In a week which featured games in just two days, the upsets and chaos could not be stopped in the Horizon League. From a red-hot Cleveland State beating another top team in the league then losing to the last-place
team, to the league-leaders falling on the road at the hands of Robert Morris, which is still looking to find its magic from a season ago, another busy week is in the books. Here’s a recap of some key wins and happenings from the week, as well as an updated look at the standings.
Standings
1. Wright State (11-3)
2. Oakland (10-4)
3. Green Bay (9-6)
4. Purdue Fort Wayne (8-6)
5. Robert Morris (8-7)
6. Detroit Mercy (7-7)
7. Northern Kentucky (7-8)
8. Cleveland State (6-8)
9. Youngstown State (5-9)
10. Milwaukee (5-10)
11. IU Indianapolis (3-11)
Wins of the week
Youngstown State 90, Purdue Fort Wayne 61
Horizon League play has not been kind to Youngstown State, which looked like it had a real chance to win the league after non-conference play. Wednesday night, however, the Penguins reverted to the team which seemed to be a contender earlier this season. In a dominant effort, Ethan Faulkner’s bunch handled the Mastodons, which had been hot and looked to make a move on the league’s top teams.
Four of the five starters for Youngstown State scored in double figures, led by Bryson Dawkins’ 18, along with 14 off the bench from Tae Blackshear. The usual trio of scorers for Purdue Fort Wayne – Corey Hadnot II, Mikale Stevenson and DeAndre Craig Jr. – was productive, combining for 41 points, but the Mastodons got just 20 points elsewhere and only mustered 61 points in a 90-61 Youngstown State win.
The Penguins also knocked down 16 of their 28 attempts from three, grabbed 30 rebounds to Purdue Fort Wayne’s 18, and held the Mastodons to just six assists as a team. At 5-9 in league play, a game like this proves Youngstown State could be dangerous in a tournament setting as a lower seed.
Robert Morris 72, Wright State 666
All season, the defending champions have sought consistency. Falling below .500 in league play beyond the halfway point was definitely not the plan for Andy Toole and Robert Morris, but it’s where it found itself entering the week. Although, no team had a greater opportunity for a momentum swing. On Wednesday night, the Colonials hosted Wright State in an opportunity to steal one from the league leaders at home.
Ryan Prather Jr. continued his strong season with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. DeSean Goode added 16 points, and Nikolaos Chitikoudis notched a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. The issues for Robert Morris haven’t been from those three, it’s been getting someone else to step up on a nightly basis. In Wednesday’s 72-66 win over the Raiders, Darius Livingston filled the role and scored 16 points on four 3-pointers. The Colonials’ defense held the balanced Wright State offense to 35% shooting from the field and 25% from three to secure a major win on national television.
Purdue Fort Wayne 73, Wright State 68
After faltering at home against Youngstown State, Purdue Fort Wayne was posed with the best possible bounce back opportunity, a road game at league-leading Wright State. The backcourt has been the story for the Raiders in plenty of games this season, but on Saturday, it was all about Michael Imariagbe up front. In a 19-point, 16-rebound double-double, the veteran big man grabbed seven offensive boards, generating extra possessions for his team which was critical in a 73-68 win.
Michael Cooper continued to come off the bench but played 28 minutes and scored 13 points on 50% shooting to go along with four assists. As Wright State has done more often than not this season, it just found a way to win. Despite a 14-point halftime lead, this game got closer than Clint Sargent would have preferred, but another win over a top-four team in the league is never something to avoid celebrating.
Notable results
Green Bay sweeps week
Green Bay had lost four of its last five games entering the week, but got two key wins last week to move back into third place in the standings thanks to a winless week for Purdue Fort Wayne. On Wednesday, it was an overtime thriller at Northern Kentucky. C.J. O’Hara did the heavy lifting, scoring a team-best 23 points, but it was the captain, Preston Ruedinger who came through in the clutch. The veteran guard was plagued by an illness and struggled shooting on the night, but knocked down a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining in overtime to clinch the 87-84 win. On Sunday, five players scored in double figures as the Phoenix took care of Detroit Mercy, 76-63.
Cleveland State extends win streak only to see it get snapped
Cleveland State, which entered the week winners of four straight, had one of the more polarizing weeks across the league. CSU picked up a huge win but also suffering a let-down loss. On Wednesday, in the Woodling Gymnasium, because of a scheduling change due to an issue at the Wolstein Center, the Vikings stayed hot and took down Oakland 91-78 behind 17 3-pointers. In an opportunity to make it six-straight, Cleveland State fell behind by 15 at the break against IU Indianapolis on Sunday and couldn’t overcome the deficit. Behind 16 points and six assists from Kyler D’Augustino, the Jaguars snapped the Vikings’ win streak, just days after they had knocked off the league’s second-ranked team.
Robert Morris builds momentum
Building on Wednesday’s big win, Robert Morris won at Youngstown State over the weekend to get back above .500 in league play. Goode and Prather Jr. once again carried a majority of the load, combining for 40 points, but Livingston had another strong game with 12 points off the bench, and Kaleb Brown also reached double figures. In a week where the Colonials had a couple of great opportunities to flip the switch, pick up some quality wins and build some momentum, they did just that. Now sitting at fifth in the standings, the defending champions and a coach with that pedigree could become a dark horse in postseason play if they can get consistent production outside of Goode and Prather.
