Two-time Horizon League Player of the Year Keifer Sykes scored 23 of his game-high 30 points in the second half of the first semifinal of the night as second-seed Green Bay overcame a halftime deficit to beat sixth-seed UIC, 70-56, on Saturday night at the Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Ind.
The win snapped Green Bay’s eight game losing streak in the tournament semifinals and sent the Phoenix to the HL Championship game on Tuesday night for the first time since 1998.
Sykes’ 30-point effort was his third of the season and second this year against the Flames. The Chicago, Ill., native scored a career-high 36 points against the Flames.
Alfonzo McKinnie joined Sykes in double-figures with 13 points, while Greg Mays added 10 points.
Green Bay trailed by one at halftime and after a Tai Odiase jumper pushed UIC’s lead to three, Sykes scored the next six points to give the Phoenix a lead they would never relinquish. The Phoenix lead was one at the first media timeout of the second half, but Green Bay outscored the Flames 10-2 over the next four minutes to open up a nine-point lead. The Flames would never get closer than nine the rest of the game.
The Phoenix had an 18-11 lead nine minutes into the contest, but UIC went on a 14-4 run over the next seven minutes to take a 25-22 lead with 4:48 left in the first half and went into the break with a 30-29 lead.
Jay Harris closed his career with a team-leading 18 points for the Flames. Marc Brown, also playing his final game for UIC, added 12, while Odiase scored a career-high 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
#1 Valparaiso 60, #4 Cleveland State 55
Top-seed and host Valparaiso scored seven of the final nine points to hold off Cleveland State, 60-55, and advance to Tuesday’s championship game.
The championship game berth is Valparaiso’s third appearance in the final game in the last four years.
The Crusaders looked poised to run away with the game midway through the second half as Keith Carter’s three-pointer completed an 11-2 run by Valpo to put VU up nine, 48-39, with 8:39 left.
But Carter’s trey would be the last Valpo basket until the final minute as Cleveland State methodically worked its way back into the game. Trey Lewis brought the Vikings within five at 50-45, and after empty possessions by both teams, Anton Grady made it one possession game with a jumper. E. Victor Nickerson connected on two free throws to push the lead back to five, but Lewis, the League’s top three-point shooter in the regular season, hit his first three-pointer of the game to bring CSU within two.
Valpo split a pair of free throws to take a three-point lead with 2:36 left, but again Lewis had an answer as he drilled a step-back three-pointer to tie the game at 53 with a little over two minutes remaining.
Darien Walker put Valpo in front for good with one free throw on the ensuing possession and after a Cleveland State turnover, Alec Peters hit Valpo’s first field goal since Carter’s three-pointer at the 8:41 mark to give the Crusaders a 56-53 lead with 41 seconds remaining. From there, Valpo iced the game at the line as they made all four free throw attempts in the final 20 seconds.
Peters led Valparaiso with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Walker added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Grady topped Cleveland State’s effort with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Lewis and Charlie Lee each added 10 points.
Tags: Green Bay - Men's Basketball · Horizon League - Men's Basketball · UIC - Men's Basketball
