Four Wins for Men's Basketball Teams on Saturday

Men's Basketball Scoreboard (Nov. 29)
Milwaukee 64, Concordia-St. Paul 59
Oakland 81, Toledo 79
Valparaiso 93, Murray State 58
Wright State 56, USC Upstate 51
#rv/-- Dayton 75, UIC 41
Illinois State 85, Youngstown State 73 (OT)

Milwaukee 64, Concordia-St. Paul 59
Cody Wichmann posted his first career double-double, producing career highs of 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench to help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (3-4) to a 64-59 victory over visiting Concordia-St. Paul (3-2) this afternoon at UWM Panther Arena. Milwaukee has now won its last eight games when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points.

"This was a gutsy performance by our team today. We had a lot of guys ill and I knew this was going to be an extra difficult game because we were playing a good team," Milwaukee Head Coach Rob Jeter said. "I'm proud of how the guys played under difficult circumstances. We did enough to get a good win."

Concordia-St. Paul, a NCAA Division II team, was hot from long range in the first half and knocked down 5 of 10 shots from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes.

After Trinson White's jumper put Milwaukee on top 7-4, the Golden Bears drained four straight threes as part of a 14-0 run that gave them an 18-7 advantage. But, the Panthers clawed their way back and Cody Wichmann's layup and three-pointer were part of a 12-4 spurt that brought UWM within 22-19. Concordia-St. Paul built its lead back up to six but another Wichmann three and a pair of free throws from Justin Jordan, sandwiched around a Golden Bears free throw, sent Milwaukee, which shot only 23 percent (6-for-26) in the period, into halftime down by only two, at 26-24.

The break seemed to do wonders for the Panthers, who weathered a rough opening 20 minutes while having several players still battling lingering effects of illness. Much like Concordia-St. Paul in the first half, Milwaukee was hot from long range to start the second stanza, hitting its first five attempts from beyond the arc. A pair of triples by J.J. Panoske, who finished with eight points, and another by Steve McWhorter, were part of a half-opening 9-4 run that gave the Panthers a 35-30 lead.

Another three from McWhorter put Milwaukee ahead by six (41-35) before the Golden Bears countered with a 9-3 run of their own, capped by a three from James Haley, to tie things up at 44.

Milwaukee answered right back as the senior leader McWhorter took over, scoring six of his team's next eight points for a 52-44 lead that was never relinquished.

Concordia-St. Paul made things interesting, getting within a basket (57-55) with 2:21 remaining, but the Panthers knocked down seven of eight shots from the foul line in the closing two minutes to hang on for the win to improve to 2-1 at home this season. White was key down the stretch, scoring nine of his season-high 12 points in the game's final 4:35.

"Trinson and Cody really helped us today and I'm pleased with how they stepped up," Jeter said.

McWhorter scored in double figures for a career-best sixth straight outing, posting a team-high 17 points, while White pitched in seven boards to go with his season-best 12 points.

Oakland 81, Toledo 79
Dante Williams scored 20 points and Kahlil Felder blocked the potential game-tying shot with 1 second left as Oakland held on for an 81-79 win over Toledo on Saturday.

Corey Petros hit a short jumper to give the Golden Grizzlies (2-5) a 37-36 lead at the half and they built that to 74-60 on Ralph Hill's 3-pointer with 6:07 to go.

Johnathan Williams knocked down two 3-pointers as the Rockets (2-4) stormed back. His two free throws made it 80-79 with 43 seconds to go. After a Jalen Hayes free throw at 10 seconds, Julius Brown had a shot to tie that Felder blocked.

Petros had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Felder had 14 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. Oakland shot 55.1 percent and hit 10 of 20 3's with Williams going 6 of 9.

Valparaiso 93, Murray State 58
Valparaiso posted its largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent since 2002 on Saturday night as the Crusaders continued play at the Challenge in Music City in Nashville, Tenn. with a 93-58 victory over Murray State.

Valpo entered the halftime break with a 43-37 advantage before dominating on both ends in the second half, out-scoring the Racers over the final 20 minutes 50-21 to earn the 35-point win.  The 35-point margin of victory was the Crusaders’ largest against a Division I team since Homer Drew’s first stint as head coach – a 100-63 win over Chicago State on Feb. 7, 2002.

Leading the way for the Crusaders were their two leading scorers on the year, and sophomore Alec Peters (Washington, Ill./Washington) was at the forefront of the charge.  Peters needed just 23 minutes of playing time to pour in a game-high 26 points, going 9-of-14 from the field, including a season-high five 3-pointers on just eight attempts.  Peters, who also led all players with eight rebounds, played just eight minutes in the second half and scored 11 points in helping the Crusaders put away the Racers.

Junior Darien Walker (Chicago, Ill./Simeon [John A. Logan/Arizona Western]) enjoyed his second consecutive strong game in Municipal Auditorium.  Walker, who tallied 19 points on Friday against Drake, went 7-of-10 from the field and canned four 3-pointers for 18 points.

It was a 180 in terms of style of play for the Crusaders on Saturday night, going from a methodical half-court game the day before against Drake to a more up-tempo, fast-paced contest against the Racers.  The two squads went toe-to-toe in the first half, combining to shoot 13-of-20 from 3-point range.  Valpo led for the first 15 minutes, but couldn’t pull away, and Murray State used a 10-2 spurt to claim a 30-28 lead with 5:04 to play in the first half – the first time the Crusaders had trailed in four games.

Valpo responded with an emphatic statement, however, scoring on each of its next four possessions.  Peters nailed a 3-pointer, followed by a triple from Walker on the break after a steal by Keith Carter (Maywood, Ill./Proviso East [Saint Louis]).  After a defensive stop, Walker connected on a deep jumper to force a Murray State timeout at 36-30.  After the Racers split a pair of free throws, junior E. Victor Nickerson (Atlanta, Ga./Norcross [Charlotte]) drove for a layup to give the Crusaders a seven-point lead.  Murray State closed to within 39-37, but Peters scored the final four points of the half inside the final minute to make it 43-37 Valpo at the break.

The second half would be all Crusaders, however, as Valpo shot 70.8% (17-of-24) over the final 20 minutes while holding Murray State to 25.9% (7-of-27) shooting in the second period.  It took just 41 seconds for the Crusaders to extend their lead into double figures, as Walker started the half with a triple, and then Carter converted on the fast break off a steal and feed from Tevonn Walker (Montreal, Quebec/Vanier College) to quickly make it 48-37 Valpo.  Murray State’s Jeffrey Moss got a second-chance 3-pointer on the Racers’ next trip, but that was countered immediately by a Peters triple.

Moss’s 3-pointer would be the Racers’ only points in the opening 4:30 of the second half, as Valpo continued to extend its lead thanks to fast-break layups off steals by Darien Walker and Peters and never looked back.  The Crusaders pushed the lead to 20 points for the first time on a basket in the paint from freshman David Skara (Zadar, Croatia/Ekonomska Skola Zadar) with 10:48 to play, part of a 12-0 Valpo run.  The lead reached 30 points inside the final two minutes as senior David Chadwick (Charlotte, N.C./Hargrave Military Academy [Rice]) converted a 3-point play, and hit its zenith on a 3-pointer by Chadwick – Valpo’s 11th triple of the night – with 33 seconds to play.

The Crusaders ended the night shooting 59.6% (31-of-52) from the field and hitting 11-of-20 (55%) from behind the 3-point line.  Skara joined Peters and Darien Walker in double figures, scoring ten points in 18 minutes of play.  Sophomore Jubril Adekoya (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) pulled down seven rebounds to go with Peters’ eight boards as Valpo out-rebounded the Racers, 35-26.  Carter handed out three assists and tallied a game-high four steals, while Tevonn Walker posted eight points, five rebounds and three steals as well.

Murray State (2-4) was led by 13 points from Moss, while Cameron Payne – the OVC Preseason Player of the Year – notched just 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting.  The Racers shot 6-of-8 from 3-point range in the first half, but just 2-of-12 from deep in the second half.

Wright State 56, USC Upstate 51
Down seven late in the first half, the Wright State men's basketball team went on a 22-4 run, including a 14-1 start to the second half, and then held on down the stretch for a 56-51 win over host USC Upstate in the final game of the Spartanburg Marriott Upstate Classic Saturday night.

Upstate jumped out to a 9-3 lead just 4:16 into the contest with six straight points and the Spartans later extended the advantage to seven on two occasions, the second being 25-18 on a Mario Blessing three with 6:09 remaining in the first half.

A Joe Thomasson layup along with a JT Yoho three and jumper, however, tied the game and started the Raiders on their 22-4 run.  Fred Miller gave Upstate the lead back with a basket at the 1:42 mark and the Spartans led 28-26 at the break, but that turned out to be the only field goal for the Spartans over a 15:05 span as WSU started the second half with a 14-1 spurt, seven from Yoho and five by Thomasson, to go up 40-29 with 13:07 to play.

The Wright State margin was 48-38 on a Reggie Arceneaux jumper with 5:57 to play, only to see Upstate gradually chip away and draw to within three at 52-49 on a Miller triple at the 1:32 mark.

The Spartans, however, would get no closer as Yoho hit two foul shots at the 19.7-second mark and Thomasson sealed the win with two more at the stripe with six seconds left.

WSU shot 44 percent for the game, including 48 percent in the second half, while USC Upstate shot just 32 percent the final 20 minutes to end up at 38 percent overall.  The Raiders also led 24-15 in points off of turnovers.

Yoho led Wright State with 17 points, 12 in the second half, and gathered in six rebounds while Thomasson added 11 points and five assists.  Michael Karena and Chrishawn Hopkins each chipped in eight points.

Dayton 75, UIC 41
The UIC men’s basketball team (2-5) dropped a tough road matchup at rv/- Dayton (4-1) on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 75-41. The Flames held a 10-8 lead with 8:42 left in the first half, but the Flyers outscored UIC, 48-25, in the final period to secure their seventh straight home win.

Junior Jake Wiegand paced UIC with a team-high 11 points and six rebounds. Wiegand has scored 10 or more points in 5-of-7 games so far this season. He continues to lead the Flames in scoring (16.4) and rebounding (8.4). The Flyers were led by preseason first team All-Atlantic 10 senior Jordan Sibert with 22 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting. Dayton ended the day 8-of-16 from behind the arc.

With Dayton in front 22-16 at the 1:59 mark in the first period, the Flyers scored five straight points to end the half at 27-16. The Flames played strong defense for a majority of the first half as they held the Flyers to a mere 27 points and forced eight turnovers. UIC entered the contest giving up an average of 39.5 points in the first half through six games.

Dayton continued its offensive spurt to start the second period by scoring three straight buckets.  The Flyers put the game out of reach by the 12:49 mark as they shot ahead 51-20 on the heels of a 16-0 run that included four triples.

Junior Jason McClellan saw his first action of the season with five points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 19 minutes of work.

Fifth-year transfer Jay Harris added eight points and four rebounds on the day as junior Gabe Snider sank a pair of threes in the second half.  Snider is now shooting 44 percent (8-of-18) from downtown on the season.

Freshman Tai Odiase has now recorded at least one blocked shot in all seven of his collegiate games, recording one versus the Flyers and bringing his season total to 15.

Illinois State 85, Youngstown State 73 (OT)
Sophomore Marcus Keene scored a career-high 29 points with five 3-pointers, but the Youngstown State men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 85-73 decision in overtime to Illinois State on Saturday afternoon at Redbird Arena.

Keene connected on 10-of-17 shooting from the floor, 5-of-10 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line to lead the Penguins (4-4). The San Antonio, Texas, native also dished out four assists with four steal.

Seniors DJ Cole and Shawn Amiker added 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Illinois State (3-2) had four players reach double figures led by Bobby Hunter's 20 points and Deontae Hawkins' double-double of 18 points and 15 rebounds. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell scored 18 points while Reggie Lynch had 10 points and seven blocks.

The Penguins, who shot 60 percent(15-of-25) in the second half, trailed by eight at the half, clawed their way back to tie the game and led by as many as seven points before the Redbirds were able to force the extra period.

In overtime tied at 65, each team made their first two baskets and a pair of free throws to keep the game tied, 71-71, with 2:53 left.

ISU's Paris Lee converted a three-point play to give the Redbirds a 74-71 lead, but Cole driving layup sliced that advantage down to one with 2:13 to go.

Two free-throws and a 3-point play by Akoon-Purcell pushed the lead to six, 79-73, and the Redbirds made their final six free throws to seal the victory.

Trailing 32-24 at the half, Keene led a 9-2 run to open the second half with a 3-pointer and a four-point play to get the Penguins within one 34-33. The Penguins took their first lead since the 14:51 mark of the first half after a Bobby Hain jumper and two free throws, 37-36, with 15:52 left.

After four lead changes and the game's second tie, Keene and Shaun Stewart hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Penguins a 49-43 lead with 9:44 to go.

A 3-pointer by ISU's Justin McCloud cut the lead back down to three, but baskets by Hain and Amiker extended the Penguins' lead to a game-high seven points, 53-46, with just over eight minutes remaining.

Cole's layup with 2:16 left game the Penguins a 64-60 lead, but a missed front-end of a one-and-one and an ISU offensive rebound led to a 5-0 Redbird run and a 65-64 lead.

With 21.8 seconds left, Cole split a pair of free throws to tie the game, and an Illinois State turnover with 3.4 seconds remaining gave the Penguins a final shot. Keene's 3-point attempt bounced off the side of the rim.

In the first half, the Redbirds used a big rebounding advantage to stake themselves to an eight-point lead at halftime.

The Penguins shot just 29 percent from the field in the first stanza while the Redbirds hauled down 10 offensive boards that led to 10 second-chance points.

Youngstown State was able to force the Redbirds into 13 first-half miscues that led to 12 points.

Jalon's Plummer's 3-pointer with 11:58 to go brought the Penguins with one, 12-11, but the Redbirds answered with five straight to take a 17-11 lead.

Jumpers by Keene and Plummer cut the Redbirds' lead to two, 19-17, and a pair of free-throws by Amiker made the deficit three, 27-24, with 3:49 left before the half.

Illinois State scored the final five points of the half.