Monday, November 28, 2005

Valpo placed five players in double figures and shot 61.6% from the floor in a 111-41 win over Indiana-South Bend Monday night at the Athletics-Recreation Center. The 70-point margin of victory was the second highest in school history, bested only by a 132-53 win the Crusaders had in 1964 over Western Ontario.

Dan Oppland (Saint Louis, Mo./Whitfield) again led the Crusaders, scoring 20 points in the first half and finishing with 22 on 10-of-15 shooting. Oppland has now scored at least 20 points in eight of his last nine games, and has led the Brown and Gold offensively in six straight.

Ron Howard (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) also had a strong night, scoring 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, and dishing out seven assists without a turnover. Valpo finished the night with 36 assists on 45 baskets, breaking a school record for assists in a single game. Howard's seven helpers were bested only by the eight assists senior Ali Berdiel (Ponce, P.R./Andrean) dished out in 18 minutes off the bench. Berdiel had a solid all-around night, scoring 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers, and pulling down six rebounds to go with the eight assists.

Shawn Huff (Helsinki, Finland/Makelanrinne) led a 55-point bench effort with 14, tying a career-high. Freshman Urule Igbavboa (Oakdale, Minn./Tartan) saw 19 minutes off the bench and tallied seven points, eight rebounds and two assists.

The Crusaders out-rebounded IUSB, a NAIA school, 44-16, including grabbing 16 offensive boards that led to 22 Valpo points. The Titans committed 27 turnovers in the contest, and trailed 58-23 at halftime. The Crusaders made 12-of-27 three-point attempts (44.4%) and ripped away 14 steals.

Justin Van Dyke led IUSB (0-7) with 18 points. The Titans shot just 25% in the second half and made only 4-of-14 three-point attempts.

Valpo (2-0) returns to action this Friday at the Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa. The Crusaders open the four-team tournament with Tulane, Friday at 5:45 p.m. in the first semi-final. Fairfield and Iowa, the tournament hosts, will meet in the second semi that night. Valpo's game will be carried live on the Valpo Sports Radio Network and available online at www.valpo.edu/athletics.

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