Cleveland State, Detroit Collect Quality Wins on Thursday

It has been a roller coaster week in Horizon League men's basketball. Opening the week with two wins over Big East opponents, then dropping five games on Wednesday. On Thursday, it was another high, as Cleveland State and Detroit picked up quality wins on Thursday.

#rv/rv Cleveland State 62, Robert Morris 58
Cleveland State led by as many as 16 points in the second half before holding on for a 62-58 win at Robert Morris.

A Trey Harmon three at the halftime horn put Cleveland State (9-1) up by three, and the Vikings carried the momentum into the second half, going on a 14-3 run early in the half to assume a 50-34 advantage. Harmon had five of his 24 during the stretch, with fellow senior Jeremy Montgomery providing the last six points of the spurt on consecutive three-pointers.

However, the Vikings would have to hold off a spirited Robert Morris rally over the last five minutes, as Cleveland State went without a point over a four-minute stretch, allowing the Colonials to turn a 57-46 game into a one-point contest with 56 seconds to play. Tim Kamczyc would hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch, and the Vikings came up with two key defensive stops to seal the result.

Harmon's 24 points matched his career high, as the senior went 7-of-13 from the floor, including a 4-of-8 mark from three-point range. Montgomery joined his teammate in double figures with 10 points.

Detroit 92, Western Michigan 81
Detroit led by as many as 24 points in the first half and never let Western Michigan closer than three possessions the rest of the way in a 92-81 victory at Calihan Hall.

Detroit's (5-6) scored 61 points in the game's first 20 minutes, the second-most in the League this season only to the 65 the Titans scored against Concordia on Nov. 18. The Titans went 23-for-36 from the field, taking a 22-point lead into the locker room. Chase Simon led the way with 13 of his 20 points in the first half, while Jason Calliste added 10 of his 12.

Eli Holman returned to the Detroit rotation seven minutes into the game and wound up leading the Titans with 21 points and seven rebounds. Holman had 11 of his points in the second half as Detroit fended off Western Michigan down the stretch.

The Broncos would close within nine points in the final minutes, but the Titans responded at each turn, with Ray McCallum pushing the lead back into double figures on three occasions.

Winners of two straight games, Detroit heads to nationally-ranked Alabama for a Sunday evening contest on ESPNU.