Clay, Fazekas combine for 42, Valpo tops Missouri St. 89-74
VALPARAISO, Ind. -- Donovan Clay scored a season-high 22 points, Ryan Fazekas added 20 more and Valparaiso beat Missouri State 89-74 on Tuesday night.
Ben Krikke and Daniel Sackey each scored 14 points for Valparaiso (16-14, 9-8 Missouri Valley Conference) in a game between two teams scrapping for a first-round bye in the upcoming MVC tournament. With the loss, Missouri State will need to win against Southern Illinois along with a Valparaiso loss to Indiana State on Saturday to avoid the play-in round.
Gaige Prim had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Bears (14-16, 8-9). Isiaih Mosley added 13 points. Keandre Cook had 12.
Valpo broke away from a two-point halftime lead by scoring the first eight points of the second half and shooting 61% over the final period. The Bears rallied as close as 59-54 before Fazekas hit one of his five 3-pointers to ignite a 12-2 rally for Valparaiso.
Valparaiso finishes the regular season against Indiana State on the road on Saturday. Missouri State finishes out the regular season against Southern Illinois at home on Saturday.
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
Game Information
- Referees:
- Craig Murley
- Antinio Petty
- Ervin Wilson
2023-24 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Indiana State | 17-3 | - | 32-7 |
Drake | 16-4 | 1 | 28-7 |
Bradley | 13-7 | 4 | 23-12 |
Belmont | 12-8 | 5 | 20-13 |
Northern Iowa | 12-8 | 5 | 19-14 |
Southern Illinois | 11-9 | 6 | 19-13 |
Illinois State | 9-11 | 8 | 15-17 |
Murray State | 9-11 | 8 | 12-20 |
Missouri State | 8-12 | 9 | 17-16 |
Evansville | 6-14 | 11 | 17-18 |
UIC | 4-16 | 13 | 12-21 |
Valparaiso | 3-17 | 14 | 7-25 |