GAME NOTES: On the final day of the Challenge in Music City, the Portland Pilots find themselves pitted against the Crusaders of Valparaiso.

The Crusaders have been almost untouchable so far this season, posting six wins in seven chances, the lone setback coming against Missouri in their one and only true road game, 56-41. Since that setback, Valpo has rattled off five straight victories, four of them coming on neutral floors.

On Saturday, the Crusaders tied a season high and scored at least 90 points for the fourth time as they crushed Murray State, 93-58.

Over on the other side, Portland is also a hot team to start off the 2014-15 campaign, winning five in a row, thanks in part to a 71-59 victory over Drake yesterday. With a 5-0 mark, the Pilots have matched the best start in program history.

Valpo won the only previous meeting between the programs by a score of 63-52.

Thomas van der Mars was the only Portland player to score in double figures on Saturday, putting up 14 points, as the team led from start to finish in a 12- point decision over Drake. Alec Wintering accounted for nine points and eight of the unit's 14 assists as they converted 50 percent from the field and turned the ball over just eight times.

Although he failed to reach double figures against the Bulldogs, heading into the meeting on Saturday Kevin Bailey was pacing the Portland offense with his 19.8 ppg, followed by Volodymyr Gerun and Wintering with 13.8 and 11.3 ppg, respectively.

After shooting 50.0 percent from the field in the first half of their game against Murray State on Saturday, the Crusaders erupted for a staggering 70.8 percent accuracy over the final 20 minutes of action and at the same time holding the Racers to only seven field goals in the frame. Alec Peters posted a game-high 26 points and pulled down eight rebounds, followed by Darien Walker and David Skara with 18 and 10 points, respectively.

Peters, the leading scorer in three of the last four games for the Crusaders and a total of four times overall in the early going, comes up with 19.1 ppg as he shoots not only 59.5 percent from the floor but also 52.9 percent behind the 3-point line, the latter being a bit surprising given that Peters is also one of the top rebounders for the unit with 6.0 rpg. Darien Walker checks in with 12.9 ppg as the team outscores the competition by 18 ppg.

Given the manner in which Valpo has been seeming scoring at will this season, don't be surprised to see another blowout victory for the Crusaders in the final day of this tournament.