#HLMBB Weekly Notebook – January 19
#HLMBB Standings | #HLMBB Statistics | #HLMBB Weekly Notebook
INDIANAPOLIS – Week 5 of the #HLMBB season tips off on Thursday with Oakland remaining unbeaten as it heads for a road trip to Wisconsin. Cleveland State sits at 6-1 in League play as is it prepares to close a four-game homestand and Wright State is just one game behind the Vikings with a three-game road swing upcoming including facing Northern Kentucky on Tuesday.
#HLMBB NEWS & NOTES
• Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis became the program’s all-time leading scorer earlier this season and has moved into third place on the HL’s all-time scoring list with 2,375, passing Valparaiso’s Alec Peters. He also set the Horizon League record for career 3-pointers and now has 379 triples for his career. The two-time Preseason Player of the Year is 98 points away from breaking the HL’s all-time scoring record in League play of 1,481 set by Alfredrick Hughes at Loyola.
• Davis currently leads the Horizon League in scoring and is second in the country with 23.9 points per game, while also leading the country in 3-pointers per game with 4.5. The senior is the nation’s active career leader in scoring average (24.7), 3-pointers per game (3.95) and total points, while also second in total 3-pointers and fourth in free-throw percentage (89.2).
• Oakland’s Jalen Moore is back to leading the country in assists after finishing last season as the No. 1 assist man in Division I. Currently, Moore is averaging 8.2 assists per game and has totaled 131 dimes this season, both tops in the nation. He has seven double-digit assist games this season and is tied with his teammate Jamal Cain with seven double-doubles.
• Since returning to Horizon League play on Dec. 30, Wright State’s Tanner Holden has been on a scoring spree averaging 22.5 points over his last six games as the Raiders are 5-1 over that stretch. Holden is second in the HL in scoring at 20.3 points per game and fifth in field-goal percentage at 49.1 percent and adds 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He is also made the most free throws in the country at 109.
• Jamal Cain is leading the charge for the Golden Grizzlies as he is averaging 19.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, both ranked inside the top-30 nationally. In addition, Cain is also 22nd in country double-doubles with seven and ranks third in the HL in field-goal percentage at 51.0 percent and third in steals with 1.9.
• Two #HLMBB teams are ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll with Oakland jumping up to No. 12, while Cleveland State comes in at No. 22.
• A total of three Horizon League men’s basketball players were tabbed to the Lou Henson Award Midseason Watch List. The award is presented annually to the top mid-major player in division I college basketball. The list included Oakland’s Jamal Cain and Jalen Moore and also Wright State’s Tanner Holden.
• Oakland has started Horizon League play 7-0 for the first time since joining the HL and have done so in impressive fashion as the Golden Grizzlies have held at least 20-point lead in all five of seven games. Oakland is the top Horizon League team in the NCAA’s NET rankings, currently sitting at No. 71, after an exciting start to the season that included a road victory at Oklahoma State and three victories over teams ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll. The Golden Grizzlies are the top scoring offense (75.5) and second scoring defense (66.1) in the HL this season.
• Cleveland State remains in second place in the Horizon League standings despite suffering its first Horizon League loss of the season. The CSU offense as really taken a step forward this season as it is a top-three scoring offense in the League (75.3) with six 80-point games this season, while leading the HL in field-goal percentage (46.9) and assists (17.1). D’Moi Hodge leads the offensive charge for the Vikings with 15.7 points per game on 46.5 percent shooting from the floor, while Preseason All-League First Team selection Torrey Patton is averaging 13.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
• Wright State had its seven-game winning streak snapped on a last-second shot but remain 6-2 in Horizon League play after playing short-handed last weekend. The Raiders continue to play well offensively as they are the top scoring offense during Horizon League play at 79.6 points per game. Along with Holden averaging 20.3 points per game in League play, Grant Basile is third in the League with 19.4 points per game and is also fourth in rebounds with 8.4.
• UIC won three-straight Horizon League road games last week to pull back to .500 in League play. Over the three-game stretch, the Flames scored 76.0 points per game led by Kevin Johnson with 20.3 points on 59.4 percent shooting from the field and 47.1 percent from 3-point range.
• The Horizon League boasts some of the best free-throw shooting teams in the country with four ranked inside the top-25 nationally. Purdue Fort Wayne leads the way at No. 9 at 79.0 percent, followed by Detroit Mercy at No. 11 at 78.4 percent, Oakland at No. 19 at 77.8 percent and Wright State at No. 24 at 77.4 percent.
• Purdue Fort Wayne split a pair of home games over the weekend against previously unbeaten HL opponents to remain at .500 in Horizon League play. Jarred Godfrey set a new career-high with seven 3-pointers against the Golden Grizzlies and is fifth in the HL in scoring at 17.1 points per game. The senior also owns 1,390 career points, good for eighth place in program history.
• Northern Kentucky ranks 21st in the country in steals at 9.4 per game led by freshman Sam Vinson who leads the HL with 2.3 swipes per contest.
• Green Bay’s Lucas Stieber is first in the HL and 27th in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.68.
• Milwaukee holds the best defensive field-goal percentage of all #HLMBB teams at 39.6 percent thanks to defending the paint as the Panthers also lead the HL in blocks at 3.8 per game with Joey St. Pierre leading the block party with a League-best 1.7 per game.
RECENT RESULTS
| DATE |
GAME |
RECAP |
| Thursday, Jan. 13 |
Oakland 70, Cleveland State 65 |
Box Score |
|
Purdue Fort Wayne 62, Detroit Mercy 60 |
Box Score |
|
Wright State 75, RMU 73 |
Box Score |
|
Northern Kentucky 68, Youngstown State 67 |
Box Score |
|
Green Bay 69, IUPUI 54 |
Box Score |
|
UIC 81, Milwaukee 77 |
Box Score |
| Saturday, Jan. 15 |
Oakland 76, Purdue Fort Wayne 68 |
Box Score |
|
Milwaukee 89, IUPUI 54 |
Box Score |
|
Cleveland State 72, Detroit Mercy 70 |
Box Score |
|
UIC 80, Green Bay 63 |
Box Score |
|
Youngstown State 90, Wright State 87 |
Box Score |
|
RMU 74, Northern Kentucky 64 |
Box Score |
| Monday, Jan. 17 |
Purdue Fort Wayne 102, Michigan-Dearborn 59 |
Box Score |
| Tuesday, Jan. 18 |
Ohio State 83, IUPUI 37 |
Box Score |
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
UPCOMING SCHEDULE (All times ET)
Thursday, Jan. 20
Wright State at IUPUI , 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Detroit Mercy at Green Bay, 8:00 PM (ESPN+)
Oakland at Milwaukee, 8:00 PM (ESPN+)
Northern Kentucky at UIC, 8:00 PM (ESPN+)
Friday, Jan. 21
Youngstown State at Cleveland State, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
RMU at Purdue Fort Wayne 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Saturday, Jan. 22
Northern Kentucky at IUPUI, 12:00 PM (ESPN+)
Oakland at Green Bay, 1:00 PM (ESPN+)
Detroit Mercy at Milwaukee, 3:00 PM (ESPN+)
Wright State at UIC, 8:00 PM (ESPN+)
Sunday, Jan. 23
Youngstown State at Purdue Fort Wayne, 12:00 PM (ESPN+)
RMU at Cleveland State, 3:00 PM (ESPN+)
Tuesday, Jan. 25
Wright State at Northern Kentucky, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)