Host Illinois State started the game with an 8-0 lead in the first two minutes and that stood as the difference as the two teams played even for the next 38 minutes, a game the Valparaiso University men's basketball team dropped 86-78 on Saturday in Normal, Ill. Redshirt sophomore Isaiah Shaw (Phoenix, Ariz. / Davidson Academy [GCU]) and redshirt freshman Carson Schwieger (Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest [Wright State / Link Year]) made key contributions off the bench, while freshman All Wright (Durango, Mexico / Link Year) reached 20 points for the second straight game to lead the youthful Beacons.
 
How It Happened

• Illinois State hit a pair of 3s and jumped out to an 8-0 lead. The Redbirds owned a 12-4 advantage at the first media timeout after hitting five of their first six shots.
• The Valpo bench group came into the game and the Beacons chipped away at the deficit. Carson drilled a 3, and Shaw played well on both ends of the court, making his first three shots for eight points to help the Beacons cut it to within seven at 22-15 with 11:26 on the clock.
• The Beacons stormed all the way back to tie the game on a 3 by Carson while being fouled, leveling the score at 29 after trailing by as many as 11.
• Valpo got back to even at 34-34 thanks to two free throws by Wright with 4:14 left in the first half, part of a half where Valpo hit 10 of its 11 free throws. However, the Beacons missed their final five field-goal attempts of the opening half, and went into the break trailing 45-38. Chase Walker tallied 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting for the Redbirds before the break.
• Two jumpers apiece by Wright and Tyler Schmidt (Valparaiso, Ind. / Victory Christian Academy) helped Valpo hit four of its first five second-half shots, but Illinois State also filled it up at a high clip as Valpo outscored Illinois State 10-9 over the first four minutes of the half.
• The Illinois State lead matched its largest at 11 with the Redbirds up 61-50 with under 14 minutes remaining, but a 10-0 Beacon burst clawed Valpo to within one with 10:14 on the clock. Valpo made five straight shots during that stretch, the last of which was by sophomore Kaspar Sepp (Tartu, Estonia / Fairmont Academy).  
• Malachi Poindexter hit a big 3 to build the Illinois State lead back up to five, but Carson and Darius DeAveiro (Kanata, Ottawa, Canada / Orangeville Prep) each hit 3s, trimming the lead to two on both occasions. A five-point Redbird run built the lead back up to seven. Illinois State got it back to double figures 82-72 with 3:19 remaining. Valpo never went away as DeAveiro hit another 3 to cut it to six with 29 seconds to go, but the guests could get no closer.

Inside the Game

• Wright poured in 20 points to pace the team, the freshman's second straight effort with at least 20 points. He has scored in double figures in six straight contests and has scored 20+ points on five total occasions this season.
• Shaw contributed 10 points off the bench, going 3-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line in 20 minutes. He received his most playing time in the last 15 games and tallied double figures for the fifth time this year and first in his last five.
• Carson finished a point shy of a double-double with nine points and 10 boards in 21 minutes after he had played a total of 45 seconds in Valpo's previous eight games. His 10 rebounds nearly doubled his season total as he entered the game with 11 total this year, while his nine points also marked a career best.
• Sophomore Cooper Schwieger (Overland Park, Kan. [Blue Valley Southwest [Link Year]) scored 14 points, marking the 14^th straight game he has tallied at least 12. He also pulled down seven boards, making it 23 points and 17 rebounds combined for the twin brothers.
• Shaw led the team in plus-minus at +9, while DeAveiro had a positive plus-minus for the second straight game at +4 in his 30 minutes. He accrued eight points and drained a pair of 3s.
• Schmidt was a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor and contributed eight points as part of a balanced effort where seven Beacons had at least eight points.
• Valpo had another good day at the free-throw line, going 12-of-13 (92.3 percent). The Beacons shot 10-of-27 (37 percent) from 3 and 48.3 percent from the floor.
• The Beacons kept the turnovers to single-figures with nine, but Illinois State turned it over just five times, tied with Liberty in the season opener on Nov. 4 for the fewest by a Valpo opponent this season. This was the 14^th time this season that Valpo turned it over 10 times or fewer.
• The Beacons won the rebounding battle 32-27, held a 10-6 edge in offensive rebounds and held a 15-6 advantage in second-chance points.
• Chase Walker scored 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting to lead Illinois State.

Up Next
Valpo (10-13, 3-9 MVC) will play the second of back-to-back road games against Indiana State on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET in Terre Haute. The game will air on ESPN+.