Valparaiso Beacons at Evansville Purple Aces
· NCAA Men's Basketball
81 - 79
Freeman-Liberty leads Valparaiso past Evansville in OT 81-70
The Crusaders came from 10 points down to pick up their first win at Evansville since 1969.
Freeman-Liberty, who finished with 25 points, scored at the basket with 1:04 left in regulation, but Valpo missed two opportunites in the last minute to win the game in regulation.
DeAndre Williams dunked and hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of overtime to keep the Purple Aces close.
Freeman-Liberty was 3 of 8 from distance and 6 for 6 from the line for Valpo (8-7, 1-1 Missouri Valley Conference). Eron Gordon and Ben Krikke added 11 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench and Donovan Clay added 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Williams was 11 of 13 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from distance to lead Evansville (9-6, 0-2) with 28 points. Artur Labinowicz added 16 points, Sam Cunliffe 15 and K.J. Riley contributed 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
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Recent Plays
| 3rd 0:01 | K.J. Riley Defensive Rebound. | 81 - 79 |
| 3rd 0:01 | Nick Robinson missed Free Throw. | 81 - 79 |
| 3rd 0:01 | Nick Robinson made Free Throw. | 81 - 79 |
| 3rd 0:01 | Foul on K.J. Riley. | 80 - 79 |
| 3rd 0:02 | DeAndre Williams made Three Point Jumper. Assisted by K.J. Riley. | 80 - 79 |
Statistics
 VAL |
 EVAN |
|
|---|---|---|
| 29-66 | FG | 26-55 |
| 44 | Field Goal % | 47 |
| 12-26 | 3PT | 9-25 |
| 46 | Three Point % | 36 |
| 11-12 | FT | 18-24 |
| 92 | Free Throw % | 75 |
| 32 | Rebounds | 38 |
| 6 | Offensive Rebounds | 7 |
| 26 | Defensive Rebounds | 31 |
| 13 | Assists | 17 |
| 4 | Steals | 6 |
| 1 | Blocks | 3 |
| 10 | Turnovers | 14 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 10 | Total Turnovers | 14 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 11 | Points Off Turnovers | 15 |
| 8 | Fast Break Points | 16 |
| 28 | Points in Paint | 30 |
| 16 | Fouls | 15 |
| 10 | Largest Lead | 6 |
Game Information
Location: Evansville, IN
Attendance: 5,615 | 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 |