Men's Hoops Teams win Three Non-League Games Thursday
Dec. 31, 2004
Detroit 67, UIC 57
DETROIT-Brandon Cotton scored 23 points and hit back-to-back three-pointers in the first half that gave Detroit the lead for good as the Titans (4-7, 1-0) downed UIC 67-57 Thursday night. James Thues added 11 points, including a pair of three-pointers to close the first-half scoring with Detroit leading 30-22. The Titans extended their lead to as many as 18 points with five minutes remaining in the game before UIC cut it to 61-54 on a three-pointer by senior Cedrick Banks with 32 seconds left. Banks finished with a game-high 34 points, easily more than half of the Flames' total. Detroit shot a season-high 47 percent from the field and hit 9-of-17 from long range. Ethan Shaw scored a career-high 10 points off the bench for Detroit. Justin Bowen had 10 points for UIC (4-7, 0-2), which had only four players score in the game.
Box Score
UW-Milwaukee 88, Manhattan 78
NEW YORK, N.Y.-UW-Milwaukee scored the first 10 points of overtime to take control of the game en route to an 88-78 win over Manhattan Thursday night in cozy Draddy Gymnasium just outside of New York City. The runaway in the extra session was in stark contrast to the remainder of the game between two defending league champions. Manhattan led by 12 points midway through the first half but the Panthers recovered and held the lead for most of the final 10 minutes of regulation. The game was finally decided by an offensive outburst from Ed McCants, who scored the first six points of the extra session and wound up scoring 12 of his 21 points in overtime. McCants' late effort helped compliment the best offensive game of Boo Davis' UWM career, as the junior tossed in 22 points off the bench. Chris Hill added 17 points, Joah Tucker 11 and James Wright contributed nine points and nine rebounds for the Panthers, who snapped a three-game losing streak and avenged a home loss to the Jaspers (4-4) in last year's ESPN Bracket Buster event.
Box Score
UW-Green Bay 68, Hartford 60
Box Score
Wright State 70, Morgan State 52
DAYTON-Wright State scorched the nets as the Raiders shot 73 percent in the first half and 60 percent overall in rolling to a 70-52 decision over the Morgan State Bears in nonleague action at the Nutter Center Thursday night. WSU hit 19 of 26 shots in the first half, including five of seven from three-point range, in building a 45-22 halftime advantage. The Raiders then led by as much as 54-28 early in the second half before cruising to the victory. While Wright State shot 60 percent overall, Morgan State finished at 37 percent. The Raiders held a 34-26 rebounding edge and outscored the Bears in the paint 36-16. Three Raiders scored in double figures as Drew Burleson had 15, 10 in the first half, while Everett Spencer added 13 and Zakee Boyd 11.
Box Score
Eastern Washington 67, Butler 62
TUCSON, Ariz.-Marc Axton scored 25 points and Eastern Washington shot 75 percent in the second half to overcome Butler, 67-62, in the consolation game of the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Tucson, Arizona, on Thursday. The loss dropped the Bulldogs to 5-5 on the year, while Eastern Washington snapped a seven-game losing streak and improved to 3-9 on the season. The Bulldogs fell behind the hot-shooting Eagles, 19-10, in the first eight minutes of the game, but bounced back to take a three-point lead on a basket by Avery Sheets right before halftime. Butler increased that lead to seven points, 40-33, on a basket by Jamie Smalligan four minutes into the second half. But the Eagles continued to battle back and tied the game at 50-50. Butler regained the lead on back-to-back baskets by Brandon Polk and A.J. Graves, but Eastern Washington took command for good with a 13-1 scoring run. Graves led the Bulldogs with 15 points, 11 of which came after intermission, and he added a team-high five assists. Smalligan followed his 20-point performance against Richmond with 13 points against Eastern Washington and was named to the six-player all-tournament team.
Box Score
#4/5 North Carolina 107, Cleveland State 64
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