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VALPARAISO, Ind. – Chicago State men's hoops fell at Valparaiso 67-46 on Friday (Nov. 23) evening in a non-conference contest. The Cougars cut a 16-point defect to eight points with 11:19 remaining but couldn't complete the comeback.
The Cougars started cold from the floor and fell behind 10-0 from the opening tip. Chicago State chipped away thanks in part to the contributions of junior
Nate Duhon (Lansing, Mich./Sexton) (Lansing, Mich./Sexton/Lansing CC) off the bench. He scored eight points as Chicago State forced a Valparaiso timeout with the score 21-15 at 7:20 in the first half. It was a five-point game with 3:14 remaining but a 7-0 Valparaiso run to close the half gave the Crusaders a 34-22 halftime advantage.
In the second half, sophomore
Clarke Rosenberg (Skokie, Ill./Evanston Township) (Skokie, Ill./Evanston Township) scored six points in a 12-4 Cougars run to make it a 46-38 game with 11:16 remaining. The Cougars wouldn't get any closer as the Crusaders put the game away with a 16-0 run over the next 4:28.
Rosenberg finished with nine points. Senior
Jeremy Robinson (Decatur, Ill./Eisenhower) (Decatur, Ill./Eisenhower/Iowa Western CC) led Chicago State with 10 points.
“I'm proud of our effort tonight,” Chicago State head coach
Tracy Dildy said. “We fought for 40 minutes and never gave up.”
Valparaiso's Kevin Van Wijk entered the contest averaging better than 16 points per game. The Cougars held him scoreless in the first half, but his 12-second half points were key in the Crusaders' late run to ice the game.
“Van Wijk is really good and he is going to play pro ball,” Dildy said. “We focused on putting a body on him and did a good job. But he is crafty and found some shots in the second half.”
Chicago State falls to 1-4. Valparaiso is now 4-1.
The Cougars play Nebraska Omaha on Saturday (No. 24) in the fourth and final game of the Joe Cipriano Nebraska Classic. Tip-off of the neutral site game at Valparaiso will be 4:30 p.m. CT.
