Men's Basketball Weekly Release
Nov. 29, 2004
Complete release in PDF format
Horizon League men's basketball teams enter the second full week of the 2004-05 regular season sporting a 19-8 (.704) overall record. UW-Milwaukee (3-0), Butler (3-0) and Cleveland State (2-0) all remain undefeated, while four other teams boast winning records.
Early Conference Clash This Week: UW-Milwaukee and UIC (1-2) -- the top two teams respectively in the Preseason Coaches Poll -- will square off this Saturday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m ET in Milwaukee in the first Horizon League game of the young season. The rematch of last year's tournament championship game won by UIC 65-62 is one of just four League games scheduled for December.
Home Cookin': Horizon League teams are a combined 18-3 (.857) at home so far this season. One of the rare losses was UIC's near-upset (60-59) of #3 Georgia Tech, last year's national runner-up, in the Flames' season opener.
NIT Pickin': Wright State's 72-66 overtime victory at Tulsa in the first round of the Preseason NIT marked the first win by a Horizon League team in the tournament since former member Xavier defeated Louisville 85-83 in 1988.
Preseason All-League First Team: The 2004-05 Horizon League Preseason All-League First Team as voted upon by the League's nine head coaches features senior Cedrick Banks of UIC, senior Ed McCants of UW-Milwaukee, senior Armond Williams of UIC, senior Omari Westley of Cleveland State and junior Joah Tucker of UW-Milwaukee.
Horizon League Player of the Week - Nov. 29
Modibo Niakate
Cleveland State
Guard
Senior
Paris, France
Modibo Niakate of Cleveland State has been named the Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week for Nov. 29.
Niakate, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, propelled himself into the League scoring lead when he came off the bench to score a career-high 31 points in the Vikings' 79-47 win over Norfolk State Nov. 27. He made 12-of-15 field-goal attempts, going 5-of-7 from three-point range, to equal a CSU record for points by a reserve.
At one point early in the second half, Niakate scored 13 straight points to allow the Vikings to pull away for the win. His 26 second-half points were the fifth-highest single-half total in school history.
Other Top Horizon League Performers - Nov. 29
Justin Bowen
UIC, Junior, Forward, Chicago, Ill.
Bowen opened the season by averaging 12.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and two steals per game as UIC went 1-2. He had eight points and four rebounds in the Flames' 60-59 loss to #3 Georgia Tech and followed with his first career double-double of 11 points and career-best 10 rebounds at Bowling Green. Bowen then scored a career-high 18 points while adding six rebounds in an 80-66 win over South Dakota State.
DaJuan Gouard
Loyola, Senior, Guard, Danville, Ill.
Gouard averaged 17 points, six assists and two rebounds per game while shooting 67 percent (14-of-21) from the field. He had a team-high 18 points and career-best eight assists in a 64-62 loss at Bradley. In a 74-59 victory over Benedictine (Ill.), he posted 16 points and four assists. Gouard of 7-of-11 from the floor versus Bradley and 7-of-10 against Benedictine.
Ben Green
Detroit, Junior, Guard, Detroit, Mich.
Green established a pair of personal bests while leading Detroit's scoring efforts in two games last week. He paced the Titans with a career-high 12 points in a 66-56 setback at Purdue, then shared the team scoring lead with eight points against Ball State. Green added a career-best five assists versus the Boilermakers and led or shared the team rebounding lead with six caroms in each game.
Bruce Horan
Butler, Junior, Guard, New Castle, Ind.
Horan averaged 15 points and six rebounds as Butler won a pair of home games last week. He scored 14 points and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds in the Bulldogs' 79-43 victory over Greenville and then had 16 points and five rebounds in a 61-48 win over previously unbeaten Miami (Ohio). For the week, he was 10-of-19 (.526) from the field, including 9-of-18 (.500) from three-point range.
Quin Humphrey
Youngstown State, Sophomore, Guard, Ellenwood, Ga.
Humphrey averaged 16.5 points per game as the Penguins went 1-1 last week. He scored a career-bests 21 points in the Penguins' 78-60 victory over Slippery Rock and had 12 points in a 71-55 loss to Boston University. He also added 7.5 rebounds per contests to go along with two-game totals of three assists and three steals.
Josh Lawrence
UW-Green Bay, Sophomore, Forward, Ashton, Ill.
Lawrence scored a career-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting in UW-Green Bay's 59-55 victory over Southeast Missouri State. He also had career-bests of three assists and 34 minutes played in the contest. Earlier in the week, he had five points and three rebounds in a 104-46 loss at #13/10 Michigan State.
Josh Tucker
UW-Milwaukee, Junior, Forward, Milwaukee, Wis.
Tucker scored 17 points, including six straight during a critical 11-1 run, in UW-Milwaukee's 50-45 win over Air Force, a 2004 NCAA Tournament participant. His six straight points turned a 37-36 UWM lead into a 43-36 advantage. Earlier in the week, he scored eight points and hauled down six rebounds in the Panthers' 87-50 victory over UW-Parkside.
DaShaun Wood
Wright State, Sophomore, Guard, Detroit, Mich.
In Wright State's lone game of the week -- a 74-64 win over MAC favorite Toledo -- Wood scored a career-high 25 points and added five rebounds and eight assists in 39 minutes of action. He shot 6-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc while hitting 11-of-14 free-throw attempts.
