Bowling Green 87, Valparaiso 70

Published Feb. 20, 2010 10:51 p.m. ET

foxsports

Dee Brown scored 20 points and Scott Thomas tallied a double-double, leading Bowling Green past Valparaiso 87-70 on Saturday.

Joe Jakubowski added 19 points and Erik Marschall had 17 for the Falcons (14-12), who shot 54.5 percent from the floor (30-for-55). The Crusaders finished at 46.4 percent from the field (26-for-56).

Thomas scored 12 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for Bowling Green, while Otis Polk chipped in 11 points.

Brown's jumper early in the game helped push the Falcons to a 9-0 run to start things. They stretched the lead to 25-8 midway through the first half and were never threatened.

Bowling Green led by 25 points at halftime and held on despite being outscored 46-38 by the Crusaders in the second.

Brandon McPherson paced the Crusaders (15-15) with 16 points.