Men's Basketball Release #11

Jan. 14, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Horizon League Player of the Week

Matt Howard, Butler
Freshman * Forward * Connersville, Ind. (Connersville)
Matt Howard led the Bulldogs in scoring in all three victories last week, averaging 19.3 points and seven rebounds versus Loyola, Green Bay and Milwaukee. His 22 points powered Butler past Green Bay on a nationally televised (ESPNU) game, while his 17-point effort lifted the Bulldogs over Milwaukee on Saturday. For the week, Howard shot 65 percent (17-of-26) from the floor and hit 24 of 31 free-throw attempts while also blocking six shots.

Previous Players of the Week: Josh Mayo, UIC (Nov. 12); Cedric Jackson, CSU (Nov. 19); Mike Green, BU (Nov. 26); Matt Howard, BU (Dec. 3); Josh Mayo, UIC (Dec. 10); Samuel Haanpää (Dec. 17); Ryan Tillema, GB (Dec. 24), Todd Brown, WSU (Dec. 31); John Barber, YSU (Jan. 7).

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending January 13

J'Nathan Bullock, Cleveland State
Jr. * F * Flint, Mich.
Bullock helped keep the Vikings undefeated in League play, averaging 14 points and six rebounds in two victories. He logged his third double-double of the year with 12 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 65-63 victory at Wright State.

Eulis Stephens, Detroit
So. * G * Detroit, Mich.
Stephens scored in double figures twice after starting the week averaging 3.7 points per game. He netted a career-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting at Cleveland State on Thursday, and added 14 points at Youngstown State on Saturday.

Mike Schachtner, Green Bay
Jr. * F * Somerset, Wis.
Schachtner averaged 22.5 points in two road games last week. He scored 34 points Saturday at Valparaiso, hitting all seven of his shots behind the arc during a 12-of-17 performance. Schachtner also had 11 points at Butler on Thursday.

J.R. Blount, Loyola
Jr. * G * Milwaukee, Wis.
Blount averaged 19 points in two losses last week. He had a season-high 23 points in Saturday's loss at UIC following a 16-point performance versus Butler on Monday. Blount has hit double digits 14 times in 16 games this season.

Deion James, Milwaukee
Jr. * G * Milwaukee, Wis.
James hit double figures off the bench in two of the Panthers' three games last week, including a career-best 20 points to lift UWM past Valpo on Thursday. Six of those came in the final 20 minutes as the Panthers rallied for the victory.

Scott VanderMeer, UIC
Jr. * C * Dyer, Ind.
VanderMeer posted a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds during the Flames' 78-68, double-overtime victory over Loyola. He registered four blocked shots, and started a 7-0 run with his tip-in early in the second extra session.

Shawn Huff, Valparaiso
Sr. * F * Helsinki, Finland
Huff scored 18 points---15 in the second half---to pace the Crusaders past Green Bay 82-73 on Saturday. His three-pointer with 2:30 remaining put Valpo ahead to stay. Huff also scored 11 points in Thursday's loss to Milwaukee.

Jordan Pleiman, Wright State
Sr. * F * Fort Loramie, Ohio
Pleiman was 13-of-15 from the field and averaged 15.5 points and seven rebounds in two games. His had 16 points in Thursday's victory over Youngstown State before a 15-point effort Saturday versus Cleveland State.

John Barber, Youngstown State
Sr. * F * Detroit, Mich.
Barber scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Penguins to their first-ever victory at Detroit, a 70-66 decision on Saturday. He was 10-of-16 from the field in that game, and averaged 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds for the week.

News From Around the League

Vikings still looking down on rest of League
Cleveland State stayed atop the League standings at 5-0 (12-5 overall) following two victories last week. CSU ended an 0-20 drought in Detroit by defeating the Titans 74-64 on Thursday, and knocked off Wright State 65-63 on Saturday to push its winning streak to four games.

The 5-0 start in loop play is CSU's best since 1992-83, when the Vikings won their first 15 games in Mid-Continent Conference action. The 12-5 overall mark also represents the Vikings' best start in 15 years. Cleveland State finished that (1992-93) campaign at 22-6 overall.

CSU grabbed 20 more rebounds than its opponents last week, including 21 offensive boards at Wright State---helping offset the Raiders' 54.1 percent shoting from the floor. Cleveland State also overcame 13-point deficits both at Detroit and in Dayton.

Cleveland State has won eight of its last 11 games, holding opponents to 26 percent shooting (32-of-123) from three-point range in the eight victories but allowing 54 percent (33-of-61) accuracy beyond the arc in the three losses.

Junior forward J'Nathan Bullock needs 20 points to hit the 1,000 mark for his career. He had 12 points and 11 rebounds Saturday, and averages 14.4 points per contest for the year.

CSU hosts Butler in a battle for first place Thursday. The Vikings close the brief, two-game homestand Saturday versus Valparaiso.

Bulldogs set up Thursday showdown
Butler is just one-half game behind the Vikings, climbing to 5-1 in the League and 16-1 overall with three victories last week. The Bulldogs won 66-55 at Loyola on Monday before defeating Green Bay (74-65 on Thursday) and Milwaukee (72-56 on Saturday) at home.

BU brings an eight-game winning streak into the week, standing 12th in both national polls. Only top-ranked North Carolina (17) has more victories than Butler this season.

Senior guard Mike Green has scored in double figures in eight consecutive games, matching BU's winning streak. Green has averaged 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per outing during the run, and is the only Horizon League player to lead his team in all three categories for the season (15.4 , 5.8, and 4.7, respectively).

Freshman forward Matt Howard also boasts an eight-game double-figure streak, hitting twin digits in nine of his ten starts this year. Howard leads all League freshmen with his rates of 13.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game for the season and ranks second overall in the League with a .584 field-goal percentage.

Butler posted season highs with 29 free throws and 41 attempts Thursday.

First place in the League standings is on the line Thursday when the Bulldogs visit Cleveland State. Butler closes the week Saturday at Youngstown State.

Flames work OT to win city bragging rights
UIC improved to 9-7 on the season and 3-2 in League play, outlasting Loyola 78-68 in double overtime on Saturday. Junior guard Josh Mayo led the Flames with 20 points, and junior forward Scott VanderMeer added 13 points and 15 rebounds for the victory. Saturday's contest was UIC's longest since a four-overtime game versus Milwaukee on Jan. 11, 2001.

Senior guard Karl White Jr. chipped in with 19 points against the Ramblers. White entered the season with a career-high of 17 points but has scored 19 or more three times in his last four games.

Mayo leads the nation in three-point field-goal shooting (.539) and is third in the League in scoring at 18 points per game. He is averaging 24 points per outing at home this season. As a team, the Flames are shooting a League-best 42.6 percent from behind the arc (fourth-best in the nation).

UIC continues its homestand this week, with Wright State coming to the Pavilion on Thursday and Detroit visiting on Saturday. The Flames are 7-0 at home this season, shooting 51.7 percent (208-402) from the field in those games, including 52.6 percent (72-of-137) from three-point range.

The Flames are averaging 81.9 points per game at the Pavilion this season, compared to 63.3 away from home.

Crusaders' homecourt streak ends
Valparaiso split a pair of games last week, moving to 12-5 overall and 3-2 on the season. The Crusaders fell 71-69 to Milwaukee on Thursday---ending Valpo's 13-game homecourt winning streak---but rebounded to defeat Green Bay 82-73 on Saturday.

Senior guard Jarryd Loyd came off the bench to score 18 points Thursday, marking the fourth consecutive time he had led Valpo in scoring. Sophomore guard Samuel Haanpää took over team honors with 24 points Saturday, including 17 in the first 6:32 versus Green Bay.

The Crusaders committed only five turnovers Saturday, the team's lowest total since Dec. 9, 1991, when Valpo committed five miscues against Notre Dame. Loyd handed out seven of Valpo's 17 assists in the contest.

Loyd has not started a game this year, but still leads the Crusaders in scoring with a rate of 12.2 points per contest. Senior forward Shawn Huff adds 11.6, with Haanpää at 11.4. Junior forward Urule Igbavboa grabs a team-best 6.4 rebounds per outing.

Saturday marked the fourth time this year that Valparaiso has scored 80 or more points. The Crusaders lead the League in scoring (74.1 per game) and field-goal accuracy (.470).

Valpo hits the road this week, traveling to Youngstown State on Thursday before a Saturday stop at Cleveland State.

Panthers keep moving forward
Milwaukee won two of three games last week, climbing to 9-8 overall and 4-3 in League play. UWM defeated Youngstown State 61-39 on Monday and won 71-69 at Valparaiso on Thursday before having a six-game winning streak snapped in Saturday's 72-56 loss at Butler.

The Panthers already have matched their victory total for all of last season (9-22), and the team's four road victories are twice as many as Milwaukee had last winter. The six-game winning streak had been Milwaukee's longest since the middle of the 2005-06 campaign.

The 39 points allowed Monday marked Milwaukee's best defensive showing since yielding 21 to Mount Senario in December 2000. The Panthers held YSU to 24.5 percent shooting from the field, the third-lowest mark by a UWM opponent in the school's Division I history.

Junior guard Deion James led the way at Valparaiso with 20 points off the bench. He hit seven of ten shots from the field and rallied the Panthers after leading scorer Paige Paulsen fouled out. James had nine points in the final 5:11 as UWM erased a seven-point deficit to end Valpo's 13-game homecourt winning streak.

Milwaukee was perfect in 15 attempts at the free-throw line at YSU and is 37-of-45 in its last three games at the charity stripe.

Milwaukee has only one game on the schedule this week, visiting Green Bay on Saturday.Phoenix drops a pair on Indiana trip
Green Bay slipped to 9-7 overall record and 3-3 in the League, losing 74-65 at Butler on Thursday and suffering an 82-73 setback on Valparaiso on Saturday.

Junior forward Mike Schachtner scored 34 points at Valpo, matching the highest single-game total by a League player this year. Schachtner was 12-of-17 from the floor including a perfect 7-of-7 from three-point range in the contest. UIC's Jsoh Mayo posted 34 points against Bradley on Nov. 10.

Schachtner leads the League in scoring (18.3 points per game) and free-throw percentage (.889), while ranking second in three-point shooting (.500) and fifth in field-goal accuracy (.525). He is the only player in the League to rank among the top ten on all three shooting-percentage charts.

As a team, Green Bay leads the League with a .768 free-throw percentage which ranks sixth in the nation.

Green Bay has held its last four opponents to 38.3 percent shooting (87-of-227) from the field. The Phoenix limited Butler to 3-of-19 accuracy behind the arc on Thursday.

The Phoenix puts a 6-0 home-court record on the line Saturday when Green Bay hosts in-state rival Milwaukee. Green Bay has gone 75 games since losing three in a row. The team's last three-game slide was in November 2005.

Penguins salvage final game of busy week
Youngstown State lost two of three games last week, dipping to 7-9 overall and 3-3 in League play. The Penguins fell 61-39 at home to Milwaukee on Monday and 66-55 at Wright State on Thursday before posting a 70-66 victory at Detroit. That outcome on Saturday marked YSU's first victory in 11 tries at UDM.

The Penguins connected on 11 three-pointers at Calihan Hall, marking the 11th time in Jerry Slocum's three-year tenure that Youngstown State has made at least ten treys.

YSU is 7-0 when leading or tied at halftime this year and 0-9 when trailing at the break. The Penguins are also 6-0 when shooting 46 percent or better from the field following Saturday's 46.6 percent effort.

Junior guard Byron Davis led the way Saturday with 17 points and eight assists, hitting double figures in scoring for the 12th consecutive game. Davis, who hit twin digits only nine times last year, leads the team in scoring at 14.1 points per outing. Senior forward John Barber adds 13.7 points per contest and ranks third in the League at 6.6 rebounds per game.

YSU host Valparaiso on Thursday before 12th-ranked Butler comes to the Beeghly Center on Saturday. Thursday's contest marks the first time Valpo has visited Youngstown since Feb. 10, 2001, when more than 6,000 fans attended the Mid-Continent Conference showdown.

Raiders come close in homecourt split
Wright State carries a 9-6 overall ledger, moving to 2-4 after splitting two home games last week. The Raiders defeated Youngstown State 66-55 on Thursday before falling 65-63 to Cleveland State on Saturday.

Four of WSU's six League games have been decided by five points or fewer, with the Raiders standing 1-3 in those contests.

Junior guard Vaughn Duggins registered 34 points with nine assists in the two games. Duggins played only seven minutes versus Green Bay on Jan. 5 due to a sprained foot, but had 16 points against YSU and 18 more in Saturday's loss. He was 11-of-19 from the field with five three-pointers for the week.

Duggins' presence is important, as Wright State is already shorthanded. Sophomore guard John David Gardner will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his left foot, while junior forward Gavin Horne is expected to miss at least another week with a sprained ankle.

Senior forward Jordan Pleiman averaged 16.5 points last week, hitting 13 of 15 shots from the field. He leads the League in field-goal accuracy (.622), with senior forward Scottie Wilsom boasting the circuit's top rebounding average at 7.1 caroms per contest.

Wright State travels to Chicago this week, facing UIC on Thursday prior to a Saturday contest at Loyola.

Ramblers' streak hits four games
Loyola stands at 5-11 overall and 1-5 in the League, riding a four-game losing streak after a 66-55 home-court loss to Butler on Monday and a 78-68, double-overtime setback at UIC on Saturday.

Junior guard Justin Cerasoli scored a career-high 21 points against the Flames, including ten in the overtime sessions. Cerasoli has averaged 13.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in seven games since becoming eligible following his transfer from the University of Mississippi.

Junior guard J.R. Blount added 23, his highest single-game total since a 27-point effort at Cleveland State on Feb. 1, 2007. Blount hit four three-pointers at UIC after logging only three triples in his previous eight outings. He needs 68 points to reach the 1,000 mark for his career.

Junior forward Leon Young returned to the floor with 13 minutes of action at UIC. Young, who averages 11.8 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per contest, had missed the previous four games with pneumonia.

Senior guard Cortney Horton made his first career start at UIC, logging four points, for rebounds and three assists.

Loyola returns to the Gentile Center for two games this week, hosting Detroit on Thursday and Wright State on Saturday. The Ramblers are 4-4 on campus this year, compared to 1-7 away from home.

Titans' slide continues
Detroit fell to 4-12 on the year and remains winless in six League games. The Titans dropped a 74-64 decision to Cleveland State on Thursday before a 70-66 setback against Youngstown State on Saturday. UDM has lost ten games in a row since defeating Eastern Michigan 72-68 on Nov. 28.

Senior guard Jon Goode became the 34th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career. Goode's 21 points Saturday give him 1,014 in a Titan uniform and marked the ninth time this season he has hit the 20-point mark. Goode ranks second in the League in scoring, averaging 18.1 points per game.

Veteran sideline boss Perry Watson took an indefinite leave of absence from his post. Associate head coach Kevin Mondro serves as interim coach in Watson's absence. Mondro is in his 11th season on Watson's staff after playing three seasons (1993-96) for the Titans.

Sophomore guard Eulis Stephens scored a career-high 16 points at CSU and added 14 against Youngstown State, hitting 13 of 22 shots for the week. Stephens' previous high was 11 points, and he entered the week averaging 3.7 points per game for the season.

Detroit's current ten-game skid is the longest since a 12-game slide in 1998-89. The Titans try to halt the streak this week, visiting Loyola on Thursday and UIC on Saturday.

First place on the line this week
The Horizon League spotlight shines on the Wolstein Center on Thursday, when Cleveland State hosts Butler in a battle for first place in the Horizon League standings. CSU is the League's last unbeaten team (5-0 in loop play), while 12th-ranked Butler brings a 5-1 ledger and eight-game winning streak into the contest.

The BU/CSU match-up is one of four games on the schedule Thursday, with Valparaiso at Youngstown State, Wright State at UIC and Detroit trying to snap a ten-game losing streak as the Titans visit Loyola.

On Saturday, Valparaiso visits Cleveland State with Butler at Youngstown State, Wright State at Loyola and Detroit at UIC. In-state rivals Milwaukee and Green Bay square off at the Resch Center in the fifth game Saturday, with all five of those contests featuring special ceremonies as part of the Horizon League's fifth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.

Road teams won five of the 11 games played last week, but home teams still boast a 19-10 (.655) record in League action this season. Cleveland State (2-0), Butler (2-1), and Valparaiso (2-1) are the only League teams with winning records away from home in loop play, with Milwaukee (2-3), Youngstown State (1-2) and Green Bay (1-3) boasting the only other road victories.