Box Score
MONTREAL -- Senior Darien Walker of Chicago poured in a game-high 18 points as the Valparaiso University Crusaders cruised to an 80-60 victory over McGill in men's basketball preseason play at Love Competition Hall, Tuesday.
 
It was the 115th season opener for the Redmen and the result dropped McGill's record to 3-11 in their last 14 confrontations against NCAA Div. 1 teams, dating back to 2011.
 
Walker shot a lights-out 7-of-10 from the floor, connecting on both of his three-point attempts and two of his four shots from the charity stripe. The 6-foot-3 guard also collected five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block.
 
"We played a good team," said Redmen bench boss David DeAveiro. "They are well-coached and defending conference champions. They threw a lot at us defensively and we struggled at times but I think overall we played as well as we could have for only having four practices."
 
Noah Daoust led the way for McGill with 11 points in just 15 minutes of court time. He shot an efficient 4-for-5 from the field, including a 2-for-3 performance from beyond the arc. The sophomore forward from Dorval, Que., was also 1-for-1 from the foul line and added three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
 
Teammate Francois Bourque, who was sporting a facial mask to protect his nose that was broken last week in training camp, was the only other Redmen player to reach double figures. He tallied 10 points, shooting 4-for-10 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the line. The third-year forward from Terrebonne, Que., was one rebound shy of a "double-double" snatching nine boards, including six in the defensive end of the court.
 
The Crusaders, who qualified for the NCAA Tournament last spring, had two other players reach double figures in scoring.  Alec Peters, the team's top returning scorer, added a dozen points while Shane Hammink chipped in with 10. Jubril Adekoya and David Skara also did their fair share of work, scoring nine and eight, respectively. Montreal natives Max Joseph and Tevonn Walker played 22 and 15 minutes, respectively, in their final game in their hometown.

The visitors, who hail from Valparaiso, Indiana, led from nearly start to finish, only surrendering the lead after an 8-1 run by the Redmen erased the Crusaders' early 8-2 advantage. Valpo responded by holding McGill scoreless over the final 3:54 of the first quarter, scoring 10 straight points – including six by Walker – over that span to go ahead 19-10 at the end of the first 10 minutes.
 
McGill did not go down quietly, however, moving to within one point at 24-23 halfway through the second quarter, but a 6-0 spurt -- which included back-to-back dunks by Skara -- gave the Crusaders breathing room and they eventually took a 36-30 lead into the halftime break.
 
The Crusaders held McGill at bay throughout the third quarter and led 59-51 at the end of 30 minutes. They then locked down in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Redmen 21-9.
 
Other Redmen on the scoresheet included Dele Ogundokon, Jenning Leung, Jawara Pedican and Andrew Peterson who had six points apiece.
 
Valpo shot a stellar 45.6 per cent from the field, 53.3 from three-point range and 55.6 from the free-throw line. McGill replied by shooting 31.9, 33.3 and 58.3, respectively. The taller Crusaders had a 20-10 edge in points scored in the paint and a 38-35 advantage in rebounds. The turnover battle was fairly even with Valpo committing 16 compared to McGill's 17.
 
The Crusaders improved to 3-0 on their cross-border tour. They won 67-66 against the Montreal All-Stars and handled Brookwood Elite 85-60 in a Sunday doubleheader. They will conclude their international excursion with games at Carleton and Ottawa, Aug. 13-14, respectively.
 
McGill (0-1) has one home game remaining against NCAA Div. 1 opponents. They will host the Red Raiders of Texas Tech on Aug. 16 at 4 p.m. 

REDMEN RAP: The Redmen camp is still missing a number of players, including junior starter Michael Peterkin, as they have summer jobs until the end of August.


FOR MORE INFO CONTACT:

Ryne Bondy or Earl Zukerman
Sports Info Office
McGill University
514-398-7012