Schmidt scores 19 off the bench, Valparaiso downs Eastern Illinois 81-53

VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — Tyler Schmidt came off the bench to score 19 points to lead Valparaiso to an 81-53 victory over Eastern Illinois on Sunday.

Schmidt added three steals for the Beacons (3-2). Justus McNair scored 16 points while going 5 of 8 (4 for 6 from 3-point range). Darius DeAveiro had nine points and shot 3 for 11, including 3 for 9 from beyond the arc.

Nakyel Shelton led the Panthers (1-5) in scoring, finishing with 20 points. Kooper Jacobi added 13 points and nine rebounds for Eastern Illinois. Zion Fruster had six points.

Valparaiso took the lead with 5:07 remaining in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 35-29 at halftime, with Schmidt racking up 14 points. Valparaiso extended its lead to 66-38 during the second half, fueled by an 18-2 scoring run. McNair scored a team-high 11 points in the second half as their team closed out the win.

NEXT UP

Both teams play Northern Illinois next, Valparaiso at home on Wednesday and Eastern Illinois at home on Friday.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.