Valparaiso 71, at Illinois-Chicago 67

CHICAGO (Interstat) — In a game defined by a decisive opening salvo and a tense, foul-filled finish, the Valparaiso Beacons held off a furious second-half rally by the Illinois-Chicago Flames to secure a 71-67 victory in Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball on Saturday afternoon at UIC Pavilion. The most critical phase of the contest was its beginning. Valparaiso erupted with a stunning 15-0 run to start the game, capitalizing on a flurry of early UIC mistakes. The Flames committed turnovers on three of their first four possessions, which the Beacons swiftly converted into points. JT Pettigrew opened the scoring with… Read more...