The Valparaiso University men's basketball team rallied from down 12 with 8:31 to go to tie the game with 1:26 remaining, but host Belmont improved to 16-3 overall and 6-2 in league play by pulling out a 78-74 victory on a go-ahead shot with 11 seconds to go. The Beacons were led in scoring by fifth-year senior Owen Dease (Evansville, Ind. / Evansville Reitz), who poured in 24 points, while freshman Rakim Chaney (Rockford, Ill. / Rockford Auburn [212 Sports Academy]) had his biggest game in league play with 17 points.
 
How It Happened

• After Valpo scored the game's first basket, Belmont went on an early 7-0 run, but Brody Whitaker (Greencastle, Ind. / Greencastle [UIndy / Marian]) knocked down a corner 3 to beat the shot clock, his second made jumper of the game, to stop the spurt.
• Whitaker improved to 3-for-3 on the day when he hit another big triple, cutting the lead to five at 15-10 with 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
• With 10:06 left in the half, Dease beat the shot clock with a jumper despite being fouled, tying the game on the traditional 3-point play.
• The game continued to go back and forth, as a trey by JT Pettigrew (Lisle, Ill. / Bolingbrook) that made it 32-30 Valpo with four minutes left in the first half provided the eighth lead change of the opening stanza.
• Chaney hit a 3 with 50 seconds left in the first half to tie the game at 39 as the two teams continued to trade blows, but Belmont made the last shot of the half and went into the break 41-39 after 20 minutes that featured six ties and 11 lead changes.
• The Beacons trailed by six with 16:30 left in the second half, but slimmed the lead to two thanks to a four-point trip as Sader Servilus (Montreal, Quebec, Canada / Fort Erie International Academy]) scored through contact, and then after a missed free throw and two offensive rebounds, Chaney knocked down a shot to make it 51-49 with 15:47 left.
• Belmont reeled off four straight points to double what had been a four-point lead to eight at 58-50 with 11:56 on the clock, the largest Bruin bulge of the night to that point.
• Belmont scored four straight to up the lead to 12 at 66-54 with 8:31 on the second-half clock.
• Valpo surged back to within six thanks to a 3 by Dease and a second-chance basket by Pettigrew. It was still a six-point game at 70-64 with 4:47 left.
• Dease made his fifth 3 of the game to make it 70-67 with 4:15 on the clock. The Beacons kept getting stops and hoisted 3-point efforts that would have tied the game on each of the next three possessions, but all three were off the mark and Belmont continued to cling to a 70-67 edge with 2:47 on the clock.
• Chaney hit a monster shot with 1:26 left, tying the game at 72 after Valpo had trailed by 12 with 8:31 left. On the next possession with Valpo down two, Chaney found Tupuola for a dunk to beat the shot clock, once again leveling the score, that time at 74 with just 36 seconds remaining.
• Belmont's Drew Scharnowski made the game-winning hook shot with 11 seconds left, then Valpo missed a 3 on its final possession before Belmont clinched it with two free throws with one second on the clock.

Inside the Game

• Valpo held a 34-29 advantage on the boards and outdid Belmont 14-5 on offensive rebounds and 22-4 on second-chance points.
• Pettigrew finished with a career-high 12 rebounds to lead the team's relentless effort on the glass. He scored in double figures for the fifth straight game, making this his third double-double of the year and first in league play. He previously had double-doubles against Southern Indiana (Nov. 26) and UNCW (Dec. 13).
• Dease has scored 24 points or more in three of his last five games, including 24 on Tuesday. He drained a season-high five 3s in the game against the Bruins.
• Chaney turned in 17 points, four assists and no turnovers. He has dished out four assists in each of his last two games. Chaney's 17 points against the Bruins marked his highest output in league play and his highest since 23 on Nov. 19 at Cleveland State.
• Whitaker had 11 points and was one of four Beacons with multiple made 3s. He scored 30 points in two games on this road trip and was in double figures in both after previously not having reached double figures in league play.
• Whitaker and the Beacons defended Belmont sharpshooter Tyler Lundblade well, as he was limited to 2-of-9 from 3-point range.
• This marked the second straight game that Valpo had at least four players in double figures.
• Valpo made a season-high 12 3s on Tuesday, the team's highest total against a Division-I opponent since Feb. 4, 2023 vs. Drake (12) and highest total in a true road game since Feb. 19, 2020 at Drake (14).
• Valpo limited the turnovers to 11 or fewer for the 14^th time in 18 games this season.
• The Beacons shot a season-worst 53.3 percent at the free-throw line, missing seven of their 15 attempts.
• The game featured 11 ties and eight lead changes.
• Chaney had a team-best plus-minus of +12 in 33 minutes, meaning Valpo was outscored by 16 in the seven minutes he was on the bench.
• Valpo once again went toe-to-toe with a top-tier team in the league. Belmont leads the league in the KenPom (65) and is second in the NET (62).

Up Next
Valpo (8-10, 2-5 MVC) will host UNI on Saturday at 2 p.m. as part of All-Sports Reunion Weekend. The Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026, including Valpo basketball legend Ryan Broekhoff, will be enshrined this weekend.