Horizon League Men's Tournament Bracket
Men's Basketball Scoreboard (March 8)
No. 3 Wright State 66, No. 6 Youngstown State 59
No. 4 Green Bay 64, No. 5 UIC 63
VALPARAISO, Ind. – A pair of rallies were cut short on Friday night at the ARC as No. 3 Wright State held off a continuous comeback attempt by No. 6 Youngstown State and No. 4 Green Bay ended No. 5 UIC's attempted upset with a dagger of a 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
No. 3 Wright State 66, No. 6 Youngstown State 59
Despite the return of Kendrick Perry and a 20-point effort by Kamren Belin, No. 3 Wright State managed to stave off a second half rally by No. 6 Youngstown State, earning a 66-59 win and advancing to the semifinals of the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Perry – a First Team All-Horizon League honoree – had missed the previous four games for the Penguins with a leg injury, but keyed a late run by YSU with all 11 of his points coming in the second half.
The Penguins had trailed by as many as 18 in the second period but pulled within three points on the Raiders twice. But with 3:15 left in the game Wright State’s Reggie Arceneaux hit a 3-pointer to put the Raiders back up 59-53 and give his team the momentum it needed to close out the win and earn the right to advance.
“I felt like we needed a bucket,” Arceneaux said. “They were making a run and we needed some kind of boost.”
Youngstown State used a 10-point run early in the second half to make the score 39-29, punctuated by a DJ Cole layup. Then, with just over 11 minutes remaining in the contest, the Penguins pulled within single digits for the first time since the 4:30 mark in the first half.
“I think we just relaxed a little bit on defense, which is unlike us, and that’s why you saw them make a run,” Arceneaux said. “You’ve got to give credit to Youngstown. They have great players.”
Penguins head coach Jerry Slocum said that missed opportunities eventually cost his team the game down the stretch.
“We had two wide open 3s and a wide open back-cut layup, and we came out of those three possessions with nothing when it was a three-point game,” Slocum said. “Offensively, that was the difference in the game.”
In addition to Perry and Belin, senior Damian Eargle was in double-digits for the Penguins with 13 points and eight rebounds. The Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year also blocked a pair of shots.
Wright State was led by Miles Dixon’s 14 points while Jerran Young and AJ Pacher added 13 apiece. Arceneaux finished with 11. The Raiders improved to 20-11 on the year, while Youngstown State dropped to 17-15.
The Raiders advance to tomorrow night’s semifinal round, facing No. 2 Detroit at 6 p.m. EST.
It’s another game,” Arceneaux said of the matchup. “It’s what’s next. What we did against Youngstown tonight … doesn’t matter. It’s all about the next game. We live in the present and we prepare the same for the next opponent.”
No. 4 Green Bay 64, No. 5 UIC 63
Trailing by two, Green Bay junior Sultan Muhammad hit a 3-pointer from the wing with just seconds left on the clock to give the No. 4 Phoenix a 64-63 win over No. 5 UIC despite a career-best 23-point effort by Flames junior and Valpariaso native Hayden Humes.
It appeared UIC had all but secured a come-from-behind win when senior guard Gary Talton hit a pair of free throws with seven seconds on the clock, but the Phoenix advanced the ball quickly up the floor and found Muhammad on the wing for the game-winner from in front of the Green Bay bench as it appeared head coach Brian Wardle was signaling for a timeout.
“The way Coach drew it up, we intended for [Keifer Sykes] to blaze past them and see what he could get. Coach wanted a timeout,” Muhammad said of the final play. “Obviously, we didn’t get it, and [Sykes] saw that I was open. I just had to take the opportunity. There really wasn’t any other choice with the time winding down.”
“I was trying to call a timeout,” Wardle admitted. “Luckily, in the chaos of the game – the noise – they didn’t see me or hear me, so I’m thankful for that.”
Green Bay controlled much of the game, including holding a 34-29 lead at halftime.
UIC chipped away in the late minutes of the second half, led by Humes. The hometown hero scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and gave the Flames their first lead since the score was 15-14 with a 3-pointer at the 2:46 mark to put UIC ahead 59-58.
The game was tied 61-61 with just over a minute remaining as the teams traded baskets down the stretch. With 44.1 seconds left and the score still knotted, Green Bay freshman Jordan Fouse – an All-Newcomer honoree – missed a pair of free throws, leading to Talton’s free throws that briefly gave UIC the lead.
“Seven seconds is an eternity in basketball, as you can tell,” Talton said. “We tried our best to play defense and he just hit miracle shot.”
Muhammad had been just 1-of-5 from long range before hitting his game-winning 3-pointer. He finished with seven points for the Phoenix, which was led by Brown’s 17 points. First Team All-League pick Keifer Sykes added 15 points and four assists.
UIC was led by Humes’ 23, while Talton and Josh Crittle each poured in 12 points. The Flames fall to 17-15 and will wait to see if they play in the postseason.
Green Bay (18-14) advanced to tomorrow night’s semifinal round. The Phoenix will face No. 1 seed Valparaiso at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Tags: Green Bay - Men's Basketball · Horizon League - Men's Basketball · UIC - Men's Basketball · Wright State - Men's Basketball · Youngstown State - Men's Basketball
