Jan. 12, 2013

Box Score

  

MILWAUKEE - Ryan Broekhoff scored 26 points and Valparaiso made 12 three-pointers in claiming a 76-52 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.

The Crusaders (13-5, 3-1 Horizon) built an early lead and then shot better than 61 percent in the second half to pull away for the win.

Paris Gulley scored 18 points to lead Milwaukee (4-13, 0-3), which made only one of its first 11 tries from the field and shot just 34 percent for the game.

Kevin Van Wijk added 12 points, Matt Kenney 11 and LaVonte Dority 10 for Valparaiso, which is the defending regular season league champion and was picked to defend its crown this season.

Demetrius Harris pitched-in with 14 points and Jordan Aaron 10 for Milwaukee.

Broekhoff knocked in a career-best seven 3-pointers and found his stride early in scoring eight of Valpo's first 12 points, including a three-pointer in the first five seconds of the game.

"Valpo played the way they are supposed to play. They're picked to win the league and they played exactly like that," Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter said. "Broekhoff, tonight, played like he is one of the best players in the league and I just thought, physically, they were tough."

Broekhoff sparked the Crusaders to a 12-2 run to start the game and Valpo then let the Panthers back in it just once. Milwaukee closed to within 21-16 with 4:16 remaining but the Crusaders ended the first half on a 12-4 run to again seize control.

Valparaiso then scored the first eight points of the second half and led by as many as 26.

"I thought we recovered enough in that first half. We held them scoreless for three or four minutes but then we couldn't score and we couldn't capitalize on that," Jeter said. "We got the lead down to five, but then it ballooned up on us at the end of the half and the beginning of the second half, and that really put us back on our heels."

The Panthers continue their three-game homestand with a pair of games next week. UWM hosts Cleveland State Thursday night before Youngstown State visits Saturday evening.