The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team played shorthanded with Cooper Schwieger and Connor Barrett absent due to illness, and host UNI took advantage by recording a 68-54 victory in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Valpo’s frontcourt of Kaspar Sepp (Tartu, Estonia / Fairmont Academy) and Jerome Palm (Almere, Netherlands / Echnaton [Hillsborough CC]) provided the highlights, as Sepp was a point shy of a double-double while Palm matched a career best in the scoring column.

How It Happened

• UNI jumped out to an 11-2 lead over the first six minutes before a 3 by Jaxon Edwards (Indianapolis, Ind. / Cathedral [Murray State]) with 13:37 on the clock served as Valpo’s first made field goal.
• The Panthers led 17-5 with 11:33 to go in the half and still held a 10-point bulge at 19-9 with 7:53 on the timer, but Valpo got back in it with six straight points including four from Palm to make it a four-point game.
• A 9-0 run for UNI bolstered the lead to 15 as Landon Wolf hit a 3 with three minutes to go in the half. The margin reached as many as 19 and Valpo went into the break chasing 17 at 38-21.
• Fastbreak points played a key role in the first half as the Panthers had some offensive struggles in the half court but owned a 13-0 edge in transition.
• In the second half, the Panthers started dominating the paint and creating high-percentage looks at the rim, embarking on an 11-0 run to extend the lead from 14 to 25, breaking the game open with 12 minutes to play.
• Valpo chipped away by scoring the next seven, but the Panthers coasted to the finish line. Jahari Williamson (Pickering, Ontario, Canada / Royal Crown Academy) heated up down the stretch and hit three 3s to help Valpo slim the final margin down to 14.Valpo outscored UNI after halftime 33-30. 

Inside the Game

• Palm finished with 14 points to match his career high, which was established last week on Feb. 21 vs. Indiana State.
• Sepp was a point shy of a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds while playing over 39 minutes. He went 4-of-5 from 2-point territory and his nine points marked more than he had scored in the previous five games combined.
• Sepp’s 11 boards marked his most in conference play and represented his third double-figure rebounding effort of the year. His personal best of 12 came on Dec. 6 at Central Michigan.
• Valpo was just 1-of-11 from 3 in the first half but knocked down 6-of-13 from behind the arc over the final 20 minutes.
• Williamson finished with 13 points, breaking out of a slump with his best showing in the last four games.
• UNI outscored Valpo 42-16 in the paint and 23-5 on the fastbreak. Valpo made an uncharacteristic 18 turnovers, snapping a streak of nine straight games winning the turnover battle. This was the team’s highest turnover total since Jan. 3 and second highest of the season.

Up Next

The Beacons (6-24, 2-17 MVC) will close out the regular season on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center as Illinois State will come to town for Senior Day. For ticket information, visit valpoathletics.com/tickets.