Milwaukee Panthers fall 68-56 to Valparaiso Crusaders

VALPARAISO, Ind. — With Alec Peters shut down, Vashil Fernandez stepped up to score a season-high 14 points and Valparaiso defeated Milwaukee 68-56 on Thursday night, running its homecourt winning streak to 21.

Fernandez made 6 of 7 field-goal attempts and collared nine rebounds for Valparaiso (14-3, 4-0 Horizon), matching Peters for most boards.

Peters, who scores nearly 18 points per game to rank among the Horizon League leaders, shot just 3 of 10 from the floor to finish with seven points, failing to reach double digits for the first time this season.

The Crusaders enjoyed a 47-22 disparity in rebounding, hauling down 29 off the defensive glass and limiting Milwaukee to four offensive boards.

The Panthers (12-6, 3-2) saw a four-game win streak come to an end. Jordan Johnson scored 19 and Matt Tiby 15 with 11 rebounds.