INDIANAPOLIS – Milwaukee junior forward Tony Meier (Wildwood, Mo.) has been named Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, for the week beginning Feb. 12. The honor is the first of Meier’s career.
The Panthers entered the final week of regular season play one game out of first place, but with an 87-83 victory at Cleveland State and a 94-87 overtime thriller at Youngstown State, Milwaukee claimed the No. 1 seed for the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship, picking up a share of the regular season title.
Meier was superb throughout the weekend, averaging 23.0 points per game to go along with 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest. The junior was 15-for-26 from the field, including a 6-of-13 mark from three-point range.
In a must-win contest at Cleveland State, the Wildwood, Mo.-native posted a career-high 28 points, pushing the Panthers out to a 19-point lead in an eventual four-point win over the then-League leaders.
Meier collected 19 points in Saturday’s overtime victory, which sealed the Panthers’ ninth straight League win en route to the tournament’s No. 1 seed.
Milwaukee receives a double bye into the semifinals and host the tournament as long as it is alive as a result of its seed. The Panthers will be in action on Saturday, March 5, hosting either No. 4 Valparaiso, No. 5 Detroit, No. 8 Loyola or No. 9 Youngstown State at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Top Performers for the Week:
Shelvin Mack, Butler (Jr., G) - The junior helped Butler claim a piece of its fifth straight Horizon League regular season title, setting a new League record. Leading the Bulldogs to their seventh straight win, Mack posted a game-high 18 points in a 63-57 win over Loyola, moving into a tie with Brandon Miller for fourth on the Butler career three-point charts with 189 in his career.
Chris Blake, Detroit (Jr., G) - Needing a win to pick up the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament, Blake recorded a career-best 21 points, leading the Titans to a 77-67 victory over Wright State. The junior knocked down four of his six attempts from three-point range, helping the Titans finish with 10 League wins for the first time since 2003-04.
Alec Brown, Green Bay (Fr., C) - Brown dominated the paint against Valparaiso, finishing with 22 points and 12 rebounds in helping Green Bay take down the Crusaders, 81-80, on Monday. The freshman spurred a comeback late in a loss at Cleveland State, finishing with 13 points as the Phoenix took the No. 7 seed into the conference tournament.
Terrance Hill, Loyola (Sr., G) - Hill closed his regular season with a bang, leading the Ramblers to a 68-48 triumph at Valparaiso, leading the way with 20 points, snagging seven rebounds in the process. The senior has been in double figures in each of the last six contests.
Robo Kreps, UIC (Sr., G) - With 21 points at Valparaiso on Saturday, Kreps moved into seventh place on the UIC career scoring ledger. The senior led a spirited comeback in the second half of an eventual 79-65 loss, scoring 17 points in the final 20 minutes. Kreps sits 16 points away from 1,600 for his career entering the League tournament.
Cory Johnson, Valparaiso (Sr., F) - The senior led the way on Senior Night, recording 18 points to carry Valparaiso to their 12th Horizon League win of the year, setting a new school record. Johnson also took the team’s high-scorer honors on Thursday night, posting 15 against Loyola.
Vaughn Duggins, Wright State (Sr., G) - Duggins did all he could in a 10-point loss to Detroit on Friday night, knocking down 12-of-17 field goals en route to 27 points. Over his last seven games, Duggins is averaging 24.5 points per game, while his 12 baskets on Friday marked a new career high.
Damian Eargle, Youngstown State (So., F) - Eargle paced Youngstown State last weekend, posting 19 points against Green Bay and following up the effort with 17 versus Milwaukee. With five blocks on the weekend, Eargle moved into second place in the Penguins single-season record books with 86 on the year. In just one season, Eargle is already fourth in the career blocks register at YSU.
Tags: Milwaukee - Men's Basketball
