INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana— The Horizon League No. 8 seed Milwaukee (10-12) had a chance to upset the No. 1 seed Cleveland State (18-7). They led by as many as 11 points, and Milwaukee seemed to have control of the game. However, with under 10 minutes to go, Cleveland State came roaring back.
Back-to-back threes and 2 free-throws by Jayson Woodrich trimmed the lead to 1. Following a key stop, a perfect fast-break led to an and-1 dunk by Tre Gomillion to take the lead. Another stop and fast-break layup sealed the 71-65 victory. Gomillion was the leader, as he finished with 16 points and hit the game-clinching free-throws. For Cleveland State, their late three-point shooting was key; they shot 47% from behind-the-arc as a team.
Turnovers and offensive rebounds led to Milwaukee outshooting Cleveland State by 16 shots. However, Cleveland State was able to make good on their opportunities more efficiently. They shot 45% to the field while holding Milwaukee to just 39%. They also did more damage at the free-throw line, hitting 15-20.
For Milwaukee, their season is over. They will look to regroup in a hopefully normal 2021 season. Cleveland State will move on to the Championship Game of the Horizon League; they will face the winner of Oakland and Northern Kentucky.
Despite the loss, Josh Thomas leads in scoring, Amir Allen dominates the boards
When a team is looking for an upset, they look for their leaders to perform at elite levels. For Milwaukee, they got those elite performances from Josh Thomas and Amir Allen. Thomas was the leader in scoring, finishing with 25 points on 12-19 shooting. Allen dominated the glass, pulling in a career-high 15 rebounds, including 11 on the offensive end. Milwaukee outrebounded Cleveland State 41 to 38, including 18 to 9 on the offensive glass.
However, they went cold at the worst possible time. As Cleveland State made a comeback, Thomas missed a couple of key jumpers, and Cleveland State owned the boards. Even at the free-throw line, Thomas split a key pair of free throws near the end. It seemed the Milwaukee stars ran out of gas as Cleveland State overcame the lead in the end.
A key point to the comeback was the Milwaukee struggles from three-point range. They shot just 18% from behind-the-arc. As Cleveland State dropped into a zone, they struggled to knock down perimeter jumpers to open up the floor. That was key late, as multiple three-point attempts to tie were nowhere close. The valiant efforts from Thomas and Allen were just not enough to overcome the top seed.
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Horizon League Final, Cleveland State vs. Oakland/N Kentucky, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN
