March 02, 20231st2ndFinal
Valparaiso252550
Murray St.384078
Stats at a GlanceVALPOMUR
FG Percentage.327 (18-55) .426 (29-68)
3P FG Percentage.087 (2-23) .370 (10-27)
FT Percentage.750 (12-16) .714 (10-14)
Offensive Rebounds79
Defensive Rebounds3030
Total Rebounds3739
Turnovers196
Steals311
Bench Points821
LeadersVALPOMUR
PointsKrikke - 14
Smith - 19
ReboundsGreen - 7
King - 7
Burns - 8
Assists Edwards - 3
Green - 3
King - 3
Wood - 11
StealsBarrett - 1
DeAveiro - 1
Bayu - 1
Wood - 3
BlocksBayu - 2
White Jr. - 1
Moore, Jr. - 1
BoxscorePlay-by-Play1st Half2nd Half
Valpo Season Concludes at Arch Madness
Thursday, March 2, 2023
Valpo Season Concludes at Arch Madness
Ben Krikke moved into seventh on the program's all-time scoring list on Thursday.

The Valparaiso University men’s basketball season came to an end on Thursday night in the opening round of Arch Madness, the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The Beacons fell 78-50 to Murray State. Ben Krikke (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada / Jasper Place) and Kobe King (La Crosse, Wis. / La Crosse Central [Wisconsin]) both tallied double figures in the scoring column.

How It Happened

  • Murray State led 11-4 early, and the lead fluctuated between five and seven until the Racers scored seven straight to lift the edge to 12 at 24-12 with 9:24 on the first-half clock.
  • The gap extended to 15 on a made 3 at the 8:15 mark, prompting a Beacon timeout.
  • The Beacons put together a burst when Quinton Green (Columbus, Ohio / Homeschool [Cedarville]) and Connor Barrett (Chicago, Ill. / Loyola Academy) both drilled triples before King scored three points the old-fashioned way.
  • After Nick Edwards (Atlanta, Ga. / Grayson [Glenville State]) added a free throw, it was 33-25 with two minutes to go in the half as Valpo had trimmed a 15-point deficit down to eight with a 9-2 stretch.
  • The Racers stretched the lead back to 13 by halftime, and Valpo went into the locker room down 38-25.
  • Valpo scored the first four points of the second half, but Murray State followed with a 10-0 run to force a Valpo timeout at the 17:15 mark.
  • Murray State went on to win 78-50.

Inside the Game

  • King finished in double figures for the 32nd straight game, every game all season. He was the only Missouri Valley Conference player to do so and set a program record for consecutive double-figure games within a season.
  • Krikke reached double figures in 30 of his 32 games this season including Thursday night. He finished the season with 20 consecutive double-figure scoring outputs.
  • Krikke scored 14 points in the season finale, advancing two spots on the program’s single-season scoring list. He moved over Bryce Drew’s 1996-97 season (617) and Drew’s 1997-98 season (613) on Thursday. He finished the season with 622 points, sixth in program history.
  • Krikke finished the season with 1,596 career points. He climbed over Ryan Broekhoff (1,591; 2009-13) for seventh in Thursday’s finale.
  • King and Green led the team with seven rebounds apiece.