November 06, 20231st2ndFinal
Trinity Christian233861
Valparaiso6238100
Stats at a GlanceTrinVALPO
FG Percentage.344 (21-61) .472 (34-72)
3P FG Percentage.250 (6-24) .424 (14-33)
FT Percentage.813 (13-16) .600 (18-30)
Offensive Rebounds1015
Defensive Rebounds2730
Total Rebounds3745
Turnovers2814
Steals1015
Bench Points3039
LeadersTrinVALPO
PointsLoerop - 12
Stafford - 20
ReboundsHunter - 6
Doyle - 6
Schwieger - 8
AssistsLoerop - 3
DeAveiro - 6
StealsDieck - 3
Stafford - 4
BlocksWilliams - 2
Edwards - 3
BoxscorePlay-by-Play1st Half2nd Half
Valpo Routs Trinity Christian for Roger Powell Jr.’s First Victory as Collegiate Head Coach
Monday, November 6, 2023
Valpo Routs Trinity Christian for Roger Powell Jr.’s First Victory as Collegiate Head Coach
Jaxon Edwards had 16 points and three blocked shots in his Valpo debut on Monday.
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A night that started as a welcome back party for Roger Powell Jr. ended with even more reason to celebrate on Monday at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

A lively crowd led by “The Light” student section had plenty to cheer about, and cheer they did. The fans vocally rose to the occasion when the Missouri Valley Conference tournament champion women’s soccer team was recognized during the game’s first media timeout. They erupted again when the 100th and final Beacon point was scored, and they hooted and hollered a lot in between during a 100-61 rout of visiting Trinity Christian in the 2023-24 season opener. And if what unfolded on Monday was any indication, there could be plenty more to cheer about at the ARC as the season forges forward.

How It Happened

  • Valpo sprinted out to a 19-4 lead behind nine early points by Jaxon Edwards (Indianapolis, Ind. / Cathedral [Murray State]) including a dunk and a made triple. Isaiah Stafford (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Crispus Attucks [John A. Logan/Southern Indiana]) had eight early points as well as the Beacons wasted no time in building up a 15-point cushion and forcing a Trinity Christian timeout with less than four minutes elapsed.
  • The lead opened up to 17 at the 11:04 mark of the half when Darius DeAveiro (Kanata, Ottawa, Canada / Orangeville Prep) knocked down a 3, before Edwards entered double figures and boosted the lead to 20 by canning another trey.
  • Stafford made two more 3s to up the lead to 41-14 by the 7:07 mark of the first half. Jahari Williamson (Pickering, Ontario, Canada / Royal Crown Academy) had two 3s just over 90 seconds apart, helping the Beacons bolster the lead to 30.
  • The Brown & Gold ended the half on an 11-0 run and owned an advantage of nearly 40 points at the break, leading 62-23.
  • After shooting 60 percent in the first half and holding the Trolls to 20 percent from the field, Valpo cooled off to 35 percent after the break while the two teams played even for the game’s duration, helping Valpo secure the 100-61 triumph. A free throw by Ola Ajiboye (Chicago, Ill. / Evanston Township [Central Michigan / Bosco Institute]) with 1:32 remaining allowed the hosts to hit triple digits.

Inside the Game

  • Stafford tallied a team-high 20 points on opening night, while Williamson and Edwards added 16 apiece. All three players were making their Valpo debuts, and Williamson was making his collegiate debut.
  • Stafford’s 20-point performance featured a 5-of-6 shooting showing from long range. He became the first Valpo player to hit five 3s in a game since Maximus Nelson on Feb. 4, 2023 vs. Drake.
  • Returnee Jerome Palm (Almere, Netherlands / Echnaton [Hillsborough CC]) contributed 11 points, tying a career high in scoring that was established on Dec. 1 of last season at Belmont. Ajiboye rounded out a group of five Beacons in double figures with 10 points, eight of which came at the free-throw line. Ajiboye usurped his previous career high of eight, which came against Western Michigan while playing for Central Michigan last season.
  • Edwards’ 16 points obliterated his previous peak from his freshman year at Murray State, when he had scored no more than two points in a game. He also rejected a career-high three shots and made one steal. Edwards became the first Valpo player with three blocks in a game since Ben Krikke had five on Feb. 14, 2023.
  • Freshman Cooper Schwieger (Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest [Link Year]) started in his collegiate debut and scored nine points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds. Rookie Kaspar Sepp (Tartu, Estonia / Fairmont Academy) added eight points off the bench on 3-of-4 shooting.
  • DeAveiro handed out a team-most six assists.
  • A dozen Valpo players took the court on Monday including eight who made their Beacon debuts. Four of those saw their first collegiate action.
  • Valpo tallied 100 points for the first time since Dec. 7, 2021, a 101-58 win over East West. Monday’s 39-point win also marked Valpo’s largest margin of victory since Dec. 7, 2021 against the Phantoms (+43).
  • This was the first time five Valpo players finished in double figures since March 3, 2022 vs. Evansville in the MVC Tournament.
  • Valpo scored 41 points off Trinity Christian’s 28 turnovers. Valpo swiped 15 steals, the team’s most since 17 on Dec. 17, 2020 vs. Purdue Northwest.
  • The Beacons drained 14 3-pointers, the team’s highest total since Feb. 22, 2020 vs. Bradley.
  • Powell officially became the program’s 23rd head coach with his first regular-season game on Monday. He became the fourth straight Valpo head coach to win his first game at the ARC.
  • Valpo snapped a three-game opening night losing streak and improved to 9-3 over the last 12 years on opening night. The program improved to 18-1 in its last 19 home openers.

Postgame Press Conference

Click here for postgame press conference.

Up Next

The Beacons will welcome IUPUI to the ARC on Friday night for an 8 p.m. tip. For ticket information, visit valpoathletics.com/tickets.