Wright State, Milwaukee Advance to #HLMBB Championship Game

#HLMBB Championship Bracket

Tickets
Tickets for the championship game of the Horizon League Tournament between Wright State and Milwaukee Tuesday night at WSU's Nutter Center will go on sale to the general public Sunday at noon ET through WSURaiders.com. Tickets will be sold starting Monday at the WSU Nutter Center Box Office and through TicketMaster.com.

Men’s Basketball Scoreboard
No. 3 Wright State 68, No. 2 Cleveland State 63
No. 5 Milwaukee 73, No. 1 Green Bay 66

ASHWAUBENON, Wis.— Last season, Wright State was tabbed last in the Horizon League Preseason Poll. This season, Milwaukee earned the distinction. By seasons end, both teams played their way into the championship game of the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship.

Wright State 68, Cleveland State 63
No. 3 seed Wright State scored the first seven points of the contest, jumped out a 37-31 lead, and held on to defeat No. 2 seed Cleveland State 68-63 to advance to Tuesday’s championship game.

Trey Lewis hit one of two free throws to cut the Raiders lead to three with 36 seconds left, 63-60, but it was as close as the Vikings would get in the final five minutes.

Cole Darling scored 21 points and was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Miles Dixon added 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from field.

After Wright State opened the game on a 7-0 run, Cleveland State (21-11) rallied to take a 14-9 lead. However, Wright State scored nine of the last 11 points in the first-half, capped by an AJ Pacher jumper as time expired.

Dixon was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field in the opening half and finished with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

Wright State shot 55% (22-40) from the field which included a 50% (7-14) clip from three-point range.  Cleveland State posted a 40% shooting percentage (18-45).

Anton Grady led the Vikings with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Charlie Lee posted 16 points and Trey Lewis chipped in 14 points.

Since losing to Cleveland State 72-68 on February 8, the Raiders (20-13) have ripped of six straight wins. Wright State, who has appeared in the championship game each of the last two seasons, will host Milwaukee on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Milwaukee 73, Green Bay 66
Trailing 62-60, Jordan Aaron laid in a contested layup with 13 seconds left in regulation to lift No. 5 seed Milwaukee into overtime.

In the extra period, Matt Tiby snagged a crucial offensive rebound with 1:12 remaining and converted a layup to take a 67-64 lead.

Aaron then hit a contested jumper from the right baseline with 22 seconds left to extend the Panthers lead, 69-64.

Keifer Sykes made two free throws with 18 seconds remaining in overtime to cut the Panthers lead to three, 69-66. No. 1 seed Green Bay forced a Milwaukee turnover, but the Phoenix couldn’t convert on the next possession.

Tiby went 4-of-4 in overtime from the free throw line and finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Aaron finished the game with 28 points.

Milwaukee stymied Green Bay (24-6) much of the first-half and led the Phoenix 28-19 at the break. The Panthers held Horizon League Player of the Year Sykes and first team all-league member Alec Brown to two combined first-half points on 0-of-10 shooting.

Greg Mays and Sykes came out of intermission scoring 15 of the team’s first 17 points to get the Phoenix within striking distance.

Green Bay trailed the first 25:20 before Alec Brown knocked down a 3-pointer for the first Phoenix lead of the contest, 50-48. However, Jordan Aaron answered with a 3-pointer of his own on the very next possession.

The Panthers trailed by four late in regulation; however, Aaron made two free throws and the game tying layup.

Mays posted 17 points and nine rebounds and finished 7-of-10 from the field. Brown finished with nine points and four rebounds and Sykes posted 15 points.

Milwaukee (20-13) shot 45% (26-58) while Green Bay shot 35% (21-60).