Recap by Nick Dettmann
No. 4 Detroit 60, No. 8 Loyola-Chicago 55
The Titans won their 10th straight game and go into the semifinals with a full head of steam after defeating the Ramblers 60-55 at the Hinkle Fieldhouse. Jimmy Twyman led all scorers with 26 points for the Titans on 8-of-15 shooting. Despite only shooting 33 percent from the field in the game, Detroit was able to squeak out the win by shooting 84 percent from the free throw line, compared to Loyola’s 67 percent. Paul McMillan scored 22 points for Loyola, but that was not enough in the senior’s final game. With the win, the Titans advanced to the semifinals to face top-seed UW-Milwaukee at 5:30 p.m. EST on Saturday at the Hinkle Fieldhouse. Winner gets the chance to play for an NCAA tournament berth.
No. 5 Butler 72, No. 3 UW-Green Bay 50
The host Bulldogs used the home floor advantage by going on an 18-8 run midway through the second half to open up a close game on Friday night. Green Bay started the game off hot by opening an early 8-0 lead, but Butler countered with an 8-0 run themselves to tie it up with 11:45 to go in the first half. Butler would also finish the half with an 8-0 run to take a 26-20 lead into the break. After Green Bay took a 30-29 lead with 14:51 to go in the second half, Butler went off running and never looked back. With 7:13 to go, Butler held onto a commanding 48-38 lead and would open up to 16 at 60-44 with 3:23 left. Avery Sheets led all scorers with 23 points, 13 of which came in the second 20 minutes. Sheets was nearly perfect as he was 8-of-9 shooting overall and a perfect 3-of-3 from the line. Mike Monserez scored 18 points for the Bulldogs and Bruce Horan rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points, nine of which were in the second half. Butler played stingy defense as the shot 54 percent, while holding Green Bay to 35 percent. It was Butler’s first win over UWGB this season as the Phoenix swept the regular season series between the two.
