Valpo Takes OT Thriller, Cleveland State Keeps Pace and UIC Snaps Skid on Saturday

Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release - Jan. 30, 2011

Saturday provided plenty of thrills in the Horizon League, with Butler and Valparaiso kicking off the day with an overtime classic.  Cleveland State followed by maintaining its half-game lead in the League, while UIC snapped a nine-game skid.

At the Athletics-Recreation Center, Butler (14-8, 6-4 Horizon) and Valparaiso (16-6, 8-2 Horizon) traded the lead 12 times, the final coming in overtime as the Crusaders claimed a key 85-79 victory over the Bulldogs.  The victory was the first for Valpo over Butler in nearly 18 years.

With fouls mounting, it was Matt Kenney and Ryan Broekhoff who led the Crusaders out to an early lead in the extra session; Kenney's finger roll gave Valpo a two-point lead, and his dish to Ryan Broekhoff led to a three for the Australian, putting the Crusaders up, 72-67, with 3:28 left.  After the teams traded points, Chase Stigall rattled home a three from the left corner, bringing Butler within 74-72, but setting the stage for Howard Little's closing heroics.

With the Bulldogs clamping down and looking for stop, Little knocked down an 18-foot jumper as the shot clock expired to create a two-possession game with just over 1:30 remaining.  Butler could not convert on its possession, but Little was, flinging a high arching 28-footer at the rim, only to see it rattle through with under 40 seconds left.

Butler had forced overtime on a Matt Howard three-point play with 30 seconds left.  The senior finished with his third double-double in Horizon League play with a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds.  Zach Hahn posted 17 points, pushing Butler ahead in both the first and second halves, only to see the Crusaders rally midway through the second half to build an eight-point lead with 3:29 to play in regulation, setting the stage for Butler's comeback.

Shawn Vanzant added 14 and Shelvin Mack 10 for the Bulldogs, while four Crusaders finished in double figures, with Kenney, Cory Johnson and Broekhoff finishing with 16 points apiece.  Brandon Wood, nursing an injured hamstring, came alive in the second half to record 15 points.

Valparaiso remained one-half game behind Cleveland State (20-3, 9-2 Horizon), who used hot shooting to get past Loyola (13-9, 4-7 Horizon), 81-70, at the Gentile Center.  Picking up their 20th win of the season, the Vikings reached the feat for the third time in four seasons.

All five starters scored in double figures for Cleveland State, as the Vikings shot 58.1 percent in the opening half to build a 47-35 lead on the Ramblers.  Knocking down six of its first nine three-point attempts, CSU overcame an 18-12 Loyola lead with a 12-0 spurt midway through the half.  Tim Kamczyc, Trevon Harmon and Jeremy Montgomery were a combined 7-of-8 from distance in the opening half.

Loyola rallied after the half, closing within four points with just under 16 minutes to play, but Norris Cole scored the next three points to restore a three-possession cushion.  Walt Gibler kept the Ramblers in the game throughout, finishing with a career-best 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

17 turnovers hampered the Loyola comeback efforts, as Cleveland State turned the miscues into 25 points.  Harmon led the Vikings with 21.

On the opposite side of Chicago, UIC (6-16, 1-0 Horizon) dominated in the front court to coast past Youngstown State (7-14, 1-10 Horizon), 83-61, at the UIC Pavilion.  Forwards Brad Birton and Paul Carter each had double-doubles for the Flames, who gave head coach Howard Moore his first career Horizon League victory.

The final score belied the competitiveness throughout, as Youngstown State led early in the second half and trailed by just five with 12:35 to play.  UIC closed the game on a 35-18 run.

For the second straight contest, Birton posted career-highs in both scoring and rebounding, with 14 points and 14 boards.  Birton had already picked up his double-double with 3:48 to go in the first half.  Carter matched Birton's 14 points and grabbed 10 caroms to record his ninth double-double of the year.

Dipandjot Singh keyed the Flames in the first half, helping overcome Blake Allen's hot start for the Penguins.  After YSU opened 23-18 lead, Singh controlled the next 1:46, handing out a transition assist, coming up with two steals and two three-point plays.  A Singh triple capped the 9-0 burst, and UIC took a 34-32 lead into the locker room.

Allen led the Penguins with 14 points, while Vytas Sulskis continued his climb up the Youngstown State career scoring charts with 11 points.  Singh had 11 points off the bench for UIC, while Robo Kreps posted 12.