Valparaiso pulled off a dramatic comeback Thursday night, edging Indiana State 63–62 in the opening round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
The seventh-seeded Beacons trailed for most of the game and fell behind by as many as 12 points, but rallied late behind key plays from Rakim Chaney and Sader Servilus. Servilus hit a clutch three-pointer with 2:34 remaining to tie the game at 62, capping a 7–0 run.
Owen Dease then knocked down a go-ahead free throw with 1:17 left, giving Valpo its first lead since the opening minutes. Indiana State had one final chance to win, but Shon Tupuola blocked the potential game-winning shot just before the buzzer to secure the one-point victory.
Chaney led Valpo with 18 points, four three-pointers and five assists, while JT Pettigrew added 14 points and seven rebounds. Brody Whitaker chipped in 10 points as the Beacons advanced after overcoming a double-digit deficit despite shooting just 36.8% from the field.
Valparaiso led for just over two minutes all game, but it was enough to move on in the MVC Tournament.
