ST. LOUIS – In his final game wearing a University of Evansville uniform, senior K.J. Riley led the Purple Aces with 17 points as Valparaiso advanced to the quarterfinals of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a 58-55 win on Thursday evening inside the Enterprise Center.

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Box Score (PDF)

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"Hard fought game, it is an example of what these guys have shown since I have been here.  They just keep fighting," UE head men's basketball coach Todd Lickliter exclaimed following the game.  "Does it build character?  No, it reveals character.  If you came to one of our practices, you would not know what our record was; they always came in with a good attitude and worked hard.  They are a pleasure to coach." 
 
"Tonight was a great basketball game, both teams played well, our teams are both very even," he continued.  "There were a few bounces that did not go our way.  I am proud of the way we came out and fought throughout the entire game." 
 
Riley hit six shots to go along with four free throws.  Noah Frederking had a solid night, tallying 13 points and three steals.  Sam Cunliffe scored 10.  Jawaun Newton led the Aces with a career-high eight rebounds.
 
Valparaiso knocked down its first four shots of the game to take an 8-4 lead in the opening four minutes.  Evansville took its first lead when Noah Frederking connected on a triple to make it a 9-8 contest.  The Crusaders went back in front on a field goal make by Donovan Clay and extended the lead to seven (19-12) at the 11:28 mark.
 
After the Aces got within four points, Valpo pushed its lead to double figures when a 10-3 run stretched their lead to 29-18 inside of five minutes remaining in the half.  UE went 1-for-8 over the span of five minutes while turning it over three times.  A quick 6-0 spurt got Evansville right back in the game as K.J. Riley, Jawaun Newton and Frederking each hit a field goal. 
 
That rally by UE cut the deficit to six points when the teams entered the locker room at halftime with the Crusaders holding a 31-25 lead.  In the opening 20 minutes, 22 out of the Crusader's 31 tallies came inside the paint while UE knocked down two triples while Valpo went 0-7. Riley tied for the game high with nine points in the period.
 
A tenacious Evansville bunch continued to claw its way back when the second half got underway.  Riley reached double figures for the 11^th time in 12 games when the first basket of the second half got his squad within four.  At the 14:11 mark, Sam Cunliffe found his outside shot, putting one in that cut the VU edge to just one points – 37-36.
 
Jawaun Newton capped off the comeback when his and-one with 11:38 on the clock gave the Aces a 41-39 lead.  The back-and-forth action played out over the ensuing minutes with Valparaiso going back in front by a 45-43 score with 8:31 left, but on the other end, it was Evan Kuhlman dialing it up from long range to give the Aces a 46-45 edge.
 
When the Crusaders inched back in front on a drive to the basket by Eron Gordon, Frederking made an outstanding defensive play before giving his team the lead.  The junior forced a steal under the basket and turned it into a floater that gave the Aces another 1-point edge.  As the clock went under three minutes, Valpo wrestled a 53-50 edge on a second-chance jumper by Daniel Sackey.
 
The score remained 53-50 in favor of Valpo when the game entered the final minute.  Riley connected on his sixth field goal of the evening with 55 ticks remaining to get UE within one.  Unfortunately, the next trip down the floor for the Crusaders turned into an and-one that gave VU a 4-point edge, the largest lead either team would enjoy since the Crusaders held a 37-33 lead at the 15:49 mark of the second half.
 
Shamar Givance was fouled with 26 seconds remaining and knocked down both free throws to cut the gap to a pair.  Following a missed free throw by Valpo, the Aces regained possession with Riley hitting one free throw.  On the inbound play, the Crusaders quickly took it up the floor for a dunk that put them up by a 58-55 tally with four seconds left.  Evansville had one more shot, but could not convert as the Crusaders finished with the win. 
 
Donovan Clay paced Valparaiso with 16 points and seven caroms.  VU shot 45.5% on the night while the Aces finished at 38.5%.  The Crusaders also edged UE by a 34-33 final in total rebounds.
 
Evansville's lone senior was K.J. Riley.  The Bronx native forever etched his name in the UE record book.  He leaves the program with 440 free throw makes and 1,062 points.  His final free throw tally is 8^th in UE history while his point total is 43^rd in the recrd book.
 
"K.J. is special.  He is really a guy who leads by example.  He was always at practice, prepared and paid attention," Coach Lickliter added.  "He was not alone; he had really good teammates.  I really believe that when you look at the final scores, you can see that there is a foundation that has been laid.  If you look at the improvement that has been made, it is really impressive. I can't wait to get back to work with these guys."
 

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