Horizon League First Round
by Brian Seymour
No. 4 Loyola-Chicago vs. No. 9 Cleveland State
Loyola (15-15) easily handled Cleveland State 69-57 at home, moving into a quarterfinal contest against Detroit. David Bailey’s 23 points and seven assists led the Ramblers, who were able to blow open a close game with a 10-0 run with 15 minutes left in the game to take a 44-34 lead. Loyola also enjoyed a 46-30 advantage on the boards. Jonathan Burge and Percell Coles scored 12 points for Cleveland State, which finishes the season at 8-22.
No. 5 Detroit vs. No. 8 Wright State
Loyola’s opponent in the quarterfinals also enjoyed its home-court advantage as Detroit rolled to a 78-61 victory over Wright State. Senior Terrell Riggs matched a career-high with 28 points for the Titans (17-11), who are peaking at the right time with four wins in a row and 10 of their last 13. Wright State (10-18) dismissed coach Ed Schilling the day after the loss.
No. 6 Wisconsin-Green Bay vs. No. 7 Youngstown State
Finally, Youngstown State is officially the Cinderella of the Horizon tournament after knocking off Wisconsin-Green Bay on UWGB’s home floor, 65-61. It was the first road win for the Penguins (9-19) in two years, a streak of 29 straight games, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Senior Marlon Williamson scored 22 and Doug Underwood added 16 for YSU, who will meet heavily favored Illinois-Chicago in the quarterfinal round. Wisconsin-Green Bay (10-20) enjoyed a decided advantage at the free throw line, making 26-of-28 attempts compared to YSU’s 8-of-18 performance, but was done in by allowing 28 offensive rebounds to the Penguins.
