On Monday, the Ball State Cardinals visit Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana to play the Valparaiso Crusaders. The Cardinals fell to 6-4 on the season following an 89-77 loss to the Evansville Purple Aces last Saturday. The Cardinals led at the half by eight points but could not hold the lead and were outscored by 20 points after the break.
Valparaiso improved to 6-4 on the season with an 82-79 win over George Washington last Saturday. Bakari Evelyn led the Crusaders with 27 points hitting 10 of 15 field goals including six 3-pointers, while Ryan Fazekas scored the 3-pointer that put the Crusaders ahead for good.
Taylor Persons leads the Cardinals in scoring and assists with averages of 16.8 points and 5.0 assists per game. K.J. Walton is the second leading scorer with an average of 15.0 points per game. The leading rebounder is Tahjai Teague with an average of 6.7 per game. The Cardinals are shooting 50.1% from the field and 36.5% from 3-point territory.
Derrik Smits leads the Crusaders in scoring and rebounding with averages of 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Two other Crusaders are averaging double figures in scoring. Deion Lavender leads the Crusaders in assists with an average of 5.9 per game. Valparaiso is shooting 47.9% from the field and 34.9% from 3-point territory.
