The win snaps the Lancers' two-game losing streak as they improve to 7-2 overall. CBU hosts Grand Canyon next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in a big early-season PacWest game.
The Tigers fall to 8-8.
Crabb had 12 points and seven rebounds in the first half alone, giving the Lancers a jolt of energy off the bench. He started a 16-6 run with a layup that turned a 20-19 deficit into a 35-26 lead and gave the Lancers the lead for good.
"Kevin was great tonight," said CBU Head Coach Tim Collins. "He gave us a lift in the first half and really carried us."
Crabb was 7 for 8 from the floor and made all three of his free throws. His 17 points is a season-high.
The Lancers put four in double figures for the seventh time in nine games this year. Anthony Cosentino had 19 points, Kyle Wong finished with 14 points and five assists while playing all 40 minutes and Anthony Romero finished with 13 points.
Andrew Fisk and Luke Evans both finished with nine points each. Fisk grabbed eight rebounds as the Lancers out-rebounded the Tigers 39-27.
The Lancers trailed 20-19 with 10:52 left in the first half when Crabb made a layup and Romero and Wong buried consecutive triples to start the decisive run. The Lancers led 35-26 when Dakota Wesleyan scored six straight to get within 35-32, but the Lancers closed the half with an 11-3 run to carry a 46-35 lead into the locker room.
"We struggled a little bit, especially in the first half," said Collins. "We haven't been in a good flow. We've only had two practices since the Christmas break and I was concerned with how we'd play. We did a better job in the second half."
Dakota Wesleyan got within 55-51 with 15:58 to play, but Crabb completed a 3-point play to finish a 9-2 run to push the lead back up to 11 (64-53). It never got closer than eight points the rest of the night.
The Lancers shot 56.4 percent from the floor and were 20 for 26 from the free throw line. They outscored the Tigers 52-26 in the paint.
