VALPARAISO | It took Valparaiso a bit longer than expected Monday night to extinguish the Flames.
UIC, a team with just two Horizon League victories, made the Crusaders sweat the whole 40 minutes on their way to a hard-fought 83-82 victory.
Brandon Wood and Ryan Broekhoff each scored 18 points for Valpo (13-13, 8-6), which reached the .500 mark overall for the first time all season. Brandon McPherson, who hit four free throws in the final minute, finished with 15 points. Cory Johnson added 11 despite fouling out with 4:38 remaining.
Broekhoff, just a freshman, added nine rebounds in the win.
"It was really a challenging and difficult game," Valpo coach Homer Drew said. "We were concerned with the energy and emotion after coming of the Detroit game (Saturday), which was just a wonderful emotional win.
"It was our third game in five days, and our guys had a chance to feel like an NBA team. It showed. We were lackluster but the wonderful thing is they found a way to win, which is a sign of a good team."
For UIC (6-18, 2-12), Jeremy Buttell scored a game-high 25 points. A 6-foot-7 senior, Buttell made 3-of-7 3-pointers, including a pair in the final minutes to keep Valpo from pulling away.
Robo Kreps added 17 points for the Flames, including a 3-pointer at the final buzzer. Chris Buchanan scored 11 off the bench, while Zavion Neely and Spencer Stewart each added 10.
After a lackluster first half that ended in a 31-31 tie, Valpo made 10 of its first 12 shots after the break, taking a 54-51 lead on a Johnson putback with 12:22 remaining.
The Crusaders led 75-66 on a Wood putback with 3:20 remaining, but couldn't find an answer at the other end for Buttell, who hit a pair of deep 3-pointers in the last 2:17 to keep the Flames alive. But Valpo hung on at the end by making 5 of 8 free throws in the last minute.
McPherson made hit a pair with 52.8 remaining for a 81-77 advantage, then two more at 27.1 for a 83-79 lead.
"Brandon's free throws were enormous because it kept us at a two-possession lead," Drew said. "Brandon just did a wonderful job, and the team showed good heart in finding a way to win."
The Crusaders looked as if they would take control early, jumping out to a 12-4 lead when Broekhoff swished a second-chance 3-pointer from the right corner at 13:10 of the first half. At that time, the Flames had made just 1-of-11 field-goal attempts.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Valparaiso 83, UIC 82
The Crusaders' Ryan Broekhoff and Brandon Wood each had a team-high 18 points.
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Butler wins 13th straight
INDIANAPOLIS | Matt Howard scored 20 points to lead No. 18 Butler past Loyola of Chicago 62-47 on Monday night for the Bulldogs' 13th straight win as they clinched at least a share of their fourth straight Horizon League regular-season title.
Willie Veasley added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs (21-4, 14-0), who matched the second-longest winning streak in school history.
Walt Gibler and Geoff McCammon each scored nine points for the Ramblers (13-11, 4-10), who have lost six of their past seven games against Butler. -- AP
