#MotorCityMadness Quarterfinals #HLMBB Roundup: March 5
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Tuesday's Motor City Madness Three Stars of the Day
INDIANAPOLIS – Tuesday marked the first day of the 2019 Little Caesars Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship with quarterfinal round matchups and the action did not disappoint. The home teams prevailed on Tuesday as No. 1 seed Wright State and No. 4 seed Green Bay advanced to the semifinals on Monday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The two will face off in the first semifinal matchup at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
TODAY'S RESULTS
GAME RECAPS
Wright State 71, IUPUI 56
In Tuesday night’s quarterfinal of the Little Caesars Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship, it was the No. 1 seed Wright State Raiders advancing with a 71-56 victory over the No. 8 seed IUPUI Jaguars.
Feeling right at home in the friendly confines of the Nutter Center, the defending champion Raiders announced their presence defensively from the opening tip. IUPUI was held scoreless for nearly four minutes to begin the game. The suffocating Raider defense, aided by All-Defensive selections Mark Hughes and Parker Ernsthausen, forced four early turnovers and built a commanding 16-5 advantage.
Then it was time for Bill Wampler to join the show. The All-Horizon League Second Team selection knocked down his first 3 and never looked back. He cashed in four from downtown on his way to 14 opening-half points off the bench. His last swish from beyond the arc gave the Raiders a 19-point advantage, 34-15.
Loudon Love, an All-League First Team honoree, dominated the paint with nine points and five rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
On the other side, IUPUI’s explosive scorer Camron Justice could not find the range. The All-Horizon League Second Team pick went without a basket in the first half, though he would add six free throws in the closing minutes to cut Wright State’s lead to a more manageable 34-21 at intermission.
But the Raider defense locked in even more fiercely to start the second half. Scott Nagy’s club shut out the Jaguars for over five minutes before D.J. McCall’s dunk ended the dry spell, but the Wright State lead had already ballooned back to 22.
Hughes, Alan Vest, and the rest of the Raiders hounded Justice throughout the night. The Jaguars star entered play with a scoring average just under 19 points per game, third-best in the Horizon League. But he would finish with only eight points on 1-of-8 from the floor.
Wright State featured a balanced offensive attack, with four players reaching double-figures.
Wampler led the way with 18, while Love collected 13 and nine boards. Freshmen Skyelar Potter (12 points) and Malachi Smith (11) played confidently in their first postseason action. Potter wowed the Nutter Center crowd with a pair of highlight-reel dunks in the second half.
Jaylen Minnett, named the Horizon League’s Sixth Man of the Year earlier in the day, dropped in a team-high 17 points for IUPUI. Junior guard Grant Weatherford hauled in nine rebounds.
But this was Wright State’s night from start to finish. Ernsthausen kicked things off with a 3-pointer and the Raiders would hold the lead from that point forward. The Horizon League’s stingiest defensive unit blanked the Jaguars from 3-point land for over 30 minutes before Minnett found the bottom of the net with 9:37 remaining. IUPUI had missed its first 11 from long range. Wright State built a 31-point lead, 65-34, but Jason Gardner’s tough-minded group kept fighting until the final buzzer, closing the game on a 22-6 burst.
IUPUI came into the game as the Horizon League’s best rebounding team, but the Raiders clawed their way to an important 44-34 victory in that department.
IUPUI concludes its season with a 16-16 overall record.
With the win, Wright State (20-12) advances to the Motor City Madness semifinals. They will square off against the No. 4 seed Green Bay Phoenix (17-15) on Monday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The game will be televised on ESPNU at 7 p.m.
Green Bay 82, UIC 77
In a thrilling quarterfinal of the 2019 Little Caesars Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship, it was the No. 4 seed Green Bay Phoenix escaping with an 82-77 victory over the No. 5 seed UIC Flames on Tuesday night at the Resch Center.
It looked as if the Flames were in prime position to grab the road win after a Godwin Boahen 3 put UIC up 74-69 with just over four minutes to play. But Green Bay stormed back with the next nine points -- including a clutch 3-point play from All-League First Team pick Sandy Cohen III -- to gain a lead they would not relinquish. UIC sank 12 from downtown on the night, but could not get a tying attempt off in the final seconds, turning the ball over along the sideline.
It was a back-and-forth affair throughout the evening, with neither team able to build a significant advantage. Green Bay’s largest lead was five, same as the final margin. UIC’s biggest bulge was seven.
Both teams shot an identical 42% in the first half. Shanquan “Tank” Hemphill topped all scorers with 10. But UIC got major contributions from subs Jamie Ahale and Jacob Wiley to stay close. At the break, the Phoenix held the slightest of leads, 35-34.
The final 20 minutes was Horizon League basketball at its finest.
Boahen scored five straight to get momentum back on the side of the Flames, but an outstanding blocked shot and then 3-pointer on the other end from JayQuan McCloud got the home crowd roaring.
Unsung hero Trevian Bell couldn’t miss for Green Bay, burning the nets for 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including three triples. He’d reached double-figures just once during Horizon League play.
For much of the second half, it was the Tarkus Ferguson show. The dynamite junior point guard, a Second Team All-League selection, scored 16 of his team-high 22 after the break. But it wasn’t quite enough.
Cohen paced the Phoenix with 21 points, including several key plays down the stretch. He played all 40 minutes without committing a turnover, while picking up three assists.
McCloud was the perfect Robin to Cohen’s Batman, finishing with 19 points. He calmly dropped in two crucial free throws in the waning seconds to push Green Bay’s lead to three.
Steve McClain’s team fought valiantly during two extremely tight regular season losses to Green Bay and this opener to Motor City Madness was eerily similar.
The Flames converted 12 3-pointers, five more than the Phoenix. They made 30 field goals to Green Bay’s 28. But the free throw line proved to be the difference.
Green Bay marched to the line 25 times and knocked down 19. UIC was just 5-of-6 at the stripe.
The Flames were led by Ferguson’s 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Boahen enjoyed a 7-of-14 night from the floor on the way to 17 points.
Ahale and Wiley combined for 17 points off the bench.
Linc Darner’s persistent bunch, known for its RP-40 -- “Relentless Pressure for 40 Minutes” -- closed the game on a 13-3 run in the final 3:54.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for the Phoenix.
After nine conference games, Green Bay’s record sat at just 4-5. Then Cohen, McCloud and Co. rattled off six wins in final nine to finish 10-8 and clinch a first-round home game. That momentum carried right into Motor City Madness and the Phoenix are officially headed for Detroit.
For the Flames, their starting lineup of five juniors, now to be seniors, will likely make them one of the conference favorites heading into 2019-20.
UIC completes its season with a 16-16 overall mark.
Green Bay (17-15) advances to play top-seeded seed Wright State (20-12) in the Motor City Madness semifinals on Monday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The game will be televised on ESPNU at 7 p.m.
2019 MOTOR CITY MADNESS SCHEDULE
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME (ET) |
TV/LIVE STREAM |
| Wednesday, March 6 |
No. 7 Detroit Mercy at No. 2 Northern Kentucky |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
No. 6 Youngstown State at No. 3 Oakland |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Monday, March 11 |
No. 1 Wright State vs. No. 4 Green Bay |
7 p.m. |
ESPNU |
|
Semifinal No. 2 |
9:30 p.m. |
ESPNU |
| Tuesday, March 12 |
Championship Game |
7 p.m. |
ESPN |
MOTOR CITY MADNESS
The 2019 Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championships will begin March 5-6 at highest seeds and will culminate with the semifinal and championship games on March 11-12 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Tickets for the semifinals and championship are on-sale now. Once quarterfinal games conclude on March 5 and 6, fan section information for participating teams will be announced.
State-of-the-art Little Caesars Arena, winner of the 2018 SBJ Facility of the Year, is located in The District Detroit — a vibrant, area full of restaurants, bars, parks, and other destinations. Fans can enjoy four full-service restaurants within the confines of Little Caesars Arena and another just a short walk away. Nearby LCA are five hotels where fans can comfortably unwind after enjoying The District Detroit and the action of Motor City Madness.
To learn more, click here.