Valparaiso hands No. 25 Drake its 1st loss of season, 74-57
VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — Ben Krikke scored 15 points and Valparaiso handed No. 25 Drake its first loss of the season with a 74-57 romp on Sunday.
The defeat by Drake (18-1, 9-1 Missouri Valley) left No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Baylor as the only remaining major college teams still undefeated this season.
A day after Valparaiso (7-12, 4-6) squandered a double-digit lead in the second half and lost to Drake 80-77, the Crusaders pulled away for just their second victory over a ranked opponent since beating Mississippi in the 1998 NCAA tournament.
The Crusaders beat No. 25 Rhode Island 65-62 on Nov. 29, 2016 and are now 2-42 against ranked opponents since the start of the 1999-2000 season.
Roman Penn scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, trying to rally the Bulldogs back from a 36-24 halftime deficit. He helped cut Valparaiso’s lead down to 10 points on multiple occasions, but the Bulldogs could never get within single digits.
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