety of roles, spending two years as a graduate assistant, one as a walk-on player and three as a manager.
• Strength & Conditioning Coach Derek Bol is in his eighth season. He is a 2010 graduate of Iowa State.
• Graduate Assistant Peter Funk has taken that role after three years as an undergraduate manager.
• Athletic trainer Ken DeAngelis is in his first season full-time at Valpo after previously earning his master’s degree from the University in 2012 while spending two years as a graduate assistant athletic trainer.

Tradition of Excellence

• Valpo has 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and four NIT berths in the program’s proud history, with the team’s postseason success highlighted by a Sweet Sixteen run in 1998.
• The program has produced nine All-Americans, won 18 regular season conference championships and 10 conference tournament crowns.
• Valpo also boasts eight NBA players, 10 conference players of the year and 20 20-win seasons.
• Nine of the team’s NCAA appearances have come since 1996.
• Valpo has qualified for the postseason seven times in the last nine years, but enters 2019-20 seeking its first postseason tournament berth since playing in the NIT to conclude the 2016-17 season.

Producing Pros

- Valpo has developed a myriad of professional basketball players over the last quarter century, most notably a pair of NBA players in the last three years.

- Ryan Broekhoff (class of 2013) signed a contract with the Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 2018 after spending five seasons playing internationally in Russia and Turkey.

- Broekhoff tallied a season-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor (3-5 3PT) in 22 minutes of action Jan. 5 in a 106-100 loss against Philadelphia. Broekhoff played in 42 games during the 2018-19 season.

- Alec Peters (class of 2017) was the 54th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns.

- Peters appeared in 20 games for the Suns in 2017-18, highlighted by a 36-point performance in the season finale against Dallas - a new single-game high by a Valpo alum in the NBA.

- Peters won a championship with CSKA Moscow in Russia in 2018-19. He signed a one-year contract with Anadolu Efes in Turkish BSL on July 9, 2019.

- 2018 Valpo graduate Tevonn Walker plays for Hamburg in German BBL. Walker’s classmate Max Joseph signed a contract with Nassjo Basket in Sweden following his time at Valpo.

- 2017 product Jubril Adekoya plays for Carramimbre CBC Valladolid in Spanish LEB Gold.

- Cory Johnson (2011) signed with Penarol in Argentina.

- Keith Carter, who rounded out his Valpo career in 2016, played in the 2019 NBA Summer League with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

- Valpo has now produced 50 pro basketball players over the last 25 years.

#0 Javon Freeman-Liberty, So. (Chicago, Ill.)

• Named to the 2019-20 All-MVC First Team, All-Defensive Team and Most-Improved Team while finishing second in the MVC Defensive Player of the Year voting and third in the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year voting. Was just one point behind UNI’s Isaiah Brown in the closest Defensive Player of the Year vote in the history of the award.
• Missed the final two games of the regular seasons due to mononucleosis.
• Shattered the Valpo record for steals in a single season on Feb. 19 at Drake, grabbing his 64^th of the year to shatter the mark set by Lubos Barton in 2001-02. Finished the game with 19 points, a team-high six assists, seven rebounds, two steals and a season-high two blocks before fouling out late in regulation of an overtime defeat.
• Was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for the third time this season on Feb. 17.
• Scored 19 points in the second half alone as part of a game-high 25 points in a Feb. 15 victory at Illinois State to help Valpo come from 17 down to win 65-62. He also had seven rebounds, three assists and tied a career high with five steals.
• Made a career-high eight free throws in a victory over Evansville on Jan. 26.
• Had the highest home scoring output of his career with a 25-point, eight-rebound night in a Jan. 18 victory over Indiana State. In the process, he became the 11^th player in the nation to surpass the 400-point mark this season. He made a career-high seven free throws in that game.
• Already surpassed his season point total from his freshman campaign on Jan. 15 at UNI, turning in a 28-point, eight-rebound, four-steal outing to lead the team in all three categories.
• Named to the Lou Henson Award (mid-major player of the year) Watch List on Jan. 9.
• Made an appearance on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays on Jan. 7, checking in at No. 5 thanks to a poster dunk in a game at Southern Illinois.
• Enjoyed his fourth game this season with 25 points or more in an overtime win at Evansville on Jan. 5.
• Had his 14th straight game in double figures with 10 points and a career-high seven assists on Dec. 30 vs. Loyola.
• Led Valpo in scoring for the 10^th consecutive game against D-I opponents with 21 to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and four steals on Dec. 21 at Arkansas in Little Rock. Tied a career high in assists in that contest.
• Led the team with 22 points despite being limited to 27 minutes due to early foul trouble in a Dec. 18 win at High Point. Put an exclamation point on the victory with a highlight-reel dunk late in the game.
• Poured in a team-high 28 points while equaling a career high with five steals on Dec. 3 at Eastern Michigan.
• Was named the MVC Player of the Week for the second time in a three-week span on Dec. 2.
• Started the season with seven straight games of 19 points or more, joining Alec Peters (2016-17) as the only Valpo players to accomplish that feat in that last 30 years. Saw that streak snapped when he scored 12 points in just 18 minutes on Nov. 27 vs. NAIA Trinity Christian.
• Averaged 25.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game during three contests at the Paradise Jam event (Nov. 22-25), earning all-tournament team honors. His success came against three quality teams in Grand Canyon, Nevada and Cincinnati, including a career-high 32 points in an overtime defeat to the Bearcats on Nov. 25.
• Stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, nine rebounds, four steals and a career-high five assists on Nov. 17 vs. North Dakota.
• Had a career-high 30 points while also pulling down 13 rebounds in a Nov. 12 win at SIUE. He became the second Valpo player in the last 20 seasons with a 30&10 game, joining Alec Peters (six times).
• Scored 14 points in a span of 4 minutes, 23 seconds on Nov. 9 at SLU and finished the game with 19, marking the first sequence of back-to-back games with 19 points or more in his career.
• Started the year with a 19-point, five-rebound effort in a 79-77 victory over Toledo on Nov. 5. That culminated with an off-balance 15 footer with 3.7 seconds left that gave Valpo the lead and the win.
• Member of the 2018-19 MVC All-Freshman Team, 2018-19 MVC All-Defensive Team and 2019-20 MVC Preseason Second Team.
• Finished the 2018-19 season with 60 steals, the third most in single-season program history behind only Lubos Barton in 2001-02 and Scott Anselm in 1988-89.
• Accumulated 364 points in 2018-19, surpassing Bryce Drew’s freshman campaign for the fourth-most by a freshman in program history.
• Pulled down 142 rebounds in 2018-19, the fifth-most by a freshman in the history of the program.
• Joined Lubos Barton as one of just two rookies in program history with top five freshman marks in scoring, rebounding and steals.
• Became the first Valpo freshman to lead a conference in one of the five major statistical categories and the first Valpo player since at least 1982 to pace a conference in steals.
• Collects shoes and has over 150 pairs.

#1 Sigurd Lorange, Fr. (Trondheim, Norway)

• Is out for the season with a hip injury.
• Set career highs in points (11) and assists (four) while knocking down four of his six shots and canning three 3s on Nov. 27 vs. Trinity Christian.
• Made his collegiate debut on Nov. 9 at Saint Louis, then scored his first collegiate basket on Nov. 12 at SIUE, a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half.
• Before coming to Valpo, played for Gimle Basketball in the BLNO, Norway’s top professional basketball league.
• Helped lead Gimle to a league runner-up finish, averaging nearly 20 points and better than four assists.
• Averaged 17.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game for Norway at the U18s in 2018.

#2 Zion Morgan, R-Jr. (Chicago, Ill.)

• Scored seven points and pulled down five rebounds in 12 minutes of action in a Feb. 1 win over Illinois State. The point total was his D1 best and matched his overall career high set against Trinity Christian.
• Made his first career start on Jan. 18 vs. Indiana State, pulling down six rebounds in just 18 minutes.
• After a healthy DNP in the previous game, responded with five points, two steals and a team-high five assists on Jan. 15 at UNI. That equaled his season high in helpers.
• Pulled down six rebounds on Jan. 7 at Southern Illinois, his second-highest total of the season.
• Grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in only 13 minutes on Dec. 21 at Arkansas, also tossing in four points.
• Pulled down a season-high four rebounds in just 10 minutes in a Dec. 8 victory over Central Michigan.
• Had season highs in points (seven), assists (five) and steals (four) on Nov. 27 vs. Trinity Christian.
• Previously played at UNLV (2016-17) and Wabash Valley College (2017-18 & 2018-19), leading the Warriors to a 25-8 record last season.
• Was teammates with Valpo’s Nick Robinson at Kenwood Academy in Chicago.
• Uncle Mardy Gilyard was a wide receiver at Cincinnati and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

#3 Brock Pappas, So. (Valparaiso, Ind.)

• Grabbed his first career rebound in a Dec. 8 win over Central Michigan.
• Made his collegiate debut on Nov. 27 vs. Trinity Christian, playing the final four minutes of a win over the Trolls.
• Nursing major who joined the program as a walk-on in 2018-19.
• Is a Valparaiso, Ind. native and a graduate of nearby Washington Township.
• Mother (Lisa) has worked on Valpo’s campus for 32 years, currently serving as an administrative assistant in the Department of Education. Brother (Bryce) and father (Steve) are both Valpo graduates, and his brother was named after Bryce Drew.

#4 Daniel Sackey, So. (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)

• Turned in his second straight game in double figures by sharing the team lead with 11 points while dishing out a team-high five assists on Feb. 29 at Indiana State.
• After coming off the bench in five straight games, returned to the starting lineup on Feb. 25 vs. Missouri State and posted 14 points, the second-highest total of his career.
• Came off the bench for the first time this season on Feb. 9 at Loyola.
• Had his third straight double-figure scoring game on Jan. 26 vs. Evansville, posting a dozen points for his highest scoring output since late November in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Despite battling an illness leading into the game and missing morning shootaround, had 10 points on Jan. 15 at UNI, his first double-figure output since Dec. 18 at High Point and his fourth of the season.
• Became the second player in the Missouri Valley Conference with three or more eight-assist games and the first with a nine-assist, no-turnover performance this season on Dec. 18 at High Point. He set a career high in the assist area while also scoring 11 points, going 6-of-8 at the foul line and drawing six fouls.
• Tied career highs in assists (8) and steals (4) on Dec. 3 at Eastern Michigan.
• Had his second straight six-rebound effort on Nov. 25 vs. Nevada, equaling a personal best.
• Made four critical free throws down the stretch and pulled down a significant rebound to put Valpo over the top in a 78-74 victory over Grand Canyon on Nov. 22 in the Paradise Jam opener. He finished the game with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals including a 6-of-7 showing at the foul line. The six boards marked a career watermark.
• Led the team in assists for the fourth straight game on Nov. 17 vs. North Dakota, enjoying his third game with six assists or more.
• Dished out a career-high eight assists in the regular-season opener on Nov. 5 vs. Toledo.
• Had usurped his career scoring watermark by halftime and finished the Nov. 9 game at Saint Louis with personal bests in points (22), made field goals (7), made 3-pointers (3) and made free throws (5), becoming the first player to go perfect from beyond the arc with three or more attempts since Max Joseph on Jan. 20, 2018, the only other player to do so in the last four seasons.
• Made a buzzer-beater to upstage Canadian powerhouse Carleton in overtime in August, making an appearance on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays at No. 9 that evening.
• Has been a drummer since elementary school. The basement of his family’s home in Canada includes a small recording studio. He has a deep passion for music.
• Became just the sixth Manitoban to earn a scholarship in Division-I men’s basketball since the NCAA reorganized into its current competitive format in 1973.

#5 Donovan Clay, Fr. (Alton, Ill.)

• Named to the 2020 MVC All-Freshman Team.
• Named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on March 1 after averaging 16.5 points and 6.0 rebounds over the final two games of the regular season, leading the team in both areas.
• Shared the team lead with 11 points while pulling down five rebounds in the Feb. 29 regular-season finale at Indiana State.
• Led the team in scoring with a career-high 22 points on 11-of-17 shooting while also pacing the team with seven rebounds in a Feb. 25 win over Missouri State.
• Set a career high with six assists on Feb. 22 vs. Bradley.
• Reached double figures for the fourth time in seven games by posting 15 points on Feb. 19 at Drake.
• Notched a career-high three blocked shots while contributing eight points in a win on Feb. 15 at Illinois State.
• Had a career-high five assists and did not commit a turnover, pacing the team in assists in the Feb. 12 win over Southern Illinois.
• Scored 13 second-half points to finish with 15 on his birthday on Jan. 29 at Bradley. It was the highest scoring output in a road game in his collegiate career.
• Finished with a team-high eight rebounds while notching his fifth multi-block game of the season on Jan. 23 at Missouri State.
• Scored 18 points on Jan. 18 vs. Indiana State, making it three straight conference home games with 18 points or more.
• Enjoyed an 18-point, seven-rebound performance on Jan. 11 vs. Drake, leading the team in both areas. He went 7-for-7 at the free-throw line after entering that game just 4-of-13 at the stripe all season.
• Established a career best with nine rebounds, including six offensive boards, on Jan. 7 at Southern Illinois.
• Reached double figures for the seventh time in eight games on Jan. 4 at Evansville, contributing 10 points to go along with a team-high seven rebounds, his highest total on the boards in a game against a Division-I opponent.
• Became the first Valpo player since 1998 to go perfect from the field with eight or more field goal attempts while scoring a career-high 21 points on Dec. 30 vs. Loyola.
• Scored in double figures for the fifth straight game by posting 10 on 4-of-7 shooting in a Dec. 18 win at High Point.
• Had his fourth consecutive double-figure scoring output on Dec. 16 at Charlotte, posting 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. He knocked down three 3-pointers and blocked a pair of shots. It was his first career multi-block effort and the first time in his young career he hit multiple 3-pointers in a game. His assist total tied his personal best.
• Had his third straight double-figure scouting output with 10 points, all in the first half, on Dec. 8 vs. Central Michigan.
• Had his second straight double-figure output by adding 11 points on Dec. 3 at Eastern Michigan.
• Filled the stat sheet with career highs in points (16), rebounds (8) and assists (4) on Nov. 27 vs. Trinity Christian.
• Had the first double-figure scoring output of his collegiate career in a win over Grand Canyon, also matching a season best with his second-straight four-rebound game.
• Made his first home start and had career highs in assists and rebounds with four of each on Nov. 17 vs. North Dakota.
• Made his first career start in a game near his hometown of Alton, Ill. on Nov. 12 at SIUE, scoring five points and grabbing three boards.
• Knocked down a 3-pointer and collected three rebounds on Nov. 9 at Saint Louis, a game played near his hometown of Alton, Ill.
• Made his collegiate debut and scored his first collegiate basket on Nov. 5 vs. Toledo
• After senior year of high school: 4A First Team All-State, member of All-Metro First Team, honorable mention Associate Press All-State, Riverbend Boys Basketball Player of the Year, the Telegraph Large Schools Boys Basketball Player of the Year, named the “biggest sleeper” in the state of Illinois by the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Had a late growth spurt in high school, going from 6-foot-3 as a junior to 6-7 as a senior.
• Father Dexter, who is his role model, played college basketball at Rend Lake Junior College.

#10 Eron Gordon, R-Jr. (Indianapolis, Ind.)

• Went 4-for-4 from 3, all in the first half, to contribute to Valpo MVC record-setting 18 made 3s on Feb. 22 vs. Bradley. He finished with 13 points.
• Had his second four-steal game of the season on Jan. 23 at Missouri State.
• Scored 12 points and handed out a career-high three assists despite playing much of the game with a bandage after suffering a cut to the head in the first half of the Jan. 18 game vs. Indiana State.
• Led the team with a personal-best four steals on Jan. 7 at Southern Illinois.
• Went 4-of-5 from the field and drained three 3s in an 11-point, five-rebound performance on Jan. 4 at Evansville. That allowed him to reach double figures for the fifth time in the last eight games.
• Knocked down six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 20 points on Dec. 18 at High Point. He became just the sixth Missouri Valley Conference player to net six treys in a single game this season and the first Valpo player with more than four in a contest in 2019-20.
• Had his first five-rebound game in a Valpo uniform on Dec. 16 at Charlotte.
• Had a season-high 14 points while going perfect from both the floor (4-for-4) and the foul line (4-for-4) while playing 20 quality minutes off the bench in a Dec. 8 victory over Central Michigan.
• Reached double figures for the first time in his Valpo career on Nov. 27 vs. Trinity Christian, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting while draining a pair of 3s.
• Knocked down all three of his shot attempts and totaled nine points and three steals on Nov. 25 in an overtime loss vs. Cincinnati.
• Made his Valpo debut on Nov. 5 vs. Toledo, seeing six minutes of action.
• Joined the program in 2018-19 but sat out due to transfer rules. Appeared in 48 games over his two years at Seton Hall.
• Oldest brother Eric was the seventh pick of the 2008 NBA Draft and has played 11 seasons in the NBA. Father Eric is one of the Top 20 all-time scorers at Liberty. Brother Evan is playing in the CBA after scoring over 1,300 points at the Division-I level at Liberty, Arizona State and Indiana.
• Adds to Valpo’s recent history of NBA connections after Derrik Smits, Shane Hammink and Chandler Levingston Simon all had fathers who played in the NBA. Javon Freeman-Liberty’s uncle played in the NBA, while Valpo women’s basketball player Ella Ellenson is the brother of Henry.

#11 Emil Freese-Vilien, Fr. (Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Had a season-best five points on Nov. 27 vs. Trinity Christian.
• Made his collegiate debut on his birthday in the Nov. 5 game vs. Toledo by contributing four points, three rebounds and two assists.
• Started playing basketball in November 2014 after playing badminton during his younger years.
• Played for Denmark at both the U16 and U18 FIBA Euro Championships in 2015 and 2017, respectively.
• Shortly before coming to Valpo, played for Vaerlose in the Danish Basketligaen, the highest professional league in Denmark.

#15 Luke Morrill, Fr. (Lombard, Ill.)

• Made a free throw on Feb. 25 vs. Missouri State for his first career point against a Division-I opponent.
• Made his collegiate debut by playing the final four minutes of a Nov. 27 victory over Trinity Christian, scoring four points and pulling down two rebounds.
• Joined the program as a walk-on for the 2019-20 season.
• Graduate of Montini Catholic – also the alma mater of a pair of Valpo women’s basketball players, Ilysse Pitts and Zoe MacKay Zacker.
• Played his prep basketball under the late Daryl Thomas.

#22 Mileek McMillan, Jr. (Merrillville, Ind.)

• Named to the 2019-20 MVC Most-Imprved Team after boosting his scoring average from 2.8 points per game as a sophomore to 9.2 ppg as a junior.
• Had his second straight game with 15+ points by scoring 16 in a Feb. 22 victory vs. Bradley. That marked his seventh time in a 12-game span scoring in double figures.
• Posted a career-high 20 points in an overtime defeat on Feb. 19 at Drake. That performance included six 3s, allowing him to tie for the most made triples by a Valpo player this season and become just the fourth Missouri Valley Conference player with six 3s or more in a league game this year. He became the first Valpo player other than Javon Freeman-Liberty with a 20-point output since Donovan Clay in the Dec. 30 MVC opener vs. Loyola. He led the team in scoring for the fourth time in a nine-game span.
• Contributed nine points and five rebounds in a Feb. 12 win over Southern Illinois, his second straight game with nine points or more after scoring nine points total over the previous three games.
• Tied a career high with four made 3s and finished with a team-high 14 points in just 16 minutes on Feb. 9 at Loyola. Led the team in scoring for the third time in six games after not doing so at all in his first 70 career games.
• Tied career highs in points (16) and blocks (three) on Jan. 26 vs. Evansville to lead Valpo in scoring for the second straight game after previously not doing so in any of his first 70 career games. This marked his fourth straight game in double figures. Recorded a game-saving blocked shot in the final minute of a two-point win over the Aces.
• Led his team in scoring for the first time in his collegiate career, posting 12 points on Jan. 23 at Missouri State while draining three 3s.
• Had 11 points on Jan. 15 at UNI, hitting double figures for the fifth time this year.
• Swiped three steals on Jan. 11 vs. Drake, establishing a season high and matching a career best that also came in a home game against Drake back in 2018.
• Connected on multiple triples for a second straight game with two in his eight-point effort at Southern Illinois on Jan. 7.
• Made three key 3-pointers in the second half on Jan. 4 at Evansville, his first game this season with multiple made triples.
• Topped his previous rebounding career high with nine, coming just shy of a double-double in a 14-point effort on Dec. 21 at Arkansas. Equaled a personal best with six made field goals in a near upset of the Razorbacks.
• Contributed nine points on 4-of-7 shooting on Dec. 16 at Charlotte.
• Set a career high for the second straight game with 16 points vs. North Dakota on Nov. 17, his third double-figure output of the season and the fourth of his career.
• Posted a career-high 13 points on Nov. 12 at SIUE.
• Saw action in 30 games as a sophomore after appearing in all 32 games as a freshman.
• Local to Northwest Indiana after playing his prep basketball for nearby Merrillville High School.
• Helped his Merrillville Pirates finish with a 22-2 record his junior year of high school.

#23 Ben Krikke, Fr. (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

• Had a team-high 15 points and tied for the team lead with seven rebounds on Feb. 12 vs. Southern Illinois, his third time this season and second in a four-game span leading the team in scoring.
• Became the first Valpo freshman since at least the start of the 1989-90 season to lead the team outright in points, rebounds and assists in a single game on Feb. 1 vs. Illinois State. He set Division-I career highs in all three areas and surpassed his overall career high in rebounds with his line of 17 points, eight boards and four assists.
• Drained three 3s on Jan. 15 at UNI to finish with 13 points, his highest total against a Division-I opponent. That equaled his previous season total for made 3s, as he entered the evening 3-of-14 for the season.
• Reached double figures for the first time since Nov. 27 vs. Trinity Christian, scoring 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting in a Jan. 4 win at Evansville.
• Had a personal-best six rebounds on Dec. 30 vs. Loyola.
• Collected five rebounds on Dec. 18 at High Point, tying a season high. It marked his second five-rebound effort in a three-game span.
• Scored a team-high 18 points to establish a career watermark in the Nov. 27 win over Trinity Christian. Also had four boards and four assists while snatching two steals against the Trolls.
• Didn’t make a field goal over the first three games of his career, but he knocked down five on 11 attempts against North Dakota on Nov. 17. He finished with 11 points, one of four Valpo players in double figures.
• Made his collegiate debut in the Nov. 5 season opener vs. Toledo.
• Competed for Team Canada at the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup in Argentina, averaging 9.9 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per game while helping Canada to a fourth-place finish.
• Credits his father’s Michael Jordan DVD set for helping him hone his skills. DVDs included Jordan’s greatest games, plays and Top 10 dunks.
• Was the MVP of the Alberta Basketball All-Star Showcase, scoring 37 points.

#25 Nick Robinson, R-Jr. (Chicago, Ill)

• Will miss Arch Madness due to a back injury that sidelined him for six games during the regular season, including the last three contests.
• Made his first start since Jan. 15 at UNI on Feb. 9 at Loyola and dished out nine assists, matching the most by any Valpo player this season and establishing a career best.
• Dished out seven assists for the second consecutive game on Jan. 4 at Evansville, equaling his career high.
• Had 15 points while setting season highs in made field goals (six), made 3-pointers (three) and assists (seven) on Dec. 30 vs. Loyola.
• Boasted season highs in rebounds (nine) and assists (six) while scoring 13 points to help Valpo top Central Michigan on Dec. 8.
• Topped the team with seven rebounds, four of which occurred on the offensive glass, on Dec. 3 at Eastern Michigan.
• Had a personal-best 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and went 8-for-8 at the free-throw line on Nov. 12 at SIUE.
• Had nine points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in his Valpo debut, a victory over Toledo in the Nov. 5 season opener.
• Joined the program as a transfer in 2018-19 and sat out due to transfer rules after playing two seasons at Saint Joseph’s and appearing in 62 games, starting 30 times.
• High school teammate of Valpo’s Zion Morgan at Kenwood.
• Enjoys taking photos of nature in his spare time.

#33 John Kiser, Sr. (Noblesville, Ind.)

• Named to the 2019-20 MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team and All-Bench Team.
• Dished out a career-high eight assists on his senior night, helping Valpo to a Feb. 25 victory over Missouri State.
• Led the team with a plus/minus of +20 on Feb. 12 vs. Southern Illinois.
• Had a career-high four steals on Jan. 29 at Bradley.
• After previously scoring exactly nine points on six occasions, he cracked double figures with a career-high 12 points while sharing the team lead with eight rebounds in a Jan. 18 win over Indiana State.
• Made a huge 3-pointer with 3:01 remaining on Jan. 11 vs. Drake, giving Valpo its first lead of the second half in a 66-61 victory. He grabbed three steals, equaling his career high and marking his second straight three-steal outing.
• Had a career day on Jan. 7 at Southern Illinois, equaling personal bests in points (nine), rebounds (nine), steals (three) and made field goals (four).
• Led Valpo in rebounds for the fifth time this season by matching his season high with eight boards on Dec. 18 at High Point.
• Had his fifth career nine-point effort and fourth of the season, matching a career high in scoring while leading the team in rebounds for the third time in 2019-20 with seven boards on Dec. 16 at Charlotte.
• Matched a career high with nine points on Nov. 24 vs. Nevada, his fourth career nine-point effort and third this season.
• Equaled a career high with nine points for the second time this season on Nov. 17 vs. North Dakota. He has three nine-point efforts in his Valpo career.
• Had eight points, seven rebounds and a career-high five assists on Nov. 12 in a win at SIUE. That marked his third straight game with seven or more rebounds.
• Was a non-scholarship walk-on in 2016-17 as a freshman, but earned a scholarship following that season.
• Is the program’s longest-tenured player as the only member of the 2016-17 team still active at Valpo.
• The mechanical engineering major earned 2017-18 MVC Scholar-Athlete honorable mention.

#35 Ryan Fazekas, R-Sr. (Chesterton, Ind.)

• Accrued 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting including 5-of-6 from 3-point range during his ARC farewell on Feb. 25 vs. Missouri State. He replicated a career high with seven made field goals and knocked down five triples for the second game in a row. He became the third Valpo player to score 20+ points on his senior night over the last 17 years, joining Alec Peters and Ryan Broekhoff.
• Made a season-high five 3s and scored 17 points on Feb. 22 vs. Bradley, his highest scoring output since his career high of 23 on Nov. 5 vs. Toledo, the first game of the season.
• Knocked down four 3s and finished with 14 points on Feb. 19 at Drake, tying his highest scoring output since returning from injury on Jan. 23 at Missouri State. It was the third time this season he’s drained a quartet of treys in a game. That marked his fourth time in double figures in a nine-game span.
• Tied a season high by knocking down four 3s on his way to 14 points on Jan. 29 at Bradley, his first double-figure scoring effort since returning from his injury.
• Was injured on Nov. 9 at Saint Louis and missed 17 games with a wrist injury before returning on Jan. 23 at Missouri State.
• Started the season by leading the team with a career-high 23 points on Nov. 5 vs. Toledo.
• Graduated from nearby Marquette Catholic High School (Michigan City, Ind.) before beginning his collegiate career with two seasons at Providence.
• Sat out the 2017-18 season at Valpo and is now in his second season playing for the team. Member of this year’s Second Team Preseason All-MVC squad.
• Enters the season ranked second among active Valley players in career 3-point field goal percentage (minimum 30 attempts) at .432, behind only Loyola’s Cooper Kaifes.