Valparaiso Beacons at Illinois State Redbirds
· NCAA Men's Basketball
69 - 53
Freeman helps Valparaiso upset Illinois State 69-53 on road
Freeman sank 4 of 6 from 3-point range for the Crusaders (13-11, 6-5 Missouri Valley Conference) and added five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot. Derrik Smits hit 8 of 10 shots and scored 16 for Valparaiso, which pulled into a third-place tie with Drake by ending a four-game skid. The Redbirds (14-10, 7-4) drop to second, one-game behind Loyola-Chicago, which already has a win over Illinois State this season.
Freeman hit two 3-pointers and added a 3-point play as Valparaiso jumped out to a 14-0 lead and never looked back. Illinois State pulled within 25-21 on Zach Copeland's 3-pointer, but Freeman scored the last six in an 8-0 run and the Crusaders increased their lead to 41-24 at intermission.
Copeland sank 4 of 7 from distance and was the lone Redbird to reach double figures with 17 points.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 69 - 53 |
| 2nd 0:09 | Daniel Sackey Defensive Rebound. | 69 - 53 |
| 2nd 0:09 | Zach Copeland missed Three Point Jumper. | 69 - 53 |
| 2nd 0:10 | Valparaiso Turnover. | 69 - 53 |
| 2nd 0:41 | Matt Chastain made Layup. | 69 - 53 |
Statistics
 VAL |
 ILST |
|
|---|---|---|
| 28-55 | FG | 18-45 |
| 51 | Field Goal % | 40 |
| 10-23 | 3PT | 7-25 |
| 43 | Three Point % | 28 |
| 3-6 | FT | 10-14 |
| 50 | Free Throw % | 71 |
| 29 | Rebounds | 23 |
| 5 | Offensive Rebounds | 3 |
| 24 | Defensive Rebounds | 20 |
| 18 | Assists | 8 |
| 8 | Steals | 7 |
| 2 | Blocks | 1 |
| 12 | Turnovers | 17 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 12 | Total Turnovers | 17 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 27 | Points Off Turnovers | 17 |
| 12 | Fast Break Points | 2 |
| 28 | Points in Paint | 14 |
| 13 | Fouls | 11 |
| 24 | Largest Lead | 0 |
| 0 | Lead Changes | 0 |
| 0 | Percent Led | 0 |
Game Information
Location: Normal, IL
Attendance: 4,662 | Capacity:
2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |