VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) - 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.
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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.
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