GAME NOTES: The Crusaders of Valparaiso shoot for their fifth win in a row Saturday night, as they battle the Murray State Racers during the second day of the Challenge in Music City.

Since losing to Missouri back on Nov. 16, the Crusaders have rattled off four consecutive victories, the latest coming on Friday in another lopsided final, 66-46. The 46 points match the fewest allowed by Valpo in the first few weeks of the 2014-15 campaign.

The Racers haven't been as fortunate in the early going, winning only two of five outings and one of those triumphs coming against an opponent outside of Division I. Last night, the team suffered a second straight setback with a narrow 64-61 loss to Portland in this event.

Valparaiso has won two of the previous three meetings with the Racers.

The defense for Valpo is what did the trick on Friday, holding Drake to only 35 percent shooting from the field and a total of just 40 field goal attempts overall. The Crusaders also forced 15 turnovers, which was one more than the Bulldogs had made field goals.

On offense, the Crusaders were led by Darien Walker with his 19 points, while fellow starters Keith Carter and Alec Peters accounted for 15 and 10 points, respectively. Despite shooting only 33.3 percent from 3-point range, Valpo thrived by being cautious with the ball and turning it over a mere four times on the night.

Peters, the leading scorer in three of the team's six games thus far, is responsible for 18.0 ppg as he shoots not only 58.5 percent from the floor overall but also 50 percent beyond the arc. Darien Walker, not to be confused with Tevonn Walker (9.7 ppg) who is shooting only 21.1 percent out on the perimeter, checks in with 12.0 ppg as he makes good on 44.4 percent on the outside.

Leading by as many as seven late in the first half, the Racers fell behind by a point at the break and ended up coming out on the short end of a three-point decision against Portland. In a game that featured three ties and seven lead changes, Cameron Payne led the way with 18 points and five assists for Murray State, followed by T.J. Sapp and Jeffery Moss with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Even though he has knocked down only 6-of-26 shots out on the perimeter, Payne is still the leading scorer for the Racers with his 18.4 ppg, and is also the leading passer for the group with 24 assists in five games. At the defensive end of the floor, Payne has also demonstrated quick hands with 16 steals. Jarvis Williams checks in with 15.8 ppg after five outings and a team-best 7.4 rpg.

The Racers have a couple of strong offensive performers for sure, but for all- around play with minimal mistakes, the better choice for Saturday is Valpo.