With the standings closer than ever before in the Horizon League, the depth of the field came through once again, as not a single Horizon League game decided by more than 10 points on Thursday evening. By the end of the night, Valparaiso maintained its grip on first, while Butler and Milwaukee stayed in the hunt for a bye in the Horizon League Tournament. UIC put a dent in Green Bay's hopes of hosting a first round tournament game.
At Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler (17-9, 9-5 Horizon) overcame the absence of Matt Howard (concussion) to hold off Wright State (17-10, 10-5 Horizon), 71-63. The teams traded haymakers in the first half, with the Bulldogs going on a 12-0 run to build a double-digit lead only to see the Raiders come back with a 15-0 burst; however, Butler closed the half on a 6-0 run to take a 39-34 lead into the half. The teams went back-and-forth offensively, as Butler shot 72 percent in the first half, while Wright State connecte on 7-of-13 attempts from three-point range.
The Bulldogs led by as much as nine in the second half, using a 5-0 spurt to open a 58-49 lead on Zach Hahn's third three-pointer of the evening with 6:42 on the clock. Wright State came right back with a three-point play by Cole Darling, and after layups by N'Gai Evans and Johann Mpondo, the Raiders trailed by just four at 60-56 with 3:48 showing on the clock.
With the shot clock winding down a minute later, Andrew Smith saved the ball out to Hahn, who passed the ball to Shawn Vanzant. Vanzant swung the ball into the corner to Ronald Nored, who knocked down a long two as the shot clock expired. Two Vaughn Duggins free throws brought Wright State back within four, but would get no closer as Shelvin Mack went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch, part of a 9-of-10 Butler effort in the closing 90 seconds.
The freebies helped Mack post a team-high 20 points, while Smith and Vanzant each scored 15. Pendleton, Ind.-native Duggins had 19 in his return to the Indianapolis area to lead Wright State, while Evans added 10.
Butler's win gave it a split of the season series with the Raiders should the teams tie in the League standings.
Valparaiso (18-7, 10-3 Horizon) remained the only team in the League to control its destiny after an 82-74 win over Detroit (14-13, 8-7 Horizon) at the ARC. It was the Titans who jumped out to a 23-14 lead halfway through the first half after Chase Simon scored 10 points in the game's first 10 minutes. Still, the Crusaders steadily rallied, going on a 15-5 burst over the next six minutes to build a 29-28 lead after a Brandon Wood three on a fast break, and Valpo took a two-point lead into the intermission.
Another Wood three helped the Crusaders built an early nine-point lead in the second half, but Detroit came right back with 9-0 run to knot the contest with 12:39 remaining after a Donavan Foster three. Jay Harris came right back with a triple for Valpo, and the League leaders did not trail the remainder of the contest, allowing the Titans within a single possession on just two occasions over the last 12 minutes.
Cory Johnson led the way for the Crusaders with 19 points, while Wood and Ryan Broekhoff each recorded 17. Simon led all players with 22, with Ray McCallum and Eli Holman adding 15 and 14, respectively.
Having played one game in the last 10 days, Milwaukee (14-11, 9-5 Horizon) came out like a team with fresh legs, building a 19-point lead in the first half and coasting to a 66-57 decision over Loyola (13-12, 4-10 Horizon) at the Gentile Center. The Panthers scored 16 of the first 18 points of the game, building the lead as large as 19 after Tony Meier buried a three-pointer with 10:35 remaining in the first half.
While Milwaukee's offense was quiet in comparison to its first 10 minutes of play, its defense limited the Ramblers to just 7-of-26 shooting in the opening 20 minutes, taking a 32-20 lead at the break.
Loyola closed within nine points early in the second half, but Mitchell Carter played his finest game of the season, helping the Panthers restore a 15-point advantage with 2:30 gone in the half. Again leading by nine, a Meier three pushed the lead back to 12 with 6:45 remaining, leading Milwaukee to its fifth straight victory and giving UWM a measure of revenge after a six-point loss at home to the Ramblers in January.
Meier led the way with 16 points for Milwaukee, with Tone Boyle chipping in 12. Kaylon Williams grabbed 10 boards for the Panthers, adding eight assists to his effort. Andy Polka paced Loyola with 16 points and a season-high 14 boards, while Terrance Hill contributed 15 points. Ben Averkamp recorded 10 for the Ramblers, who hit just 33.3 percent of their attempts on the night.
On the south side of Chicago, Robo Kreps capped a 21-point night with a leaner as time expired in overtime, lifting UIC (7-19, 2-12 Horizon) past Green bay (12-13, 6-7 Horizon), 63-61. After Corey Gray gave the contest its 16th tie of the night by splitting a pair of free throws with 1:26 remaining in the extra session, each team took turns missing attempts at the lead.
Following a Green Bay turnover, the Flames had one more shot at the win and Kreps capitalized, getting past his defender and hitting the jumper from the right elbow as the horn sounded.
Kreps's buzzer-beater was the second of the contest, as the game was one second from ending in regulation before the Phoenix forced overtime. Holding the ball with 1.0 second left under its basket, Green Bay got Rahmon Fletcher free on the left block and he converted the layup at the buzzer to send the game to a five-minute session. Fletcher scored the last seven points of the game for the Phoenix, scoring all five of Green Bay's points in overtime and finishing with nine on the night.
Paul Carter and Kreps carried the Flames throughout, with Carter finishing a rebound shy of his ninth double-double in League play, scoring a game-high 22 points. Kreps moved with 17 points of eighth place on the UIC career scoring charts. Alec Brown controlled the middle for Green Bay, leading the team with 14 points; Jarvis Williams added 13 for the Phoenix, who were outrebounded in Horizon League play for just the second time this season.
