The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team outscored Stanford 37-35 in the second half, but couldn’t erase an early 12-1 deficit in a road matchup with a Pac-12 opponent as the Cardinal prevailed 74-60. Trevor Anderson (Stevens Point, Wis. / SPASH [Wisconsin]) turned in his first collegiate double-double, pulling down a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
How It Happened
- Stanford held Valpo without a field goal until the 15:21 mark, building up a 12-1 lead out of the gate.
- Fifth-year senior Kevion Taylor (Milwaukee, Wis. / Whitnall [Winona State]) hit Valpo’s first 3 of the game with 8:50 to go in the first half, trimming the Stanford lead to seven at 19-11. However, the Cardinal scored the next eight with a pair of 3s and a dunk to extend the edge back to 16.
- Sophomore Sheldon Edwards (West Palm Beach, Fla. / Palm Beach Lakes [TLAP Sports Academy]) drained a 3 for the final basket of the first half, but the Stanford lead stood at 16 at 39-23 at the intermission.
- Edwards hit a 3 early in the second half, and later Anderson drained a triple with 14:07 left in the second half to complement a half where he created and nailed several midrange jumpers.
- Freshman Keyondre Young (Del City, Okla. / Del City) came off the bench and made several athletic defensive plays and knocked in a 3 with 13:04 on the clock to make it 54-38. Fellow freshman Darius DeAveiro (Kanata, Ottawa, Canada / Orangeville Prep) stepped out and buried a triple with 11:34 remaining.
- Valpo went on a late run, scoring the game’s final nine points to cut what had been a 23-point lead to 14.
Inside the Game
- Anderson enjoyed his first collegiate double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. He surpassed his previous career high of seven boards, reached twice during his time at Green Bay in 2016-17. His scoring career high of 23 came on Dec. 19, 2016 vs. SIUE while playing for Green Bay. Anderson also drew five fouls while committing none. He pulled in 10 of the team’s 25 total rebounds.
- Senior Thomas Kithier (Macomb, Mich. / Clarkston [Michigan State]) scored nine points on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting. Edwards was Valpo’s second double-figure scorer with 11 points. Taylor chipped in eight points on 3-of-6 shooting and drained a pair of 3s.
- Freshman Trey Woodyard (London, Ohio / International Sports Academy) notched his first collegiate points, making his only shot attempt of the evening. In addition, Woodyard came up with a game-high three steals.
- Redshirt junior Joe Hedstrom (Hopkins, Minn. / Hopkins [Wisconsin]) saw 15 minutes of action and drained a 3, the second of his collegiate career. That triple represented his first points in a Valpo uniform.
- The Beacons shot a season-best 83.3 percent at the free-throw line, knocking down 10 of their 12 attempts. The team also enjoyed a season watermark with nine steals. However, Valpo was hurt by turnovers, committing a season-high 19.
- The game marked a homecoming for Valpo head coach Matt Lottich, who was a standout at Stanford from 2000-2004. This represented his first time coaching against his alma mater.
Up Next
Valpo (0-3) will open the Nassau Championship in Nassau, The Bahamas on Monday, Nov. 22 vs. Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m. All games during the event will be streamed on FloHoops.
