Men’s Basketball Scoreboard (Dec. 15)
Detroit 80, Akron 73
UIC 74, Eastern Michigan 48
Wright State 63, Hofstra 57
Loyola 59, Mississippi State 51
Valparaiso 62, Missouri State 54
Southern Illinois 72, Green Bay 70
Tennessee Tech 69, Milwaukee 58
St. Bonaventure 87, Cleveland State 53
Loyola celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Game of Change with a win over Mississippi State, while Detroit, Wright State, UIC and Valparaiso all collected victories on Saturday night.
Detroit 80, Akron 73
Four Titans scored in double figures as Detroit extended its home winning streak to 14-straight games with an 80-73 victory over Akron at Calihan Hall.
Detroit (6-4) trailed 66-60 with six minutes remaining in regulation before using a 20-7 run to claim its fourth straight win. The Titans also improved to 19-0 when scoring 80 or more points dating back to the 2010-11 season.
Ray McCallum led the way with a game-high 21 points and a team-high six assists. Jason Calliste poured in 17 points, while Juwan Howard, Jr. added 15 points and five rebounds. Nick Minnerath finished with 13 points and a team-high eight boards.
Akron (4-4) jumped out to an early 10-0 lead before the Titans got on the board with a three-pointer from Minnerath. Detroit then trimmed the Zips lead to 13-8 with 15:21 left, before Akron answered back by building a 25-15 lead with just less than 10 minutes remaining.
The Titans then scored five straight points on a three pointer from Calliste and a pair of free throws from McCallum to trim the lead to 25-20 with 7:40 left. Akron responded with a 7-4 run to build a 32-24 lead with 5:45 left, before Detroit closed the half with a 9-4 run to make score 36-33 heading into the locker room. Howard led Detroit with nine points and three rebounds, while McCallum pitched in seven points and three assists. Detroit only shot 37 percent in the first half, while Akron shot 50 percent.
Detroit opened the second half with a 4-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 37-36, with 19:18 left, but Akron answered back with an 8-1 run to take a 44-38 lead into the first media timeout. The Titans came back from the break with a 10-0 run to build a 48-44 lead with 13:19 left. After both teams swapped baskets for the next couple of minutes the Zips pieced together a 9-0 run to take a 57-51 lead with 10:50 left. The Titans answered back with a 7-2 run to reduce the lead to 59-58 with 8:14 remaining, before Akron went up 66-60 lead with 6:25 left.
Detroit won the battle on the boards, 36-31, and forced 19 Akron turnovers, which resulted in 31 points for the Titans. Detroit also made 26-of-39 free throw attempts, including 7-of-8 in the closing minutes. The Zips did shoot 52.8 percent from the floor, while Detroit shot 42.5 percent, including 46.4 percent in the second half.
Akron was led by Demetrius Treadwell who finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Chauncey Gilliam pitched in 16 points and five boards.
UIC 74, Eastern Michigan 48
Senior Daniel Barnes was a one-man zone-buster, pouring in a career-high 30 points as UIC rolled past Eastern Michigan, 74-48, at the UIC Pavilion.
UIC (9-1) stymied Eastern Michigan to just 33.9 percent shooting in extending its winning streak to eight games.
With the victory, UIC improved to 9-1 on the season, its best 10-game start since the 1997-98 campaign. EMU, who defeated Purdue last Saturday, dropped to 6-3 overall. Joining Barnes in double figures for UIC was Gary Talton, who scored 12 points. EMU was led by Glenn Bryant, who chipped in 10 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
For the seventh time this season, UIC held its opponent under 35 percent shooting (.339), and also limited the opposition to fewer than 50 points for the sixth time this year. Barnes became the first UIC player to score 30 or more points in a single game since Jeremy Buttell at Youngstown State on Jan. 7, 2010. Buttell had a front row seat for Barnes’ performance, as he currently serves as the Flames' video coordinator.
After Barnes scored 15 of UIC’s 24 points in the first half, UIC took advantage of Eastern Michigan’s 2-3 zone in the second half, opening the half by hitting six of its first seven three-pointers to blow open what had been a 24-19 game at the intermission.
The Flames extended their lead to double digits, 30-19, just 1:22 into the second half after Barnes and Hayden Humes drilled back-to-back threes. EMU would get as close as 33-24 with 15:51 left, but the Flames answered with a quick 5-0 run to force the Eagles into their first timeout of the second stanza.
Joey Miller came off the bench to hit a three-pointer with 10:11 remaining, giving UIC its first 20-point lead of the game at 46-26. EMU could draw no closer than 17 points for the remainder of the game. The Flames built their largest lead of 30 points, 74-44, with 46 seconds remaining after Jay Parker’s second-straight corner three.
Wright State 63, Hofstra 57
Wright State led by as much as 14 in the first half, but had to hold off a Hofstra rally in the second half before defeating the Pride 63-57 in Hempstead, New York.
The Raiders scored the first six points of the contest and later led 25-11 following a Cole Darling three-pointer with 11:23 remaining in the first half. An 11-1 Hofstra run cut the deficit to 31-27 before Wright State (7-3) tallied the final five points of the period to go up 36-27 at the break.
Wright State shot 48 percent in the opening 20 minutes, including seven of 15 from behind the arc, while the Pride shot 40 percent, but were just two of nine from three-point range.
A Reggie Arceneaux jumper pushed the WSU advantage to 40-29 with 16:25 to play, only to see Hofstra folow with eight straight points. David Imes would make it a one-point game at 42-41 with 8:51 remaining, but the Raiders maintained the lead on baskets by Darling and Arceneaux and eventually build it back up to nine at 58-49 on a Darling jumper with 1:09 to go.
Wright State then hit 5-of-6 foul shots in the final minute to preserve the victory.
The Raiders shot 40 percent for the game compared to 36 percent for Hofstra.
Darling led all scorers with 25 points for the Raiders and had a near double-double as he had nine rebounds. Arceneaux added 13 while Miles Dixon had eight off the bench.
Jordan Allen paced Hofstra (3-8) with 13 points while Stephen Nwaukoni had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench and Tara Buie had 11 points.
Loyola 59, Mississippi State 51
Freshman Devon Turk scored 18 of his game-high 21 points in the first half to help Loyola overcome a shaky start and earn a 59-51 victory over Mississippi State at Gentile Arena. The win is the Ramblers' fifth in as many home games this season and is their fifth in the last six games overall.
The two schools were meeting for the first time since the historic "Game of Change," on March 15, 1963, when Loyola's team, which featured four African-American starters, prevailed over Mississippi State's all-white team, 61-51, in East Lansing, Mich., in a NCAA regional semifinal match-up. The Bulldogs (then known as the Maroons), were forced to escape Starkville, Miss., under the cover of darkness before an injunction could be served by the governor, preventing MSU from playing an integrated team.
Both teams got off to a bit of a slow start and Loyola (7-3) misfired on its first seven attempts from the field as Mississippi State took an early 6-0 lead. With Loyola trailing by three points almost 12 minutes into the game, Turk drained the second of his four first-half threes to spur a 20-0 Loyola run as the host Ramblers opened up a 34-17 lead with Turk scoring eight of the final 10 points of that stretch.
Loyola's defense tightened up during that run, holding the Bulldogs scoreless for nearly eight minutes, and for the half, limited MSU to 7-of-24 (29 percent) shooting.
Mississippi State was unable to get closer than 11 points in the second half until Tyson Cunningham's final basket of the game, a three-pointer, provided the final margin. Turk's final triple of the night at the 6:36 mark, extended the Ramblers' advantage to 56-38, their largest of the game.
Loyola, which matched its win total from a season ago, owned a 40-28 edge on the glass and held the Mississippi State offense in check, while forcing 15 turnovers.
Turk finished with a career-best 21 points and added three assists, three blocks and a pair of steals. The freshman guard knocked down 5 of 7 shots from beyond the arc, marking the second time in the last three games he has connected for five three-pointers.
Christian Thomas had arguably the best game of his career, finishing with a career-high 16 points, hitting 6 of 8 shots from the field, and grabbing six boards.
Fred Thomas totaled 14 points to lead Mississippi State.
Valparaiso 62, Missouri State 54
LaVonte Dority’s debut was a successful one, as the junior transfer poured in a game-high 20 points as Valparaiso led nearly the entire second half in a 62-54 victory over Missouri State in Springfield, Mo.
Dority needed just seven field goal attempts to end the night with 20 points, going 4-of-7 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from behind the 3-point line. The junior also stepped up with a 9-of-10 effort at the free throw line. Ryan Broekhoff and Bobby Capobianco joined Dority in double figures with 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Valparaiso (7-3) made a big run to start the second half to claim the lead for good. With Dority and Capobianco inserted into the second-half starting lineup, Valpo quickly scored seven points on its first three possessions of the period, including triples from Broekhoff and Dority, to turn a two-point halftime deficit into a 31-28 advantage.
After a Missouri State basket cut it to 31-30, the Crusaders then scored the next six points over a six-minute stretch, featuring a second-chance basket by Kevin Van Wijk and a traditional 3-point play by Capobianco, to lead 37-30 with under 12 minutes to play.
A steal and basket by the Bears’ Tomie Aromona inside 12 minutes would bring Missouri State within five, but would also be the Bears’ last basket for nearly six minutes as Valpo continued to extend the lead. A 3-pointer by Broekhoff with 11:03 remaining made it a 42-34 game, and four and a half minutes later, Ben Boggs connected on a triple of his own, giving the Crusaders their largest lead at 47-35 with 6:34 to play.
But Missouri State would not go away, as after connecting on just three field goals in the first 14 minutes of the second half, the Bears connected on seven field goals in a nine-possession stretch, culminating with 3-pointers on back-to-back trips by Marcus Marshall and Anthony Downing to cut the lead to 56-52 with 1:03 to play. Dority hit five of six free throw attempts during the stretch to help keep the Bears at bay.
After a pair of misses at the charity stripe, Missouri State had a chance to make it a one-possession game, but missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Broekhoff was fouled and hit two free throws to push the lead back to six points. Downing was fouled while making a basket on the Bears’ next trip, but missed the free throw, and Van Wijk and Broekhoff both hit a pair of free throws and blocked a shot on the defensive end in the waning seconds to secure the win.
Valpo started the game with an early 9-4 lead on the strength of four early points from Capobianco and a 3-pointer by Dority just under six minutes into the game. The Crusaders maintained a small lead most of the first half, until Missouri State went on a 9-2 spurt over the final 4:30 of the first half to go ahead 26-24 at the break. Valpo was held without a field goal for the final seven minutes of the opening stanza.
The trio in double figures received nine points as well from Van Wijk, who went 5-of-6 from the foul line. Valpo shot 40.5% from the floor (15-of-37) and went to the foul line 36 times, converting 25. Broekhoff and Van Wijk tied for game-high honors with nine rebounds, as the Crusaders held a sizable 37-19 advantage on the glass over the Bears. Broekhoff and Erik Buggs tied for team-high honors with three assists apiece, with the former also blocking three shots.
Missouri State (2-8) was paced by 14 points from Mitchell, while Downing and Christian Kirk added 13 points each. The Bears ended the night shooting 44% (22-of-50) from the field and hit 4-of-6 from downtown, but went just 6-of-12 at the charity stripe.
Southern Illinois 72, Green Bay 70
Keifer Sykes kept rolling with a game-high 22 points on Saturday night, but visiting Southern Illinois scored four points late and made an uncharacteristically high percentage from the foul line to deal short-handed Green Bay a 72-70 loss, its first home non-conference setback since Dec. 8, 2010.
Green Bay (3-7) suited up just eight players for the contest.
In what started as a back-and-forth affair, Green Bay led by as many as eight points in the opening half thanks to Sykes and a balanced offense which got points from seven different players. The opening 20 minutes featured 22 fouls and 35 free throws, and the Phoenix connected on 19-of-22 from the line to lead 41-37 at intermission.
The second 20 minutes included seven ties and seven lead changes, with Green Bay holding a six-point advantage on five different occasions. Midway through the half, the teams traded three-pointers on five out or six possessions. After SIU's T.J. Lindsay made the last in the stretch, Sykes scored on an old-fashioned three-point play. After Lindsay scored on a layup, Sykes answered again with a layup to make it 62-56 with 7:59 to play.
Including four free throws, the Salukis would score the next eight points to grab a two-point edge at the 4:10 mark before Sykes converted another three-point play to give Green Bay a 65-64 lead with the clock at 4:00. SIU entered the game shooting just 63.4 percent from the line but connected on 16-of-19 free throws (84.2%).
With the game tied at 66, Desmar Jackson put SIU ahead before Greg Mays, making his first career start, made a pair of free throws for the game's 11th tie at 68-68. Mays made all three of his field goals and had eight points, three rebounds and two blocked shots.
Southern Illinois' Josh Swan made a ridiculous layup on the next possession over the outstretched arms of Alec Brown, flinging an off-balance shot at the rim, and after a turnover by Kam Cerroni, SIU went ahead by four with 1:04 to play.
Sykes was fouled on the ensuing possession and knocked down both free throws, and a steal gave Green Bay the ball with 4.5 seconds to play. The Phoenix got the ball into Sykes, but his runner in the lane would not fall.
Despite the final play and outcome, it was yet another home terrific performance for Sykes, who upped his average to 16.4 points per game this season and 24.7 points per game at home. The Chicago native made 5-of-13 shots from the field but converted 11-of-13 free throws and added a season-high five assists.
Cerroni made a trio of three-pointers and hit all five of his free throws to finish with 14 points off the bench while Brown added 10 points and seven rebounds. Cerroni is now 21-of-21 from the free throw line in 2012-13 and has made 36 in a row dating back to last season. As a team, Green Bay finished 26-of-31 from the stripe for 83.9 percent.
Tennessee Tech 69, Milwaukee 58
Jud Dillard scored 17 points as Tennessee Tech claimed a 69-58 win over Milwaukee at the Klotsche Center.
Jordan Aaron had 15 points while James Haarsma added 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Panthers, which saw its offensive struggles continue. Milwaukee (3-9) shot just 32.2 percent from the floor and had 16 turnovers.
Dennis Ogbe and Lanerryl Johnson added 15 points apiece for the Golden Eagles (6-4), who bolted to a 15-2 lead and then held off a handful of charges by Milwaukee.
Kyle Kelm pitched-in with 10 points and nine rebounds for UWM, just missing his second-straight double-double.
But, in the end, Milwaukee simply couldn't score enough to pull out the win.
The Panthers dug out of a big early hole to get back in the game by halftime. Tennessee Tech scored the first 10 points of the game and then led 15-2 on a three-point play by Jeremiah Samarrippas with 15:19 remaining. Milwaukee was able to pull within 20-13 on a Haarsma jumper with under 10 minutes left, but TTU restored a 27-15 lead on a basket by Johnson with 7:35 left.
Milwaukee made it a game from three, getting within 29-24 on a three-pointer by Mitch Roelke with 3:58 remaining before closing to within 35-31 at the break.
Tennessee Tech answered quickly at the start of the second half, scoring the first six points to go up 41-31. The Panthers were able to rally to within 51-44 on a three by Austin Arians with nine minutes left but could never get closer. The Golden Eagles closed out the game by making six free throws in the final 72 seconds, capturing their second win over a Horizon League foe this season.
St. Bonaventure 87, Cleveland State 53
Playing without two starters, a shorthanded Cleveland State squad fell at St. Bonaventure, 87-53, on in a non-league game at the Reilly Center.
Cleveland State (6-4) was without Anton Grady and Sebastian Douglas in its starting lineup, while Devon Long did not play off the bench.
Bryn Forbes scored 12 points in his first career start to lead CSU, while Aaron Scales scored a career-best 10 points. Marlin Mason finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Demitrius Conger led the Bonnies with 15 points, while Charlon Kloof scored 14 and Youssou Nodoye added 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
SBU jumped out to a quick 9-1 lead just over two minutes into the game, thanks to seven quick points from Kloof, including a four-point play to start the spurt.
The Vikings stayed close in large part to free throws as the Bonnies held CSU without a field goal for more than nine minutes to open the contest. Luda Ndaye hit a jumper at the 10:49 mark to break that stretch and Charlie Lee followed with two free throws to bring CSU back within nine (18-9) midway through the half.
However, a 17-4 St. Bonaventure run over the next five minutes pushed the Bonnies lead to 35-13 with just over five minutes to play. The lead would swell to 25 points, 40-15, before the Vikings responded with nine straight points - the final five by Lomomba - to pull back within 40-24 with just over a minute to play.
After the teams traded baskets, SBU ended the first half with six points in the final three seconds to take a 48-26 lead into the locker room.
