Walker leads Valparaiso past Detroit 78-70

Feb 4, 2015, 11:08 pm

VALPARAISO, Ind. -- Darien Walker and Tevonn Walker scored 26 of their 40 combined points in the second half to help Valparaiso beat Detroit 78-70 on Wednesday night.

Each Walker made 7 of 13 field goals -- including three 3-pointers by Darien, who finished with a career-high 21 points -- and Alec Peters had 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Valparaiso (21-4, 8-2 Horizon League), which remained tied with Cleveland State atop the league standings.

A pair of free throws by Matthew Grant gave Detroit (11-14, 4-6) a four-point lead with 14:27 to play, but Darien Walker scored eight during an 11-0 run which gave Valpo a 48-41 advantage about 3 1/2 minutes later and the Crusaders led by at least five the rest of the way.

Juwan Howard Jr. scored 19 for Detroit, which shot just 38 percent from the field but made a season-high 10 3-pointers to remain within striking distance until the final minutes.

Valpo made 15 of 21 (71.4 percent) second-half field goals.