Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release - Weekend Edition (Jan. 28, 2011)
Heading into a meeting on Saturday, Loyola and Cleveland State each built on their multi-game winning streaks on Thursday, tallying victories over Youngstown State and UIC, respectively.
Loyola (13-8, 4-6 Horizon) snapped a 40-40 tie against Youngstown State (7-13, 1-9 Horizon) with a 19-7 run, pulling away for an 84-71 win. The triumph was the third straight for the Ramblers, who have notched three straight wins at the Gentile Center for the first time since November.
For most of the game, it was Ben Averkamp and Geoff McCammon carrying Loyola, as the duo finished with 46 of the squad's 84 points. McCammon continued his sharp-shooting from outside, moving into sixth on the Rambler three-point shooting charts with a 5-for-10 effort from beyond the arc. The senior finished the night with a game-high 27 points.
While McCammon was controlling the perimeter, Averkamp was a force down low, scoring 10 of Loyola's first 12 points en route to 19 points. The sophomore led all players with 12 rebounds in picking up the double-double.
Terrance Hill helped Loyola put the game away with 19 points, while Andy Polka came off the bench to add 12.
Kendrick Perry kept Youngstown State in the game throughout, finishing the night with 21 points; Perry had three of the Penguins seven three-pointers in the game. Tre Brewer added 17 off the bench.
Cleveland State (19-3, 8-2 Horizon) moved within a single victory of its third 20-win season in the last four years after rallying for a 63-49 road victory over UIC (5-16, 0-9 Horizon). Saddled with two early fouls, Norris Cole began taking control of the game late in the first half and continued his strong play into the second half, where the Vikings outscored the Flames, 34-18.
The win was the fourth straight for Cleveland State after dropping two contests three weeks ago. The Vikings assumed a half-game lead in the Horizon League over Valparaiso, who is idle until the Horizon League Game of the Week versus Butler on Saturday.
Cole ended the night with 22 points and six rebounds, capping a 22-11 burst spanning the two halves that brought the Vikings from a 28-21 deficit to a 41-39 lead 5:52 into the second half. Cleveland State would not trail the remainder of the evening.
Early, the hustle and balance of UIC frustrated the Vikings, as the Flames shot an even 50 percent in the opening half, as Robo Kreps led the way with eight of his 10 points in the first half. However, Cleveland State's defense clamped down in the final 20 minutes, limiting UIC to 7-of-26 shooting.
Brad Birton led the Flames with 14 points, collecting 10 rebounds to post his first double-double of the season.
Streaks will be halted on Saturday afternoon, as Cleveland State and Loyola put their four and three-game win streaks on the line, while UIC and Youngstown State will each be seeking to snap multi-game losing skids.
