Cole's Historic Day Highlights Season-Best Efforts on Saturday

Norris Cole posted the first 40-20 game in Horizon League history on Saturday, while Anthony Hill and Shelvin Mack recorded career-best efforts in the evening.  By the end of the night, the top five teams in the League had separated themselves from the pack, sitting 2.5 games ahead of sixth-place Detroit.

In Cleveland State's (22-5, 11-4 Horizon) 86-76 win over Youngstown State (8-17, 2-13 Horizon), Cole carried the Vikings in one of the most impressive collegiate performances in recent years, finishing with 41 points, 20 rebounds and 9 assists.  The 6-foot-2 guard posted a double-double in each half, and within two hours following the game, he had recorded interviews with multiple national outlets and was highlighted on ESPN for his effort.

According to ESPN, Cole's performance was the first 40-20 game since Blake Griffin pulled the feat on Feb. 14, 2009.  Based on preliminary research, Cole is the first player in Horizon League history to turn the trick.  By the end of the game, Cole had become a trending topic on twitter as the nation took note of his achievement.

Cole's performance was one of the finest in Viking history, as his 18 defensive boards broke the old school mark of 16.  The senior's 20 caroms were the most in CSU history since Nov. 25, 1988.  Additionally, Cole entered the record books by setting new Vikings marks for games played and consecutive games played (131).  The 41-point effort raised his season toal to 570, raising Cole to eighth on the CSU single-season scoring list.

Youngstown State hung tough throughout, leading as late as 62-61 with nine minutes to play.  Damian Eargle led the way with 22 points, while Ashen Ward added 15.

Limited to just 13 minutes of play on Thursday night, Anthony Hill exploded in Milwaukee's (15-11, 10-5 Horizon) 70-59 triumph over UIC (7-20, 2-13) at the Pavilion.  Hill set a new career best with 32 points on 12-of-23 shooting, while Kaylon Williams set a new Panther record with 14 assists.

Collecting their sixth straight win, the Panthers led by as many as 16 points, using 15-4 and 14-2 runs in taking the season series from the Flames.

Scoring the first 10 Panther points to start the second half, Hill helped Milwaukee pull away by building the 16-point advantage.  UIC would not come closer than seven points the remainder of the game.  Milwaukee's defense stymied the Flames, forcing 16 turnovers and limiting UIC to 38.2 percent shooting from the floor.

Tone Boyle chipped in 14 points, with Tony Meier adding 11 points and eight boards.  Robo Kreps was the lone UIC player in double figures, extending his streak of 20-plus point games to four after a 24-point effort.

At Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler (18-9, 10-5 Horizon) kept pace with Milwaukee, rallying in the second half for a 66-51 win over Detroit (14-14, 8-8 Horizon).  The Bulldogs trailed by five at the half before limiting the Titans to 17 points in the second half.  Shelvin Mack outscored Detroit in the second half, recording 24 of his career-best 32 in the second half as Butler won its fourth straight contest.  The 32-point performance was the best by a Bulldogs player in over a decade.

The last time a Butler player scored more points was in January of 1998, when current Butler Associate Head Coach Matthew Graves tallied 42 points in a game at Cleveland State, which barely held up as the Wolstein Center record today as Norris Cole came within a point of matching the effort.

Mack fueled Butler's 11-2 spurt to open the second half, leading the Dawgs from a 34-29 deficit at the half to a four-point advantage.  With the teams trading baskets, the junior ignited another 13-1 run, extending Butler's lead to 60-47 with just over three minutes to play.

In the first half, Detroit's defense limited Butler, helping the Titans open a 31-24 lead; Detroit's effort on the glass fueled the advantage, leading to a 13-4 advantage for the visitors at the free-throw line.  Those numbers turned in the final 20 minutes, as the Bulldogs built a 38-24 advantage on the glass and outscored the Titans, 10-4, at the charity stripe.

Shawn Vanzant added 12 points for Butler, while Matt Howard returned from a concussion to finish a point shy of a double-double with nine points and 12 caroms.  Ray McCallum and Nick Minnerath tied for the Detroit team lead with 11 points apiece.

Playing its final home League game of the season, Loyola (14-12, 5-10 Horizon) crashed the baords with reckless abandon, outrebounding Green Bay (12-14, 6-8 Horizon), 49-28, on its way to a 79-62 victory over the Phoenix.

A 14-4 run midway through the first half sent the Ramblers on their way, as the squad opened a 32-20 bulge, with Ben Averkamp contributing six points during the run.  The sophomore finished with a double-double of 18 points and 10 boards on the afternoon.

Trailing 35-24 at the half, Green Bay got a bucket by Rahmon Fletcher to open the second half, but Geoff McCammon responded with a three, followed by a Terrance Hill jumper to restore a 44-26 lead for the Ramblers, and the Phoenix drew no closer than 13 points the rest of the way.

McCammon, the prohibitive favorite for Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year, started for the first time since Jan. 8, tallying a game-high 22 points, knocking down 5-of-10 attempts from beyond the three-point arc.  Hill chipped in 16 points, with Andy Polka recording eight points and eight boards to help spur the advantage on the glass.

Greg LeSage came off the bench to lead Green Bay with 12 points.

Valparaiso (19-7, 11-3 Horizon) did not play its best game of the year, but recorded its 11th League win of the year, 58-56, over Wright State (17-11, 10-6 Horizon) to set a new school, league record for conference victories.

Leading by two with 6.1 ticks left, N'Gai Evans drove the lane and passed to Vaughn Duggins underneath, but his attempt to tie the contest came after the final horn had sounded, keeping the Crusaders in control of their destiny to host the Horizon League Tournament with four conference clashes remaining.

The frantic final seconds were set up by Cory Johnson, who helped Valpo go up, 54-51, with just under four minutes to play.  After Howard Little helped force a five-second call on the defensive end, the senior converted a three-point play under the basket to make it a 57-51 Crusaders lead with 2:26 left on the clock.

Wright State came back as Duggins split a pair of free throws, and after a defensive stand, drove for a layup to cut the deficit in half at 57-54.  The Pendleton, Ind.-native then hit a pair of freebies to bring the Raiders within a single point with just under a minute left in regulation.  After the teams traded turnovers, Ryan Broekhoff split his pair of free throws, setting the stage for the final seconds.

Duggins led all players with 21 points, while Evans chipped in 14 and Cole Darling 10.  Little led the way for the Crusaders with 17, just one shy of his season-best.  Cory Johnson and Brandon Wood each had 10 for Valpo, who clinched the tiebreaker over Wright State should they need it with the season sweep.

With two weeks left in the Horizon League season, Valparaiso leads the League by one-half game over Cleveland State, with Milwaukee and Butler sitting 1.5 games back while tied for third.  Wright State is two games back in fifth.