Golder's half-court shot lifts Valparaiso over Illinois St.
Valpo wins on buzzer-beater beyond half court
Valparaiso's Markus Golder hits a 3-pointer from beyond half court at the buzzer to win the game 58-56 vs. Illinois State.
VALPARAISO, Ind. -- Markus Golder put up a leaping, one-handed shot from half court , the ball snapping through the net at the buzzer as Valparaiso completed a wild last-minute comeback to defeat Illinois State 58-56 in a Missouri Valley Conference opener Wednesday night.
Golder finished with 10 points and all seven of his second-half points came in the final 1:15 as the Crusaders (8-6, 1-0) rallied, outscoring Illinois State 12-2 over that span. The Redbirds (7-7, 0-1) held a 54-53 lead and had leading scorer Zach Copeland at the line with two seconds remaining. Copeland missed both free throws with Golder rebounding, sprinting up court in a crowd and putting up the winner.
Ryan Fazekas led Valparaiso with 14 points and Derrik Smits added 10 with nine rebounds.
Copeland scored 21 points with five 3-pointers to lead Illinois State and Phil Fayne added 14 points.
Breaking away from a 26-26 halftime tie, Illinois State opened the final period on a 12-1 run and held the lead up until Golder's half-court buzzer-beater.
Game Information
- Referees:
- James Durham
- Tom O'Neill
- John Hampton
2023-24 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Indiana State | 17-3 | - | 32-7 |
Drake | 16-4 | 1 | 28-7 |
Bradley | 13-7 | 4 | 23-12 |
Belmont | 12-8 | 5 | 20-13 |
Northern Iowa | 12-8 | 5 | 19-14 |
Southern Illinois | 11-9 | 6 | 19-13 |
Illinois State | 9-11 | 8 | 15-17 |
Murray State | 9-11 | 8 | 12-20 |
Missouri State | 8-12 | 9 | 17-16 |
Evansville | 6-14 | 11 | 17-18 |
UIC | 4-16 | 13 | 12-21 |
Valparaiso | 3-17 | 14 | 7-25 |