After giving Green Bay the opportunity to climb back into the game, Josh Crittle made sure he picked up UIC down the stretch, scoring the last six points to push the Flames to a 60-57 victory over the visiting Phoenix at the UIC Pavilion.

Entering Wednesday night, there was a chance the Horizon League men’s basketball standings could open up. There was also a chance that the standings could become bunched, as they have each of the previous two seasons. After wins by Youngstown State, Detroit and Loyola, it was the latter, as the League standings tightened.

With six teams sitting within 2.5 games of one another, parity continues to reign in the Horizon League, just as it has for the last two seasons. As the nine teams hit the halfway point in the League schedule, one will be looking to continue to separate from the field, while several more will be looking to close the gaps and climb the ladder.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Green Bay sophomore Michael Tenzer (Neuried, Germany) has been named the Horizon League Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week, while Milwaukee senior Maddy Soule [New Braufels, Texas/New Braufels (Montana)] has earned Women’s Tennis honors, for the week of Jan. 21-27. The accolade is the second of Tenzer’s career, while Soule earns the award for the third time in her career.

News and notes from around the Horizon League.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Green Bay junior center Alec Brown (Winona, Minn./Winona) has been named the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, while Youngstown State junior forward Kamren Belin [Atlanta, Ga./Walton (Cowley College)] has been named the Newcomer of the Week, for the week of Jan. 21-27. The award is the first of both players’ careers.

It is often said that basketball is a game of runs. The axiom was reinforced throughout the Horizon League on Wednesday night, as runs both early and late helped decide all four games.

INDIANAPOLIS -- UIC sophomore Maurizio Feoli (San Jose, Costa Rica/Pan-American) has been named the Horizon League Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week, for the week of Jan. 14-20. The accolade is the first of Feoli’s career.

In baseball, it’s said that good pitching beats good hitting. In football, good defense stymies good offense. And on Monday night, it was Wright State’s defense that flummoxed one of the nation’s top offenses in Detroit, snagging a 64-62 road win on Dick Vitale Court at Calihan Hall.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Valparaiso senior forward Kevin Van Wijk (Hoofddorp, Netherlands/Katholieke Scholengemeenschap Hoofddorp) has been named the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, while Green Bay freshman forward Jordan Fouse (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine’s) has been named the Newcomer of the Week, for the week of Jan. 14-20. The award is the first of the season for both players and the third of Van Wijk’s career.