CHICAGO – Jeremy Robinson scored 17 points and Chicago State won its first conference championship as a Division I program, defeating Houston Baptist 75-60 Saturday in the finale of the Great West Conference tournament.
Nate Duhon added 15 points and six steals for the third-seeded Cougars (11-21), and Matt Ross and Clarke Rosenberg each scored 10 points.
Fourth-seeded Houston Baptist (14-17), which lost by double digits three times to Chicago State this season, got 17 points from Art Bernardi, 16 from Marcel Smith and 11 from Rob Lewis.
The Cougars took control early, leading by as many as 21 points in the first half and taking a 44-25 lead into the break. The Huskies never got closer than 15 points in the second half.
There is no automatic NCAA tournament berth for the winner of the Great West Conference. Four of its five members are joining new conferences next season.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.