Valpo powers past YSU men

Staff/wire report

Valparaiso, Ind.

Keith Carter had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assists to help Valparaiso roll to a 79-64 victory over Youngs-town State on Sunday.

Alec Peters scored 18 points, Darien Walker had 12 points and Vashil Fernandez chipped in eight points, 13 rebounds and three blocks for Valparaiso (14-3, 1-1 Horizon League), which shot just 27 of 77 for 35.1 percent from the floor.

Bobby Hain and DJ Cole scored 13 points apiece to lead Youngstown State (9-8, 0-2). Marcus Keene had 11 points and Osandai Vaughn 10 for the Penguins.

For the Crusaders, Peters had nine boards and Walker grabbed eight. The Crusaders outrebounded the Penguins, 58-38.

Fernandez’s dunk gave Valparaiso a 52-43 lead with 15:34 remaining. Youngstown State pulled within 61-58 with 8:13 left before Valparaiso closed on an 18-6 surge, with Walker hitting 7 of 8 from the line, to seal it.

The Crusaders took advantage of 27 offensive rebounds that accounted for 28 second-chance points, including 15 in the second half.

Four minutes into the second half, the Penguins fell by 10, 50-40, but went on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to three, 52-49, after a jumper by Vaughn at the 13:30 mark.

Valparaiso rebuilt its lead back to eight, 59-51, with 10:50 remaining, but a three-point play by Vaughn, a jumper by Hain and a layup by Larry Johnson brought the Penguins back within three, 61-58, with 8:13 to go.

The Penguins missed their final 10 field goal attempts and went 6-for-14 from the free-throw line over the last eight minutes of the game.

Valparaiso, which never trailed, built a 10-point advantage, 26-16, midway through the first half but the Penguins responded with an 8-0 run to cut the lead to two.

Shaun Stewart drilled a 3-pointer and followed with an old-fashioned three-point play to get the Penguins within four.

Johnson hit a jumper to make the cut the deficit to two, and, after a tip-in by Peters pushed the Valparaiso lead back to four, Keene nailed a 3-pointer to get within on, 28-27, with 4:33 to go before halftime.

Over the next minute-and-a-half, the Crusaders used a 10-3 run to extend their lead back to eight, 38-30, but the Penguins scored five of the final seven points to trail at the intermission, 40-35.