Valparaiso gets back at Wright State

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Updated: March 6, 2012 8:25AM

VALPARAISO — Ahhhh. Sweet revenge. This one was big.

Not only did Valparaiso remain just a half-game back for first in the Horizon League with its 63-54 win over Wright State, the Crusaders also avenged an 18-point loss to the Raiders on Jan. 8.

Valparaiso (17-8, 10-3) is the only team to have a win over every team in the conference and has won seven out of its last eight games since that Wright State loss.

“We were a little banged up tonight,” Crusaders coach Bryce Drew said. “Kevin (Van Wijk) wasn’t feeling very well before the game but I thought the two guys to my left, Matt Kenney and Richie Edwards, really stepped up for us.

“Matt hit some big 3s for us and Richie played his two best games back-to-back in a Valpo uniform.”

Edwards finished with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while Kenney added 11 points (2-for-4 from 3). Van Wijk, who played with what he described as flu-like symptoms, recorded 13 points and six rebounds and Ryan Broekhoff had 10 points and six rebounds.

Valparaiso took control early in the contest, jumping out to 10-6 lead in the first nine minutes of the ballgame. The Crusaders pushed their lead to 31-18 just before halftime until Wright State’s Reggie Arceneaux knocked down a 3 from the corner with two seconds left in the half.

Broekhoff opened the second half with a 3-pointer as Valparaiso extended its lead to 34-21.

“The first Wright State game motivated our team,” Drew said. “The guys have been working extremely hard since then; that game was a little extra motivation.”

Wright State didn’t go down without a fight, though.

Julius Mays, who finished with a game-high 20 points, knocked down a field goal with 16:33 left in the game to cap a quick 7-0 run bring his team back to just a 34-28 deficit.

But Edwards was just too much for the Crusaders in crunch time. The 6-foot-7 junior from Lakeland, Fla., hit his biggest shot of the night — a 3-ball — as the shot clock was winding down with just more than four minutes remaining to give his team a 55-47 cushion.

Edwards said he was ready to step up.

“I’m just getting more game shots,” Edwards said of his recent success. “It’s working out pretty good for me. I’m just getting my feet set. I’ve been quicker with my steps to knock them down.”

The Crusaders head to Cleveland State (19-4, 10-2) on Thursday with first-place on the line. Valparaiso won the first meeting on Jan. 15, 72-66.