INDIANAPOLIS – After the first weekend of action, four HL teams remain undefeated with two of those teams pitted against each other this weekend in UIC and Milwaukee, while Wright State and Cleveland State will play its first home games of the League season. In addition, RMU looks to get its Horizon League season off on the right foot against fellow-HL newcomer Purdue Fort Wayne and Detroit Mercy will now host Oakland.
#HLMBB NEWS & NOTES
• Cleveland State’s D’Moi Hodge has one of the best individual performances in the NCAA this season as he finished with 46 points and 10 3-pointers in the series finale at Purdue Fort Wayne. The 4 points are the most in a single game this season and his 10 triples ties Oakland’s Rashad Williams for a game-high in Division I. Hodge set a new school record for most made three-pointers in a single game (10), most made three-pointers in a half (8) and most points in a first half (31).
• UIC went 2-0 to start #HLMBB play for the first time since the 2007-08 season thanks in large part to the play of Teyvion Kirk. Kirk recorded the third triple-double in UIC history and just the third in Division I this season with a career-high 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. For the week, Kirk averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 11 assists per game, falling one rebound shy of averaging a triple-double for the weekend, while shooting 50 percent from the field.
• For the second-straight season Wright State begins HL play 2-0 thanks in large part to the play of its front court. Loudon Love averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds in his first two games, while Grant Basile finished with 19.5 points and seven rebounds. After the opening weekend, the Raiders are averaging 89 points per game and are shooting 58.3 percent from the floor as a team.
• Milwaukee went on the road and swept the season series with Green Bay for the first time since 2011-12 to start the League season 2-0. MKE host UIC this weekend in a battle of unbeaten teams and the Panthers will look to use its defensive prowess to slow down the Flames as they allowed just 63.0 points per game last weekend.
• In front of a national television audience, Youngstown State was able to earn a series split with NKU thanks to a second half surge. Naz Bohannon led with 19 points and Michael Akuchie registered a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards. In the first game of the weekend, NKU won 79-64 as talented freshman Marques Warrick scored 18 points and grabbed five boards, while senior Adham Eleeda hit six triples.
• Oakland’s Daniel Oladapo started Horizon League play on the right foot as he 18 rebounds in both games over the weekend while also averaging 17 points per game and leading the League shooting 72.7 percent from the field.
• In his first two Horizon League games, Jared Godfrey of Purdue Fort Wayne did not disappoint as he averaged 22 points and shot 53.3 percent from long range against the Vikings.
• Green Bay’s Amari Davis continues to impress coming off his Freshman of the Year campaign as he led the Phoenix averaging 19.5 points and leading the HL shooting 77.8 percent from 3-point range.
• RMU is scheduled to play its first Horizon League contests since joining the HL over the summer with two games against Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Due to the impact of COVID-19, Detroit Mercy will host Oakland Dec. 26 and 27 at Calihan Hall. Both games are scheduled to tip at 4 p.m. ET.
RESULTS
| Date | Game | |
| Friday, Dec. 18 | Bowling Green 85, RMU 65 | |
| Saturday, Dec. 19 | Northern Kentucky 79, Youngstown State 64 | |
| Milwaukee 68, Green Bay 65 | ||
| Wright State 93, Detroit Mercy 70 | ||
| UIC 74, Oakland 72 | ||
| Cleveland State 63, Purdue Fort Wayne 61 | ||
| Sunday, Dec. 20 | Wright State 85, Detroit Mercy 72 | |
| Milwaukee 74, Green Bay 62 | ||
| Youngstown State 70, Northern Kentucky 60 | ||
| Cleveland State 89, Purdue Fort Wayne 80 | ||
| UIC 90, Oakland 73 | ||
| Marshall 85, RMU 71 |
#HLMBB PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
#HLMBB Player of the Week
D’Moi Hodge | Cleveland State | Junior | Guard | Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Hodge had a record-setting night for the Vikings on Sunday, scoring an NCAA-high 46 points on 15-of-23 shooting from the field, including a 10-for-15 clip from deep, a game-high seven rebounds, three assists and a game-high tying four steals. Hodge set a new school record for most made three-pointers in a single game (10), most made three-pointers in a half (8) and most points in a first half (31). His 46 points scored are the most in the NCAA this season, while his 10 made triples are also tied for the most in the NCAA this season. Additionally, Hodge was only three points shy of tying the school record for points in a game, set by Franklin Edwards at Xavier in February of 1981. In his two games, both wins at Purdue Fort Wayne, Hodge averaged 25.5 points shooting 54.8 percent from the floor including 57.9 percent from the three-point line, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4.5 steals in 28.5 minutes of play. In his first game against the Mastodons on Saturday, Dec. 19, the junior swiped a game-high five steals, marking the most steals by a Cleveland State Viking this season. Hodge also dished out a game-high tying four assists in his first contest of the weekend.
#HLMBB Freshman of the Week
Trey Townsend | Oakland | Freshman | Forward | Oxford, Mich.
Townsend opened Horizon League play with a career-best 17 points, and added eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals against UIC in game one of the series. Townsend went 54 percent (7-13) from the floor in 37 minutes of play for the Golden Grizzlies. The freshman followed up in game two against UIC with his first career double-double, scoring 13 points and 10 rebounds on 57 percent shooting from the field. For the weekend, Townsend averaged 15 points while shooting 55 percent from the floor and grabbed nine rebounds.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live Stream |
| Saturday, Dec. 26 | Youngstown State at Cleveland State | 1 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Green Bay at Wright State | 4 p.m. | ESPN3 | |
| Oakland at Detroit Mercy | 4 p.m. | ESPN3 | |
| UIC at Milwaukee | 5 p.m. | ESPN+ | |
| RMU at Purdue Fort Wayne | 7 p.m. | ESPN+ | |
| Sunday, Dec. 27 | Youngstown State at Cleveland State | 1 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Green Bay at Wright State | 2 p.m. | ESPN3 | |
| Oakland at Detroit Mercy | 4 p.m. | ESPN3 | |
| UIC at Milwaukee | 5 p.m. | ESPN+ | |
| RMU at Purdue Fort Wayne | 5 p.m. | ESPN+ |
