Richards leads VU past Butler

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Updated: February 16, 2012 8:34AM

VALPARAISO — Valparaiso needed some big plays to snap its four-game losing streak. Against Horizon League foe Butler, the Crusaders finally got those big plays — but none bigger than the ones provided by junior guard Laura Richards.

Leading 55-53 with eight seconds left, Richards was at the free-throw line, shooting two. She made the first shot, missed the second one, but came down with the rebound before drawing another foul. She then sank another pair of free throws, sealing a 58-53 win for Valparaiso (5-11, 1-4 Horizon) over Butler (6-10, 2-3 Horizon).

“Laura did a lot of good things for us,” Valparaiso coach Keith Freeman said. “She was very active defensively in the last 12 minutes of the game and she got her hand on a lot of loose balls.”

That final sequence capped a memorable all-around game for Richards, who finished with nine points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Her biggest points came from the free-throw line, though, where she’d only hit 44 percent of her attempts before Saturday. Richards went 5-for-6 from the line in the final minute to preserve the win.

“I’ve been practicing those a lot,” Richards said. “It’s just a matter of having me relax when I get to the line.”

Valparaiso also saw a resurgent performance by its offense. In their previous two games, the Crusaders hit just two of their 33 3-point attempts. But the Crusaders went 8-of-20 from behind the arc against Butler, led by Ashley Timmerman (4-for-7) and Ashley Varner (2-for-3), who finished with a team-high 13 points.

“In the last few games we just haven’t been on,” said Timmerman, who had 12 points in the contest. “We all came in on Wednesday, our one day off, and spent the day shooting to get ready for this game. We know we can shoot, we just had a few off games.”