Horizon Report: Detroit Mercy Collects Their First Win
Detroit Mercy picked up their first win of the season against IUPUI on Wednesday night, leading to a wild court storm of 1 person. The Horizon League produced some amazing games around the conference!
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have the game of the year…Detroit Mercy gets their first win! The Titans of Detroit Mercy knocked off IUPUI 81-66 in an electric game that featured 35 combined turnovers, 40 combined fouls, and an alleged electric crowd of 611 (there is no way).
The Horizon League pieced together an insane night of basketball. From Detroit Mercy moving to 1-26 on the season, to Green Bay getting knocked off, it feels like March basketball is upon us. Let’s break it down.
The Titans Emerge Triumphant in Detroit
As forementioned, the Titans of Detroit Mercy were 0-26 coming into Wednesday while IUPUI was 6-20. This was going to be the Titans best shot at a victory this season and they took it by storm early. The game started out on an 11-0 run for the Titans, and IUPUI never clawed their way back.
Jayden Stone dropped 25 points to go with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. While Marcus Tankersley put up 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals as well. What’s mind-boggling is, Jayden Stone averaged over 20 points a game and Tankersley averages over 16 points a game. Throw Ryan Hurst in there who is averaging over 12 points a game but has been hurt since January 4th. The best part, Hurst is a Freshman, Tankersley is a Sophomore, and Stone is a Senior with another year of eligibility. It’s crazy this team has only won one game this season, but if they can build another year with these three, the Titans could be solid next season.
Northern Kentucky Knocks off Green Bay
Green Bay has been tremendous this year, coming into Wednesday the Phoenix were 17-9 on the season and 10-1 in conference for sole possession of first place. However, the Norse were looking for blood. They stepped up the defense and held Green Bay to just 7-32 shooting from 3pt, while also racking up 6 steals and 3 blocks compared to Green Bay’s 3 steals and 0 blocks.
The game came down to the wire as the Norse forced a contested 3pt shot with just 13 seconds on the clock. They were able to run the length of the court and make a layup with just 5 seconds left.
Northern Kentucky was led by LJ Wells with 13 points & 9 rebounds, Keeyan Itejere with 12 points & 4 rebounds, and Randall Pettus with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists off the bench. This win moves the Norse up to 14-12 & 9-6 in conference which puts them tied for 4th place.
For the Phoenix, they drop to 17-10 on the season and 10-2 in conference, in which they are now tied with Oakland for first place.
Milwaukee closed out Cleveland State
In what was another great game on Wednesday night, neither Milwaukee nor Cleveland State ever led by more than 9 points in this game. That came at the 5:34 mark in the first half. In the final 10 minutes of the game, there were 6 lead changes, which ended in a 71-68 win for the Milwaukee Panthers.
Faizon Fields led the way with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks for the Panthers, while Tristan Enaruna kept the Vikings in the game with a 20 point, 8 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block performance. The Kansas and Iowa State transfer is now averaging 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game this season. A prime example of an excellent player that transfers down to a mid-major and gets an opportunity to shine!
Milwaukee’s win moves the Panthers to 13-13 on the season and 8-7 in conference play, which is good enough to be tied for technically 4th in way is a very congested top of the conference. For the Vikings, they fall to 15-11 which brings them to 8-7 as well and tied with the Panthers.
Oakland Defeats Purdue Fort Wayne
Purdue Fort Wayne has produced some mediocre results in conference play after having one of the best non-conference records among all mid-majors. This loss moves the Mastodons to 16-10 on the season and 7-8 in conference, which puts them at 8th in the Horizon League. For Oakland, this win propels them into a tie for 1st place with Green Bay.
Last night, Senior Jack Gohlke led the way for the Grizzlies putting up 23 points on 6-14 shooting (all 3pt shots), 3 rebounds, and 2 assists off the bench. Over his last 6 games, Gohlke is now averaging 19 points per game. The D2 transfer has been a massive help for the Grizzlies throughout conference play, in which has been a nice addition to an overall solid season for Oakland. Looking at their non-conference, they lose to Ohio State by 6, #25 Illinois by 9, Drake by 8, Toledo by 1, which are all impressive.
It's going to be a battle down the stretch between Oakland and Green Bay!
Youngstown State Holds off Robert Morris
The Penguins have been one of the most underrated mid-majors in college basketball this year. Last night, they held off Robert Morris in an 87-77 victory that moved them to 19-8 on the season and 11-5 in conference. They are now just 1 game out of first place.
It was a great effort from DJ Burns who had an insane stat line of 24 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Brett Thompson and Ziggy Reid also had great games with 27 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 20 points, 8 rebounds for each respectively.
For Robert Morris, it was a valiant effort from their starters who put up 26 points, 17 points, 15 points, and 14 points. However, their other three players combined for just 5 points. The Colonials have now fallen to 10-16 on the season and 6-9 in conference play, ahead of just IUPUI and Detroit Mercy.