#HLMBB Championship First Round Roundup
#REACHtheHORIZON Tournament Central | #HLMBB Bracket
INDIANAPOLIS – Thursday tipped off the first round of the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship in thrilling fashion as Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis reset the #HLMBB tournament record book and Purdue Fort Wayne earned an upset win in double overtime, while Youngstown State and Milwaukee each claimed wins at home to advance to Tuesday’s quarterfinal games on campus.
RESULTS
GAME RECAPS
Detroit Mercy 83, RMU 73
- Detroit Mercy earned its first win in the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship since 2016.
- Antoine Davis put on a show for the ages for the Titans as he set HL Tournament single-game records with 46 points and 10 made 3-pointers. The three-time All-League First Team selection went 16-of-26 from the floor, including 10-of-16 from behind the arc, and added five assists. He also became the 13th playing in HL history to surpass 2,000 career points.
- Detroit Mercy’s Bul Kuol added 14 points, while Chris Brandon posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
- RMU finishes its first season the Horizon League 4-15 and 3-12 during HL play.
- Kahliel Spear recorded a season-high 22 points for the Colonials and Jon Williams finished the game with 17 points hitting four of his six 3-point attempts.
- Detroit Mercy shot 56 percent (30-54) from the floor as a team and 54 percent (13-24) from long range and outrebounded RMU, 34-21.
- The Titans will now travel to Highland Heights, Ky. to face off against No. 4 seed Northern Kentucky in the quarterfinals marking the first meeting between the teams this season.
Youngstown State 74, UIC 58
- For the second-straight season, Youngstown State won its opening round game in the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship.
- All five YSU starters finished in double figures led by Michael Akuchie registering a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, his seventh of the season.
- All-League Second Team selection Naz Bohannon tallied 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting for the Penguins and Darius Quisenberry added 12.
- UIC ends the 2020-21 campaign with a record of 9-13 overall and 6-10 in HL play.
- Teyvion Kirk led four UIC players in double figures with 13 and added seven rebounds and RayQuawndis recorded 12 off the bench.
- The Penguins forced 18 turnovers by the Flames, converting them into 16 points, and held a 13-4 advantage in second-chance points.
- YSU travels to No. 3 Oakland on Tuesday in the quarterfinals as the teams will meet for the fourth time in the Horizon League Basketball Championships since Oakland joined the HL in the 2013-14 season.
Purdue Fort Wayne 89, Green Bay 84 (2OT)
- In its first Horizon League Basketball Championship, Purdue Fort Wayne earned a double overtime win to advance to Tuesday’s quarterfinal round.
- It marked the first overtime game in the tournament since 2016 and the first win by a lower-seeded team in an opening-round game since 2017.
- Jalon Pipkins score a team-high 21 points for the Mastodons, including hitting a 3-pointer off the glass as time expired to send the game to its second extra period.
- All-League Third Team honoree Jarred Godfrey ended the game with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Demetric Horton added 13 off the bench.
- The Phoenix close this season 8-17 and 8-12 in HL play.
- Green Bay’s PJ Pipes posted a game-best 27 points, 17 coming in the second half and overtime, while All-League Second Team selection Amari Davis and Emmanuel Ansong each recorded 18.
- Neither team led by as many as eight points in the game with the difference coming at the 3-point line as the Mastodons shot 48 percent (10-21), while the Phoenix went 4-for-14.
- Purdue Fort Wayne will now travel to top-seed Cleveland State for a quarterfinal matchup on March 2. It will be the fifth meeting between the two teams, but the first inside the Wolstein Center.
Milwaukee 84, IUPUI 72
- Milwaukee claimed its first win in the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship on Thursday since 2018 after earning its fourth win in five tries against IUPUI this season.
- The Panthers had a pair of 20-point performances tonight with All-HL Third Team selection Te’Jon Lucas scoring 22 points and DeAndre Gholston collecting 20.
- Amir Allen registered a double-double for MKE with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Josh Thomas also added 13 points.
- IUPUI falls to 8-10 overall on the season and ended HL play 7-9.
- Elyjah Goss posted double-double No. 10 on the season for the Jags with 20 points and 17 boards for his third 20-point effort of the year.
- Jaylen Minnett tallied a game-high 23 points for IUPUI and All-Horizon League Second Team honoree Marcus Burk ended the game with 12.
- Milwaukee hits the road to No. 2 seed Wright State for Tuesday’s quarterfinal matchup where the two teams met earlier this season on Feb. 12-13.
2021 HORIZON LEAGUE MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
| DATE |
GAME |
Time (ET) |
TV/Live Stream |
| Tuesday, March 2 |
No. 1 Cleveland State vs. No. 10 Purdue Fort Wayne |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
No. 2 Wright State vs. No. 8 Milwaukee |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
No. 3 Oakland vs. No. 6 Youngstown State |
7:30 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
No. 4 Northern Kentucky vs. No. 5 Detroit Mercy |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Monday, March 8 |
Semifinal No. 1 -
Highest-Remaining Seed vs. Lowest-Remaining Seed |
6:30 p.m. |
ESPNU |
|
Semifinal No. 2 -
Second Highest-Remaining Seed vs. Second Lowest-Remaining Seed |
9:30 p.m. |
ESPN2 |
| Tuesday, March 9 |
Championship Game |
7 p.m. |
ESPN or ESPN2 |