Men's Basketball Weekly Release #6

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Dec. 12, 2005

Horizon League Player of the Week

Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay
Junior * Guard * Beaver Falls, Pa.
Evanochko averaged 25.0 points and 6.5 assists per game in two appearances last week. The junior point guard scored a (then) career-high 22 points with six helpers versus Wisconsin and came back with 28 points to lift the Phoenix past Montana State, 75-73. Evanochko also matched his career-best with seven assists against the Bobcats. For the week, the Beaver Falls, Pa., native shot 61 percent (17-of-28) from the floor and 74 percent (14-of-19) from the charity stripe in his two games.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending December 11

Brandon Polk, Butler
Senior * Forward * Wichita, Kan.
Polk led the Bulldogs to their third consecutive victory with 17 points and eight rebounds in a 70-60 win over Bradley. The senior was seven-of-12 from the field and added three assists, three steals and a blocked shot.

Patrick Tatham, Cleveland State
Junior * Forward * Brampton, Ontario
Tatham scored a season-high 17 points in the Vikings' loss to Albany on Saturday. The junior hit seven of his ten shots from the field and pulled down six rebounds. He is now shooting 53.7 percent from the field this season.

Torvoris Baker, Detroit
Senior * Forward * Detroit, Mich.
Baker recorded his first double-double of the season Saturday, posting a season-high 18 points with 12 rebounds versus undefeated Missouri State. Including a loss at Wright State, he averaged 14.0 points and 9.5 caroms per contest for the week.

Othyus Jeffers, UIC
Sophomore * Forward * Chicago, Ill.
Jeffers notched the first double-double of his UIC career Saturday, logging a season-high 18 points with ten rebounds in the Flames' overtime victory over Mississippi. He also dished out two assists with one steal.

Blake Schilb, Loyola
Junior * Guard * Rantoul, Ill.
Schilb averaged 16.0 points, 6.5 assists and 2.5 blocks per game in the Ramblers' two victories. He had 22 points plus nine boards versus Western Illinois and added ten points, three blocks and a steal versus Big Ten representative Purdue.

Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee
Senior * Forward * Milwaukee, Wis.
Tucker had a pair of double-figure scoring efforts, tallying 19 points on seven-of-11 shooting from the field versus South Dakota State and contributing ten points plus five rebounds in the Panthers' victory over Hawaii.

DaShaun Wood, Wright State
Junior * Guard * Detroit, Mich.
Wood scored 18 points and handed out six assists in the Raiders' 69-58 victory over League foe Detroit on Wednesday. He also added three rebounds and a steal in 36 minutes against the Titans, and leads the League in scoring (18.6 points per game).

Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State
Junior * Guard * Ellenwood, Ga.
Humphrey averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in losses at Eastern Michigan and St. Bonaventure. He scored 17 points with six boards at SBU following a 15-point, nine-rebound effort at Eastern Michigan.

Horizon League Players of the Week

Nov. 21-- Justin Bowen, UIC -- 14.3 points, 7.3 rebs per game in Flames' 2-1 start
Nov. 28-- Brandon Crone, Butler-- 19.0 ppg., 68% FG at Ohio State, Michigan
Dec. 5 -- Leon Young, Loyola-- Back-to-back double-doubles -- 15.0 ppg., 10.5 rpg.
Dec. 12-- Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay-- 25.0 ppg., 61% FG vs. Wisconsin, Montana State

The Week Ahead in the Horizon League

Twelve games are on the agenda this week as several schools go through final exams. The light schedule is spread out over five days, putting the Horizon League on the national scoreboard from Tuesday through Saturday.

Wright State opens the week Tuesday night, visiting former League member Northern Illinois in a return game from last year's Bracket Buster Saturday. Wednesday's slate features UIC attempting to add the Big Ten Conference to its list of conquests, as the Flames visit Northwestern while UW-Green Bay hosts Eastern Michigan.

On Thursday, UW-Milwaukee travels to Madison, Wis, to challenge Big Ten representative Wisconsin. The Badgers have already defeated UW-Green Bay (82-62 last week). Friday sees Cleveland State taking on another Big Ten member, visiting Michigan State on ESPNU and Sirius Satellite Radio.

Saturday's line-up has seven contests---all at Horizon League venues---including a League contest in Wisconsin as UW-Milwaukee hosts UW-Green Bay. That (8 p.m. ET) game has the Phoenix trying to defeat the Panthers in Milwaukee for the first time since Jan. 10, 1998.

Other games scheduled for Saturday include Butler hosting Indiana State and Youngstown State hosting Duquesne, while Loyola continues its early-season home schedule with a matinee versus Lake Forest College. Northern Illinois renews its rivalry with UIC at the Pavilion, while Detroit entertains Canisius and Wright State battles Belmont at the Nutter Center.

Around the Horizon League

Raiders claim first place in League standings
Wright State stands 1-4 overall this season but the Raiders sit atop the League standings at 1-0 following Wednesday's 69-58 victory over Detroit. Junior guard DaShaun Wood scored 18 points and handed out six assists as all five WSU starters scored in double figures.

Sophomore forward Scottie Wilson and junior guard Tyrone Scott drew their first collegiate starts against the Titans, responding with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Junior forward Drew Burleson added 13.

Wood leads the Horizon League with 18.6 points per game and ranks fourth with 4.40 assists per contest, while Burleson's 5.6 rebounds-per-game pace tops the team charts in that category.

WSU gets a chance to measure its improvement over the first quarter of the season this week as Belmont visits the Nutter Center on Saturday. Belmont opened the 2005-06 campaign with an 86-80 victory over the Raiders on Nov. 19.

Ramblers continue early-season success
At 6-1, Loyola is off to its best start since the 1979-80 season when it also opened with six wins in its first seven tries. For reference purposes, none of the current Ramblers were born at the time of that streak, and current coach Jim Whitesell was a sophomore at Ellsworth Community College.

Loyola's 80-65 victory over Purdue on Sunday snapped a seven-game losing streak versus Big Ten competition and gave the Ramblers their first victory against the league since a 70-69 victory over Northwestern in 1994.

Junior guard Blake Schilb has now scored in double figures in 31 consecutive games, including 22 points during LU's 73-63 victory over Western Illinois on Tuesday and ten versus the Boilermakers. He is third in the League in scoring, averaging 17.0 points per game while his 85.4 percent free-throw rate is second in the League.

Freshman forward Leon Young leads the Horizon League at 9.3 rebounds per game. As of last Friday, he was the nation's top freshman off the glass as he was at 10.0 caroms per contest before the Purdue match-up.

Young also averages 11.6 points per game, making him one of five Ramblers in double figures. In addition to Schilb's pace, freshman guard J.R. Blount and senior guard Chris Logan each contribute 12.3 points per contest, with junior guard Majak Kou at 11.1 following his season-high 19-point effort versus the Boilermakers.

Bulldogs extend winning streak to three
Butler returns to action Saturday with a home date versus Indiana State, ending an 11-day layoff for the Bulldogs. BU carries a three-game winning streak, improving to 5-3 overall with a 70-60 victory over Bradley last Tuesday.

Senior forward Brandon Polk collected a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds, adding three assists and three steals while junior guard Brandon Crone added 14 points and six boards. Sophomore guard A.J. Graves and senior backliner Bruce Horan each had 11 points. Junior guard Julian Betko also tallied (a career-high) 11 points plus five rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Horan nailed three three-pointers, boosting his school-record total to 222 for his career. He is ninth on the League's all-time list, two behind Detroit's Dwayne Kelley (224 from 1989-93).

Polk's team-high 16.2 points-per-game scoring pace is fourth-best in the League, with Graves adding 14.9 per contest. Crone tops the Bulldogs off the glass at 4.9 rebounds per appearance.

Panthers also on three-game run
UW-Milwaukee's 58-52 victory over Hawaii on Saturday was the Panthers' third in a row, lifting the team to 4-2 overall heading into showdowns with Wisconsin and UW-Green Bay this week.

Senior forward Joah Tucker became the 21st player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark in a Panther uniform Saturday, scoring ten points to put him at exactly 1,000 for his career. Tucker had 19 points in the team's victory over South Dakota State earlier in the week, and currently leads the team in scoring at 15.7 points per contest (fifth-best in the League). Senior guard Boo Davis chips in at 13.8.

Senior forward Adrian Tigert's six rebounds Saturday give him 590 for his career. He needs three more to eclipse Clay Tucker for the most by a player in the school's Division I era. Tigert is fifth in the League at 7.0 caroms per night.

UWM's defense was the key to success last week, as the Panthers allowed just 51.5 points per game in the two victories and forced an average of 22.5 turnovers per contest. In addition, coach Rob Jeter's team limited opponents to 16 percent (four-of-25) shooting from three-point range.

Flames getting up for the big games
UIC improved to 4-4 with its 87-75 overtime triumph over Mississippi on Saturday. In three home games this season, the Flames have lost by one point twice and gone to overtime in the third game.

Sophomore forward Othyus Jeffers posted his first career double-double with a season-high 18 points and ten rebounds, pacing a balanced attack which had five Flames scoring in double figures. Freshman guard Josh Mayo added 16 points and junior forward Elliott Poole had 15.

The victory was UIC's first ever over a Southeastern Conference school, coming 15 days after the school's initial victory over an Atlantic Coast Conference foe (73-51 versus Georgia Tech on Nov. 25). In addition, it was the 150th victory of coach Jimmy Collins' ten-year tenure at the school.

UIC has now outrebounded its opponent in all eight games this season, and tops the League with a plus-10.1 per-game margin for the year. Senior forward Justin Bowen leads the way at 8.2 caroms per contest, along with a team-high 15.6 points per appearance. He is the only Flame to score in double figures in all eight of the team's games so far this year.

Phoenix shoots for success
UW-Green Bay starts the week at 3-5 following a 75-73 victory over Montana State on Saturday. Junior guard Ryan Evanochko recorded a career-high 28 points on ten-of-16 shooting from the floor and matched his Phoenix high with seven assists.

Evanochko's point total was the most by a UW-Green Bay player since Matt Rhode scored 29 versus Troy State on Dec. 30, 2003. Evanochko leads the team in scoring at 14.9 points per game.

After shooting under 40 percent from the field in each of its previous six games, the Phoenix hit a season-high 53.7 percent versus MSU. It was the team's best shooting night since going 53.8 percent from the floor versus UIC on Jan. 22, 2005.

UW-Green Bay ranks among the youngest teams in the country, with seven freshmen, two sophomores and three juniors on its roster. Freshmen Ryan Tillema and Terry Evans have each started all eight games this season with fellow frosh Mike Schachtner opening seven.

Titans look to stop skid
Detroit lost both of its games last week, falling at Wright State (69-58) on Wednesday and at Missouri State (85-71) on Saturday to fall to 4-5 overall. The Titans are 2-0 at home but have won only two of seven away from Calihan Hall.

The Titans actually shot better from three-point range than two-point range in each game last week. Over the past two games, Detroit is shooting 11-of-26 (.423) from the tri-light zone compared to 34-of-92 (.370) inside the arc.

Junior guard Brandon Cotton scored 19 points at Missouri State, hitting half of his 14 shots from the field. That was his best shooting night since a seven-of-12 effort in the season-opener versus Rochester. Cotton leads the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game.

Senior forward Torvoris Baker had season-highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds at MSU, posting his first double-double of the season. His eight-of-14 shooting night was his fourth over 50 percent in the last five outhings and raised his season scoring pace to 9.9 points per outing.

Senior forward Chuck Bailey leads the team in rebounding at 6.6 caroms per contest with Baker right behind at 6.1.

Vikings struggle to find consistency
Cleveland State slipped to 2-4 overall after Saturday's 78-65 loss to Albany. Results have come in pairs for CSU, which lost two in a row to start the season, then won two straight before the current two-game skid.

Friday's game at Michigan State is a homecoming of sorts for Viking coach Mike Garland, who returns to the school he helped coach to the national championship in 2000. Garland was an assistant at MSU from 1996-97 until taking the Cleveland State job in 2003.

The youth of this year's Viking squad is evident as Garland has been unable to settle on a starting line-up. CSU has used a different opening five in each game this season, with nine different players drawing at least one start. That continues a trend from previous years, when injuries and other factors have forced the Viking boss to use 29 different line-ups in his 61 games at the school.

Freshman forward J'Nathan Bullock leads the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game, just ahead of junior guard Raheem Moss (10.5).

Penguins falling just short
Youngstown State stands at 1-6 overall, having lost lost its last five games by a combined total of just 30 points. YSU fell 66-58 at St. Bonaventure on Saturday after a 77-71 loss at Eastern Michigan on Wednesday.

During the current streak, Youngstown State's losses have come by three, five, six, eight and eight points. In seven games, the Penguins have allowed only one more point (484) than they have scored (483).

Junior guard Quin Humphrey had a three-game double-double streak snapped when he had 15 points and nine rebounds at Eastern Michigan. He had been the first Penguin in 14 seasons to post three "doubles" in a row. Humphrey is currently second in the League standings in both scoring (17.6 points per game) and rebounding (8.4 boards per night), while senior guard Derrick Harris paces the League charts with his 5.14 assists-per-game norm.

The Penguins have already attempted 159 three-point field goals this season, representing 38 percent of the team's total shots.

Horizon League Trivia

UIC is one of only three teams in the nation to defeat schools from both the ACC and SEC so far in 2005-06. The Flames knocked off Georgia Tech 73-51 (Nov. 25) and Mississippi 87-75 (Dec. 10). Only Iowa and Temple can claim a similar "double" as Iowa edged Kentucky 67-63 on Nov. 21 and outlasted North Carolina State 45-42 on Nov. 30. Temple defeated Miami (Fla.) 73-56 on Nov. 27 and beat Alabama 68-58 on Saturday.

Through the first month of the season, only three schools have used the same opening line-up for every game. Butler and Loyola have each had a set group for all eight of their games thus far, while UW-Milwaukee has opened the same way all six times.

Wright State's DaShaun Wood represents 31.2 percent of his team's scoring this season, the highest such percentage in the Horizon League. Youngstown State's Quin Humphrey has 25.5 percent of the Penguins' point total, followed by UW-Green Bay's Ryan Evanochko (24.3 percent of the Phoenix production), Detroit's Brandon Cotton (23.7 percent of UDM's output) and Butler's Brandon Polk (23.4 percent of the Bulldog total).