In a season of big offensive production, Valparaiso University men’s basketball senior Ben Krikke (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada / Jasper Place) had his biggest production yet on Sunday afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Despite a career-high 31 points from the Canadian forward, visiting Murray State raced back from down 10 to beat the Beacons 77-70 in overtime.
How It Happened
- Murray State scored the game’s first four points, but a Maximus Nelson (Appleton, Wis. / Appleton North) 3-pointer sparked a 10-0 run by the hosts. The Racers scored the next six to create a 10-10 deadlock at the 13:52 mark of the opening half.
- It remained a game of runs early as Valpo scored the next six. The Beacons led 19-17 with 7:48 left in the half, then they put together another six-point burst to open up their largest lead to that point.
- The advantage reached double figures when Quinton Green (Columbus, Ohio / / Homeschool [Cedarville]) converted a 3 at the 2:52 mark to make it 30-20.
- The Racers raced back with nine straight points to close the half. When the horn sounded signaling that 20 minutes had been played, Valpo was clinging to a 30-29 advantage.
- Murray State took its first lead since 4-3 on the first possession of the second half when Rob Perry nailed a go-ahead triple.
- Krikke came out of halftime hot, accounting for Valpo’s first seven points of the half including a 3 that made it 37-34 with 17:09 to go.
- A seesaw second half was played as a one-possession game all the way until the 5:21 mark, when Krikke swished a pair of free throws to bolster Valpo’s lead to five at 58-53. However, the Racers quickly trimmed the edge back to three, and it remained no larger than a one-possession margin for the remainder of regulation.
- Perry hit a go-ahead 3 with 1:37 to go, but Kobe King (La Crosse, Wis. / La Crosse Central [Wisconsin]) made a huge shot to tie the game at 62 with seven seconds remaining. Valpo got a stop at the end of regulation, and the game required an additional five minutes.
- Thanks to baskets by Jerome Palm (Almere, Netherlands / Echnaton [Hillsborough CC]) and Green, Valpo scored the first four points of OT. The Beacons owned a four-point edge with 3:03 on the clock, but Murray State scored the next six points to take a 70-68 lead.
- King tied the game with 1:07 left in OT, but Perry just kept delivering, draining a triple with 41 ticks remaining to make it 73-70. Valpo missed a pair of 3s in the closing seconds with Perry going 4-for-4 at the line to account for the remainder of the game’s scoring.
Inside the Game
- One player on each team turned in 30+ points with Perry finishing with 30 and Krikke’s 31 accounting for the game high.
- Krikke also hauled in eight rebounds and drew seven fouls while playing 42 minutes.
- The 31-point effort helped Krikke shatter his previous career high of 28 set on Nov. 13 of this season vs. Western Michigan.
- Krikke became the first Valpo player with a 30-point scoring output since Javon Freeman-Liberty’s 32 on Nov. 25, 2019 vs. Cincinnati in the U.S. Virgin Islands. That was also an overtime affair.
- This marked Valpo’s second OT contest in its last three games after the Nov. 27 matchup with James Madison also required an extra five minutes. The Beacons played six overtime games last season.
- Green joined Krikke in double figures with 18 points while also grabbing six boards and handing out four assists. King tallied double figures for the ninth straight game with 11.
- Palm pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds including four offensive boards.
- The Beacons outrebounded the Racers 40-37.
Postgame Comments
Click here for postgame press conference.
Up Next
The Beacons (3-6, 0-2 MVC) will welcome Trinity Christian to the Athletics-Recreation Center on Tuesday night for a game that tips off at 7 p.m. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.
