Men's Basketball Final Shot: Feb. 16 - Nothing is Decided

Men’s basketball Scoreboard (Feb. 16)
Loyola 69, UIC 60
Detroit 84, Valparaiso 74

In the end, nothing was settled during Saturday’s Horizon League men’s basketball action. All that was offered was excitement. From a taught city thriller to another comeback, the conference delivered on a big scale.

Detroit 84, Valparaiso 74
In the end, turnabout was fair play between Detroit and Valparaiso. After the Crusaders stunned the Titans a month ago by overcoming a 24-point deficit, Detroit threw the ARC into silence on Saturday, rallying from a 15-point hole to snag an 84-74 win before an ESPN2 audience.

Detroit (18-9, 10-4 Horizon) closed within a half-game in the conference standings; despite the loss, Valparaiso (20-7, 10-3 Horizon) continues to control its regular-season fate.

For the first 30 minutes, it appeared as if the host coast Crusaders would cruise behind a raucous atmosphere at a sold-out Athletics-Recreation Center. Spurred by two early three-pointers from Ryan Broekhoff, Valpo took a 37-26 lead into the half before opening its largest lead of the game, 63-48, with 9:26 to play.

Oddly, when Valparaiso came back to win at Detroit, it trailed by just nine, 73-64, with the same time remaining. But this time, it was Detroit’s turned to stun the packed house, as a 19-0 run silenced the partisan crowd and gave harsh flashbacks to last year’s conference final, when Detroit turned a halftime deficit into a 70-50 rout.

Nick Minnerath would fuel the early part of the run, knocking down a three ahead of a jumper, quickly slicing the gap to 10; following Will Bogan’s second consecutive turnover, Jason Calliste would bring the contingent of Detroit fans to their feet with a jumper, making it 63-55 with 7:46 to play.

Bogan’s third consecutive turnover keyed a layup from Ray McCallum, drawing Detroit within two possessions for the first time since 7:41 remained in the first half. A minute and a half later, two McCallum free throws drew Detroit within four, 63-59.

Evan Bruinsma would collect one of his 10 rebounds on the ensuing Valparaiso possession, and Jason Calliste would cash in on the opposite end, knocking down a three while being fouled. The four-point play drew Detroit even at 63, and after a Bruinsma offensive rebound and bucket on the next possession, the Titans had their first lead of the game 35:44 into the contest.

After a Valpo turnover, its fifth during Detroit’s run, Bruinsma would convert a tip-in to push the lead to four and complete the burst.

Two free throws from Broekhoff would temporarily patch the wound, but the Titans would force further hemorrhaging, as McCallum would score five of Detroit’s next seven points to push the lead to 74-66 with 1:04 remaining.

Calliste would help close the game at the free-throw line, matching Minnerath for game-high honors with 21 points. Despite an off night shooting, McCallum posted 15 points, while Bruinsma came off the bench to record a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Valparaiso put five players into double figures, but it was undone by Detroit’s 20-of-30 shooting effort in the second half. Matt Kenney led the way with 18, going 6-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three-point range.

Bogan added 15, while Erik Buggs had 12 before fouling out. Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk each finished with 10.

Loyola 69, UIC 60
Continuing to play shorthanded, Loyola turned to perhaps the most impressed player in the Horizon League: Christian Thomas. The sophomore turned in a 23-point, 11-rebound effort as Loyola built and early lead before holding off UIC, 69-60, at the Gentile Arena.

Playing without starters Ben Averkamp and Cully Payne, Loyola (14-12, 4-9 Horizon) snapped a four-game losing streak as the Ramblers doubled their win total from the 2011-12 season.

A tip-in by Hicks kicked off a 21-7 Rambler run which also featured back-to-back three-pointers by Hicks and Nick Osborne, turning a one-point game into a 30-15 Loyola lead in the first half. After making just 2 of their first 14 shots from the field, the Ramblers closed the period by converting 12 of their next 13 attempts, and also turned the ball over just twice while holding UIC (15-12, 6-7 Horizon) to 36 percent (10-for-28) field goal accuracy.

Leading 36-23 at the half, the Ramblers would extend their advantage to a game-high 16 early in the second half before UIC rallied in the second leg of the Windy City Rivalry.

The Flames would find its offensive rhythm, embarking on a 23-11 run to close within 56-52 after a three from Daniel Barnes, leaving a vocal contingent of UIC supporters on its feet and causing murmuring throughout the rest of Gentile Arena.

But, after a hoop by Thomas and a pair of free throws by Josh Crittle, Loyola scored nine of the next 11 points to open up a 67-56 lead with 31 seconds left, all but sealing the result.

Thomas, who has now scored in double figures in 11 straight games, posted his fifth double double of the year. Hicks added 18 points and Devon Turk pitched in 10 points and four boards.

Marc Brown led a trio of Flames with 13 points; Gary Talton and Hayden Humes each chipped in 10.