Valparaiso Beacons @ Illinois State Redbirds
Krikke carries Valparaiso past Illinois State 70-66
NORMAL, Ill. -- — Ben Krikke scored a career-high 25 points plus 15 rebounds as Valparaiso rallied past Illinois State 70-66 on Sunday.
Krikke and Daniel Sackey scored back-to-back layups around an Illinois State miss, pushing Valparaiso into the lead for good, 67-64 with 1:17 to play. The Crusaders outscored the Redbirds 7-2 in the final 99 seconds.
Sackey had 16 points and eight assists for Valparaiso (5-9, 2/3 Missouri Valley Conference). Eron Gordon and Donovan Clay scored nine points apiece.
DJ Horne had 20 points and five steals for the Redbirds (5-10, 2-7). Antonio Reeves added 18 points. Howard Fleming Jr. scored nine.
Illinois Sate's second-leading scorer, Josiah Strong (12 ppg) scored two on 1 of 7 shooting.
Valparaiso defeated Illinois State 69-60 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
Normal, IL
Referee:Kelly Self
Referee:Amy Bonner
Referee:Antinio Petty
2025-26 Standings
| Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-4 | - | 26-6 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 3 | 21-13 |
| Illinois State | 12-8 | 4 | 23-13 |
| Murray State | 12-8 | 4 | 20-13 |
| UIC | 12-8 | 4 | 19-16 |
| Northern Iowa | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Valparaiso | 11-9 | 5 | 18-15 |
| Southern Illinois | 10-10 | 6 | 16-16 |
| Drake | 6-14 | 10 | 14-20 |
| Indiana State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |
| Evansville | 3-17 | 13 | 7-25 |
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