Standings Tossed Up Again After Wild Wednesday

Horizon League games were decided by one, two and three points on Wednesday night, with the largest margin of victory coming in Detroit's 12-point victory.  Loyola won on a buzzer-beater, while Cleveland State escaped with a two-point decision; Milwaukee prevailed by three.  By the end of the night, the Vikings were back on top of the League standings, with Valpo holding second.

Cleveland State (23-5, 12-4 Horizon) squeaked past Wright State (17-12, 10-7 Horizon), 74-72, with Dayton natives Aaron Pogue and Norris Cole leading all five starters in double figures for the Vikings.  Pogue led the way with 18 points, while Cole added 16.

A back and forth game went down to the wire, with the Raiders battling back from a 65-58 deficit with 4:22 to play.  Vaughn Duggins recorded a three-point play to get the run going, and after the teams traded stops, N'Gai Evans brought Wright State within 65-63 with just over two minutes left.

One more stop by the Raiders led to Evans banking in a three to put WSU up, 66-65, with 1:28 showing in the game.  However, Trevon Harmon answered for the Vikings, drilling a three to give Cleveland State a 68-66 advantage with just over a minute left.

Cleveland State came up with another stop, leading to two Cole free throws before Evans responded with a layup with 14 ticks remaining.  It was Jeremy Montgomery who stepped up in the closing seconds, converting all four free throws in the closing seconds to create the game's final margin.

The victory moved the Vikings back into first, one-half game ahead of Valparaiso, as Harmon matched Cole with 16 points.  Montgomery finished with 14, while Tim Kamczyc added 10.  Duggins and Evans led all players with 21 points apiece.

The Vikings moved in front of Valparaiso (19-8, 11-4 Horizon) after the Crusaders suffered a 79-76 setback at Milwaukee (16-11, 11-5 Horizon).  The Panthers remained in a tie for third in the League with Butler after their seventh straight victory, holding the tiebreaker over the Bulldogs.  Tone Boyle's career-best 28 points carried Milwaukee, while Anthony Hill added 18.

The Panthers raced out to an early lead, only to see the Crusaders respond behind Ryan Broekhoff's pick-and-pop skills.  The Aussie had 16 of his 21 points in the opening 20 minutes as Valpo battled back to take a 42-36 lead into the locker room.  However, Boyle responded in the second half, recording 17 of his 28.  The senior's jumper with 1:54 to go put Milwaukee up, 73-69, setting the stage for a frantic final two minutes.

After Boyle and Matt Kenney traded free throws, Brandon Wood knotted the contest at 74 with a three in the left corner.  On the ensuing Panther possession, Hill found a cutting Tony Meier, whose dunk and free throw gave Milwaukee a three-point lead once again.  UWM dodged three Wood attempts to knot the contest, but Howard Little was fouled going for the offensive board and converted two freebies to bring Valpo within a point.

Boyle was fouled immediately, but missed both attempts from the line, giving the Crusaders another chance at the lead.  Michael Rogers had two good looks on the block, but neither would fall and Meier converted free throws with 2.3 ticks left to seal the result.

One through four in the League standings, Cleveland State and Butler are separated by just one game.

At the UIC Pavilion, UIC (7-21, 2-14 Horizon) took a lead with 5.4 ticks left in overtime on a Dipanjot Singh two from the corner, but Loyola (15-12, 6-10 Horizon) executed its inbounds play to perfection, finding Courtney Stanley on the wing and the senior converted a three as time expired to give the Ramblers a thrilling 67-66 victory over the Flames.

Two Terrance Hill free throws sent the game to overtime, where Geoff McCammon hit a three to give the Ramblers an early 62-61 advantage in the extra session.  Paris Carter's putback slam put UIC back in front, 63-62, with 2:27 to go, while the teams exchanged free throws to set up Singh's shot.

Out of a timeout, Loyola passed to Hill behind the baseline, where he swung the ball to Andy Polka.  Polka's pass found Hill, whose cross-court pass hit Stanley in stride, with the senior hitting his second three of the night to give Loyola its fourth straight win in the series.

Trailing by 11 midway through the second half, UIC used a spirited 15-4 run to get back in the game and give itself a chance at the win.  At the end of regulation, it was Singh again who gave the Flames a chance to win, converting a three off a scramble to put UIC up, 59-57, before Hill's free throws knotted the game.

McCammon continued his torrid pace against Chicago schools, leading all scorers with 23 points.  Hill added 16 for the Ramblers, while Paul Carter led the Flames with 19.  Paris Carter posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 boards.

On Senior Night at Calihan Hall, Detroit (15-14, 9-8 Horizon) raced past Youngstown State (8-18, 2-14 Horizon), 91-79.  Five different Detroit players finished in double figures, led by Nick Minnerath's 24.

A 12-3 run to close the first half helped the Titans take a 48-31 lead into the break, and Detroit extended its lead to as much as 23 in the second half.  Still, the Penguins refused to go quitely, led by Damian Eargle's 25 points and 11 boards, closing to within nine with 2:17 to play.  A Chris Blake layup with 77 ticks remaining sealed the game.

Ray McCallum finished two assists shy of a triple-double with 14 points and 10 boards, while Chase Simon and Blake had 17 and 14, respectively.  Eli Holman added 14 to give the Titans all five starters in double figures.  Kendrick Perry and Blake Allen joined Eargle in double figures for the Penguins, recording 13 and 11 points, respectively.