Recapping the first week of Horizon League play

As many conferences have done across the country, the Horizon League took part in a week of early-season conference matchups ahead of the full conference slate. Through one week, two teams avoided a conference loss, and the league saw scoring explosions in nearly every game, making for an entertaining week of hoops in the Horizon League.

As the schedule shifts back to non-conference games, fans got a preliminary idea of who can compete in the league. Still, there were plenty of teams that showed the ability to compete amongst the league’s best, and the full conference slate can’t come soon enough.

Heading into the first week of conference matchups, Northern Kentucky had created a bit of separation in the league standings, winning six consecutive games, including their Horizon League opener. A Saturday matchup against Purdue Fort Wayne, however, slowed the Norse’s roll. The battle between the league’s top scorers – Dan Gherezgher and Corey Hadnot II – did not disappoint. Gherezgher entered the week as the league’s highest scorer and scored 27 points for Northern Kentucky. The Norse jumped out to an early lead, leading 44-29 at halftime. Hadnot II, who was second to only Gherezgher in scoring to begin the week, scored 24 points and added four rebounds, four assists, four steals, and a block. Behind his big day, the Mastodons stormed back, eventually opening up a small lead in the second half, and were able to hold on for a 79-77 victory at home. After falling at Oakland earlier in the week, a win against the top team in the conference was a great end to the week for Purdue Fort Wayne.

The league’s preseason favorite, Milwaukee, played just one conference game during the week, but picked up a quality win over Robert Morris in spectacular fashion. The Colonials sit atop the conference with Northern Kentucky as the lone team with seven victories on the young season. With the game tied at 72 late, Isaiah Dorceus attempted a three for the win from the left wing, and Seth Hubbard crashed from the corner, corralling the rebound with his left hand in mid-air to tap in the game winner. He finished with 21 points as the Panthers overcame a 41-34 deficit. For Robert Morris, DeSean Goode had a monster game scoring 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting and added eight rebounds, but Nikolaos Chitikoudis posted just six points and two rebounds and was plagued with foul trouble. A Milwaukee team looking for a league crown made a statement in its opening Horizon League game.

Youngstown State, after losing three games in a row, bounced back with two nonconference wins and now has opened Horizon League play 2-0. The Penguins hosted Wright State to open the conference slate and got all they could ask for, but Rich Rolf knocked down a pair of free throws to take the lead in the closing seconds, and Michael Cooper missed the game-winning 3-pointer for the Raiders. Cris Carroll scored 19 points, and in a game that was too close for comfort, Youngstown State got off on the right foot. After a scare in game one, the Penguins took care of business at IU Indianapolis in a 78-55 victory.

Joining Youngstown State as the only other team to go 2-0 in the opening week of conference play was Detroit Mercy. The Titans started the week with a 92-78 win at home over IU Indianapolis, despite Orlando Lovejoy going scoreless. Ayden Carter scored 21 points, and London Maiden posted double figures for the second consecutive game with 18 to pick up the slack. Then, on the road, Lovejoy bounced back with a 17-point performance, and TJ Nadeau caught fire with 26 points as Detroit Mercy won at Cleveland State.

In northeast Wisconsin on Thursday night, Doug Gottlieb channeled his inner Bob Knight after Green Bay surrendered a heartbreaking loss at home. The Phoenix kept things close with Robert Morris for the first half and eventually opened up an 11-point lead late in the game. The aforementioned Goode and Chitikoudis headlined an improbable comeback for Robert Morris. Goode had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Chitikoudis scored with four seconds to play, giving Robert Morris the lead and eventually the win. Gottlieb, in an expression of frustration, threw a chair near the tunnel and had some choice words to describe the collapse. Although for a Green Bay team that has already matched its win total from last season, a competitive game against a team in the league’s upper echelon is another encouraging sign.

Oakland, despite having a solid week from a results standpoint, also had a head coach who expressed frustration. Kampe’s frustration, however, was with the Golden Grizzlies’ student body as he feels support for an entertaining team has been lackluster to start the season. Oakland won its Horizon League game against Purdue Fort Wayne 101-92, led by Brody Robinson’s 27 points and eight assists. A few days later, after Kampe’s challenge to the students, Robinson had another strong game with 19 points and six assists, leading the Golden Grizzlies over Toledo 98-97. The players enjoyed a celebration in the stands with their fan base, and perhaps the callout from Kampe will be looked at as a turning point.

Individual performance of the week

There were numerous standout performances throughout the week, but Purdue Fort Wayne’s Corey Hadnot II–as he became the league’s leading scorer–is the most noteworthy. In a close loss at Oakland, he scored 33 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Unfortunately for the Mastodons, it wasn’t enough to overcome the previously-mentioned big game from Brody Robinson. With winning being the only thing that truly matters, Hadnot’s 24 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals in a win over Northern Kentucky separated him from the plethora of big-time performances from guards in league play.