Men's Basketball Scoreboard (Jan. 26)
Youngstown State 73, Cleveland State 59
Detroit 75, Loyola 63
UIC 55, Wright State 49
INDIANAPOLIS -- No win will come easy. That's been proven many times over during this Horizon League men's basketball season and it was proven three more times on Saturday as a pair of the losing teams rallied enough to make it uncomfortable for the eventual victors and Detroit was able to fully complete its comeback.
Youngstown State 73, Cleveland State 59
Kamren Belin put together a career night for the Penguins and Kendrick Perry helped quiet a Cleveland State rally as Youngstown State picked up a 73-59 Horizon League win over the rival Vikings.
Bellin, a junior from Atlanta, poured in a career-high 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting -- including 4-of-9 from 3-point range -- to lead all scorers. Nine of those points came during an 18-0 run in the first half that allowed the Penguins to turn a one-point deficit into a 17-point lead. Belin had 15 points at halftime and Youngstown State took a 42-27 lead into the locker room having turned 11 Vikings turnovers into 16 points.
The lead was built back to 17 in the second half but Cleveland State rallied. A Tim Kamczyc 3-pointer cut the Youngstown State lead to 54-45, under double-digits for the first time in the half. A couple of minutes later, a three-point play from Bryn Forbes pulled the Vikings within six, bu at D.J. Cole 3-pointer and a fastbreak layup by Kendrick Perry put Youngstown State put the Penguins back up 11 and forced a Cleveland State timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Perry drilled a 3-pointer and the Penguins never looked back.
Perry finished with 17 points, four assists and four steals while Damian Eargle added 14 points and four blocks. The Penguins improved to 12-8 overall and 4-3 in Horizon League play. They will look to go 3-0 on their current homestand when league-leading Valparaiso visits the Beeghly Center at 7:05 p.m. EST on Wednesday.
Cleveland State was led by Forbes, who totaled 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Charlie Lee added 12 points and four assists while Kamczyc scored 10. The Vikings (10-12, 2-6 HL) return to action next Saturday, Feb. 2, at UIC at 8 p.m. EST.
Detroit 75, Loyola 63
All five Detroit starters scored in double figures at Gentile Arena as the Titans rallied in the second half and picked up a Horizon League win over their Jesuit rivals.
Loyola actually worked up a comeback of its own Saturday afternoon, closing out the first half with a three point lead after a 13-4 run -- punctuated by a Ben Averkamp 3-pointer, made it 27-24. Sophomore Christian Thomas had been huge for the Ramblers in that rally, scoring 12 first-half points to go with nine rebounds.
Coming out of the break, Loyola extended its lead to 35-28 but the Titans chipped away. With just over 13 minutes remaining, Juwan Howard, Jr., heated up and scored nine quick points as Detroit went on an 18-6 run and jumped out to a 57-49 advantage.
Loyola cut that lead down to as few as six points in the waning minutes of the game, but Detroit hit six of their last eight free throws down the stretch to seal the win. The Titans eventually outscored the Ramblers 51-36 in the second half.
Howard and Ray McCallum each finished with 17 points, two steals and a block. Nick Minnerath added 14 points and seven rebounds, Jason Calliste had 12 points and Doug Anderson had 11. The Titans improved to 13-8, 5-3 in the Horizon League. They travel to Wright State on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. EST matchup at the Nutter Center.
Loyola was led by Thomas, who totaled 18 points and 11 rebounds. Cully Payne added 15 points and Averkamp poured in 13. The Ramblers (12-8, 2-5 HL) continue their homestand on Wednesday night against Milwaukee.
UIC 55, Wright State 49
Wright State nearly erased a 12-point halftime deficit on Satruday but could not overcome the Flames as Gary Talton put his team on his back and hit seven foul shots down the stretch to seal a 55-49 upset win.
The Raiders were able to cut the lead to two late in the second half and after the two teams traded a couple of baskets had a chance to tie the game with three minutes left and a 43-40 score, but a 3-pointer rimmed out. After a timeout, Talton drilled a 3-pointer to extend the lead to six.
Wright State managed to cut the lead to three again as J.T. Yoho hit a 3-pointer with his hand in his face, making it 49-46 with just over 30 seconds left, but Talton continued to hit free throws and the Raiders were unable to complete their comeback bid.
Despite just two first-half points Talton led all scorers with 18 in the game and added five assists. Josh Crittle added 11 for the Flames, who improved to 13-8 on the year and 4-4 in Horizon League action. UIC plays again Thursday when it hosts Green Bay at 8 p.m. EST.
Cole Darling was the only Raider in double-digits, totaling 11 points. Wright State (14-7, 5-5 HL) continues a three-game homestand on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. matchup against Detroit.
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