Keeps Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship First Round Roundup

Keeps Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship First Round Roundup

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#REACHtheHORIZON Tournament Central | #HLMBB Bracket
INDIANAPOLIS – Tuesday tipped off the first round of the Keeps Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship in exciting fashion as higher seed Oakland, Detroit Mercy and UIC each earned win, while RMU picked up an upset victory as all four teams advance to the quarterfinals. 

RESULTS
GAME RECAP
No. 6 Detroit Mercy 79, No. 11 Green Bay 62 Box Score
No. 10 RMU 77, No. 7 Youngstown State 73 Box Score
No. 8 seed RMU 70, No. 9 seed Purdue Fort Wayne 56 Box Score
No. 6 seed Milwaukee 55, No. 11 seed UIC 46 Box Score
 
GAME RECAPS
Detroit Mercy 79, Green Bay 62
  • Detroit Mercy earned a win in the opening round of the Keeps Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship for the second year in a row.
  • For the second-straight year, Co-Player of the Year Antoine Davis put on a show in the first round as he finished with 38 points on 15-made field goals including six 3-pointers after scoring a HL Tournament record 46 a year ago.  
  • Detroit Mercy’s Kevin McAdoo added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while D.J. Harvey posted 10 points.
  • GB finishes season 5-24 and 4-16 during HL play.
  • All-Horizon League Freshman Team honoree Kamari McGee totaled 20 points for the Phoenix and grabbed nine rebounds. Emmanuel Ansong chipped in 11.
  • Detroit Mercy shot 54.4 percent (31-57) from the floor as a team and 47.4 percent (9-19) from long range, while holding Green Bay to just 26.3 percent shooting from deep (5-19).
  • The Titans will now travel to Highland Heights, Ky. to face off against No. 3 seed Northern Kentucky in a quarterfinal rematch from a year ago.
RMU 77, Youngstown State 73
  • The Colonials earned their first-ever win in the #HLMBB Championship since joining the League prior to the 2020-21 season in upset fashion as it took down No. 7 seed Youngstown State.
  • Five RMU players finished in double figures led by Kahliel Spear registering a double-double with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 13 rebounds.
  • Enoch Cheeks and Kam Farris each tallied 12 points for the Colonials, while Michael Green III and Matt Mayers both registered 10.
  • YSU ends the 2020-21 campaign with a record of 18-14 overall and 12-9 in HL play.
  • Dwayne Cohill led all scorers with 25 points for the Penguins on 3-of-4 shooting from distance, while Tevin Olison scored 17.
  • The Colonials were very efficient inside the 3-point line as they shot 61.5 percent (24-39) from 2-point range.  
  • With the upset win, RMU now has a date with No. 1 Cleveland State on Thursday in the quarterfinals at the Wolstein Center.
Oakland 70, IUPUI 58
  • The Golden Grizzlies advance to the quarterfinals of the #HLMBB championship for the ninth year in a row.
  • Co-Player of the Year Jamal Cain led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting for Oakland. Jalen Moore came close to a triple-double with 16 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, while Blake Lampman hit four 3-pointers for 14 points.
  • Four IUPUI players finished in double figures led by B.J. Maxwell shooting 6-of-8 from the floor for 15 points, followed by Boston Stanton III with 13, Nathan McClure with 12 and Chuks Isitua with 11.
  • Oakland forced 20 turnovers and held a 15-4 advtange in points off turnovers.
  • The Golden Grizzlies will now travel to No. 4 seed Wright State for a quarterfinal matchup on March 3.
UIC 80, Milwaukee 69
  • UIC advanced to the quarterfinals of the #HLMBB championship for the second time in two seasons with a win on the road at Milwaukee.
  • Two UIC players finished in double figures as Kevin Johnson totaled 21 points with seven free throws.
  • Michael Diggins tallied 13 points for the Flames, while Damaria Franklin, Jalen Warren and Filip Skobalj each recorded 12.
  • Milwaukee falls to 10-22 overall on the season and ended HL play with an 8-14 mark.
  • Jordan Lathon hit four 3-pointers for the Panthers for a team-high 19 points, while Joey St. Pierre registered a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
  • UIC hits the road to No. 2 seed Purdue Fort Wayne for Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 3
No. 2 Purdue Fort Wayne vs. No. 8 UIC, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
No. 3 Northern Kentucky vs. No. 6 Detroit Mercy, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
No. 4 Wright State vs. No. 5 Oakland 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
No. 1 Cleveland State vs. No. 10 RMU 8 p.m. (ESPN+)

Monday, March 7
Semifinal No. 1 - Highest-Remaining Seed vs. Lowest-Remaining Seed, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Semifinal No. 2 - Second Highest-Remaining Seed vs. Second Lowest-Remaining Seed, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Tuesday, March 8
Championship Game, 7 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)