Horizon League Men’s Basketball Scoreboard (Jan. 26)
Milwaukee 53, Butler 42
Green Bay 75, Valparaiso 60
Home teams held serve on Thursday night in Horizon League men’s basketball play, with Milwaukee and Green Bay collecting wins to further clump the League standings.
Milwaukee 53, Butler 42
In a defensive struggle, it was Milwaukee who found offense at the opportune times, lifting the Panthers past visiting Butler, 53-42, at U.S. Cellular Arena.
Milwaukee (14-8, 7-3 Horizon) shot just 38.9 percent from the floor, but clamped down on Butler (12-10, 6-4 Horizon) over the final 28 minutes of play to hold the Bulldogs to 21 points in that stretch. On the night, the Panthers harassed Butler into 16-for-58 shooting.
The Panthers took control of the game at the beginning of the second half; trailing 25-24 at the break, Milwaukee opened the second stanza on a 13-2 run, with the team assisting on five of its six baskets. Tony Meier capped the burst with a three-pointer to put the Panthers ahead, 37-26, before Butler briefly found its form.
Baskets by Khyle Marshall and Andrew Smith stemmed the tide, and Elliot Kampen’s first career basket – a three – brought Butler within 37-33 and gave the Bulldogs a spark.
Butler would close within a single possession, 41-38, after a Smith layup, but Paris Gulley provided the game’s biggest shot, knocking down a three from the wing to swing momentum back in Milwaukee’s favor. Kyle Kelm would add a baseline layup off a feed from Kaylon Williams to increase the lead to 46-38 with 3:58 left, and Butler would draw no closer than five down the stretch.
Williams, who posted a triple-double in the last regular season meeting between the teams in Milwaukee, filled the box score with five points, seven rebounds and 11 assists. James Haarsma, who battled foul trouble in the first half, went 6-of-9 from the floor to lead all scorers with 12 points. Ryan Allen added 11 for Milwaukee.
Smith was the lone Bulldog in double figures with 11 points; Ronald Nored finished a point and rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with nine of each.
The teams were a combined 6-for-36 from three-point range; Butler went 1-of-17 in the contest, with Kampen’s three its lone strike from beyond the arc.
Green Bay 75, Valparaiso 60
Playing its most complete game of the season, Green Bay led League-leading Valparaiso wire-to-wire in a 75-60 victory at the Resch Center.
Kam Cerroni carried Green Bay (8-12, 4-6 Horizon) throughout, knocking down five three-pointers to finish with a career-best 23 points, leading four Phoenix in double figures. Valparaiso (14-8, 7-3 Horizon) saw its four-game winning streak snapped.
Leading 32-27 at the half, Green Bay grabbed firm control of the game with just over 10 minutes left to play. After Erik Buggs drained two free throws, the Valpo point guard was called for his fifth foul on the subsequent defensive possession on a Keifer Sykes layup.
Combined with head coach Bryce Drew’s technical, Green Bay turned a 46-42 game into a 50-42 advantage. Cerroni would score nine of the Phoenix’s next 11 points, helping Green Bay assume a 61-47 lead with 7:49 to play. The sophomore knocked down triples on consecutive possessions to stretch the lead and force Valpo into a timeout.
The Crusaders would come no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
Green Bay jumped all over Valparaiso at the start, with Brennan Cougill leading the charge; the forward had 10 of his 14 points in the first half. The junior would finish with a double-double, adding 10 rebounds to the cause.
On the night, Green Bay outrebounded Valparaiso, 38-30. Cougill led the way with 10, while Josh Humphrey had a career-best nine. Alec Brown, who tied the Green Bay career record for blocks with his 132nd of his young career, added eight boards and 16 points. Sykes rounded out the Phoenix in double figures with 11.
Ben Boggs matched Cerroni’s output from three-point range, going a perfect 5-for-5 to lead Valpo with 17 points. Ryan Broekhoff had 14 points and nine boards, but Kevin Van Wijk was held to just nine points on 3-of-5 shooting.
