Valparaiso 74, Akron 66

Published Feb. 22, 2009 3:27 a.m. ET

foxsports

Howard Little scored 17 points and Valparaiso rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit to beat Akron 74-66 Saturday night. The Crusaders (8-20), who had lost six of their past seven games, trailed 37-19 before a 10-0 run midway through the first half brought them back into the game. The Zips (17-10) still led 45-40 at halftime, but a basket by Little pulled Valparaiso within 55-53, and a basket and free throw by Urule Igbavboa tied the game at 59 with 9:18 to go. Four minutes later, a layup by Michael Rogers gave the Crusaders their first lead of the game at 63-62, and Akron never caught up. Little clinched the win with a layup with 14 seconds to go. De'Andre Haskins added 12 points for Valpo, while Igbavboa and Cameron Witt had 11 apiece. Nate Linhart led Akron with 13 points, and brothers Chris and Brett McKnight added 12 apiece.