Center spots up for grabs as conference play continues

INDIANAPOLIS –Horizon League women’s basketball is in full swing this weekend, starting with four games tonight and five scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

In their only contest on the week, No. 21/15 Green Bay will visit in-state rival Milwaukee on Saturday in a 2pm ET contest.  Both schools knocked off Loyola and UIC at home last week as the league-leading Phoenix moved to 17-1 overall and 6-0 in conference play.  The Panthers (6-11, 3-3) are on a three-game winning streak, after losing nine straight, and are currently tied for fourth in the standings.   

Cleveland State enters the week at 10-7 overall and is tied for fourth in the standings at 3-3 after losing at Butler (73-65) and winning at Valparaiso (68-58) last week. Detroit is 8-8 overall and tied for sixth in the league at 2-3 after falling to Wright State (63-62) in the Titans lone contest last week.

Tonight marks the 44th all-time meeting between the teams.   The Titans hold a 31-12 advantage, but the Vikings have won five of the last seven contests, including three in a row at home.

Wright State (10-6, 3-2) and Youngstown State (3-14, 1-5) will also battle tonight at 5:15pm as the Penguins open their final three-game homestand of the season.  YSU (3-14, 1-5)  went 1-1 last week, picking up its first conference win this season at Valpo (61-55), snapping a 39-game road losing streak, before losing to Butler on Saturday (88-69.)   

With the win over Detroit, the Raiders moved to 10-6 overall and 3-2 in conference play, and are only one game shy of their total from last year after finishing the season at 11-19.

Both schools have won 20 games in the all-time series, but the Vikings have won 14 of the last 16 against the Penguins.

Wright State will then travel to Cleveland State on Saturday for a 4pm ET contest, while Youngstown State hosts Detroit in a 4:35 pm tipoff.

After two road losses last week in Wisconsin, Loyola (8-8, 2-3) returns home to host Butler (11-6, 5-0) tonight at 8pm ET.  The Ramblers lost at Green Bay (72-51), before falling at Milwaukee (72-58) and are tied for sixth.  The Bulldogs remain undefeated in conference play after defeating the Vikings and the Penguins last week, sitting second in the standings. 

Loyola and Butler square off for the 57th time tonight, with Butler holding a 39-17 advantage.  The Bulldogs have won four straight and seven of the last eight games against the Ramblers, but the teams are an even 13-13 in Chicago.

Also at 8pm, Valparaiso returns to the road, traveling to Chicago to battle UIC.  The Crusaders enter the week at 3-14 overall and are looking for their first conference win of the season, after falling to 0-5 with the losses to CSU and YSU.  UIC also suffered two setbacks last week, losing to Milwaukee (85-78 OT) and Green Bay (60-51).  Falling to 7-9 overall and 2-3 in the League, the Flames share the sixth place tie in the standings. 

Valparaiso and UIC are meeting for the 33rd time, with the Crusaders holding a 19-13 all-time advantage.  Most recently, the two schools split a pair of meetings one year ago, each winning on the other’s home floor.

Valparaiso will stay in Chicago to face Loyola on Saturday in a 1:30pm ET contest, while UIC hosts Butler at 4pm.