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Tuesday, Mar. 7 9:30pm ET
Barton's barrage boosts Valparaiso | |||||
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BOX SCORE
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) -- Since Valparaiso is a longshot at best to win the NCAA Tournament, there are other things to be gained from the experience. "It's about a legacy and a memory that these guys are going to have; the memory of going to the NCAA Tournament will last them a lifetime," Valparaiso coach Homer Drew said after the Crusaders' 71-62 victory over Southern Utah in the Mid-Continent Conference tournament final Tuesday night. Valparaiso, the tiny school from Indiana that made it to the round of 16 two years ago, earned its fifth straight NCAA tournament trip. "It's a legacy to put up another banner that they can come back and bring their kids and say, `Hey, daddy helped put that up," Drew said. Lubos Barton had 23 points as the Crusaders (19-12) won their sixth straight tournament title. Barton, held to three shots in the first half, came out in the second on a mission. He tied the game at 36 with his first shot, picked up two steals, hit a 3-pointer and made two free throws after being undercut on an alleyoop attempt as Southern Utah (16-13) fell behind 41-38 after leading most of the first half. "We just played. We just enjoyed the game," Barton said. "That's it. Simple. We were more relaxed. That was what was different." Barton added a free throw and a 3-pointer with 12:36 to go to put the Crusaders up 48-38 before Jim Faulkner's layup snapped a six-minute scoreless stretch for Southern Utah. By then, Valparaiso had the momentum and saw its lead dip below double digits only once before the final seconds. Fred House and Justin Sant led the Thunderbirds with 12 points apiece. "We talked with the guys about leaving it on the floor" during halftime, Drew said. "It just got contagious, and the guys really came out and played aggressively in the second half." The Crusaders had their string of five straight Mid-Continent Conference regular season titles snapped this year after opening the season 2-6. But Valparaiso has won 12 of its last 13 games after coach Homer Drew inserted walk-on junior Dwayne Toatley into the starting lineup. He had 14 points, 11 in the first half. Southern Utah, playing in its first Mid-Continent tournament championship, led 36-34 after a tight first half. The Thunderbirds led by as much as five and trailed by as many as four. They used a zone defense to keep the bigger Crusaders at the perimeter. But the Crusaders shot 50 percent from the field (12-of-24), though the Thunderbirds press helped force eight turnovers in the first half. "We were concerned about their size," said Southern Utah coach Bill Evans, whose team was outrebounded 38-19. "We had no offensive rebounds in the first half and didn't get many in the second." | ALSO SEE Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
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AUDIO/VIDEO   Raitis Grafs rocks the rim inside for Valpo.avi: 371 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Dwayne Toatley takes aim from behind the 3-point arc.avi: 476 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | |||||