SUWANEE, Ga. - Five men's teams remain undefeated in SCAC play after the first weekend of conference play in the 2010-11 season. Centre (2-0) and Oglethorpe (1-0) from East join Austin College (2-0), Colorado College (2-0) and Southwestern (1-0) from the Western Division as the teams in SCAC play without a loss.
AROUND THE SCAC
Austin College opened up the
conference portion of its 2010-11 schedule with wins over Millsaps
(68-53) and Hendrix (72-57). Against the Majors, the Kangaroos were
led by Jordan Hancock’s 20 points. Also scoring in
double-figures for the ‘Roos was Ransom Okpala (14) and
Walter Phillips (10). Austin College limited Millsaps to just
9-of-33 (27.3 percent) shooting in the second half. The ‘Roos
took a four point lead into the intermission and relied on a steady
defensive effort to shut down the Majors. Against Hendrix, Austin
jumped out to a commanding 41-18 halftime lead and never looked
back in securing the 72-57 win. Pacing the ‘Roos was Phillips
who scored a game-high 22 points.
Birmingham-Southern began the conference portion
of its 2010-11 schedule by splitting games with DePauw and Centre.
On Friday, the Panthers got 10 points out of both Hart Ahumada and
Kevin Kegarise in a 65-57 win at DePauw. Mark Messenger chipped in
with nine points and six rebounds. On Saturday against Centre, the
Panthers dropped a 62-45 decision to defending SCAC champion
Centre. Jasen Jonus scored a team-high 13 points while Kegarise
added 10 in the losing effort. The Panthers return to action Dec.
17-18 when they host the BSC Holiday Classic. BSC will take on
Covenant at 7 p.m. on Dec. 17 then tangle with Huntingdon at 3 p.m.
on the Dec. 18.
Centre bounced back from its only loss of the
season to win a pair of SCAC games on the opening weekend of
conference play. After trailing by five points at halftime, the
Colonels out-scored Rhodes by eight in the second half to rally for
a 63-60 win over the Lynx. Centre then turned up the defense
against Birmingham Southern limiting the Panthers to only 26.9%
(14-52) from the floor en route to a 62-45 win. The two wins mark
the third time in the last four years the Colonels have opened SCAC
play with a pair of wins. Birmingham Southern won the SCAC opener
against Centre last year. The win against Rhodes is also the 11th
straight over the Lynx. Centre, (5-1, 2-0 SCAC) will take a week
off and then return to action for one more game prior to the
Christmas holiday. The Colonels will play Asbury College December
16.
Freshman point guard Ryan Milne exploded for a season-high 27
points to lead Colorado College
to a 68-48 victory over Hendrix in the conference opener for both
teams on Friday night. Milne also had nine assists and seven
rebounds with only one turnover. Brady Ohlsen recorded 15 points
and nine rebounds, while Jeremiah Waters added 10 points. On Sunday
at Millsaps, the Tigers overcame a seven-point deficit midway
through the second half to post a 55-51 victory. Nick Rose scored
what proved to be the game-winning basket with 59 seconds to play,
and his free throws with five second to go sealed CC’s first
victory in four attempts at The Hangar Dome. Ohlsen scored 17
points to become the 17th player in school history to eclipse 1,000
career points. The Tigers are idle until Dec. 14 when they play
host to Division II Colorado State University -Pueblo.
Hendrix suffered a 3-game sweep over the week with a mid-week loss to Rust College on Tuesday and then a pair of setbacks against SCAC foes Colorado College and Austin College on Friday and Sunday, respectively. The Warriors drop to 2-5 overall and 0-2 in conference play. Rust had four players in double-figures and scored over half its points in the paint to hand Hendrix an 82-69 loss. Colorado College first year Ryan Milne made his presence in the league noticed as he scored 27 points, dished out nine assists and pulled down seven rebounds in the SCAC opener on Friday. The Tigers cruised to a 68-48 victory over Hendrix. Milne scored 16 of his points in the second half and finished the game 10-of-14 from the field and 3-of-3 from long range. Austin College initiated a full-court press early and turned Hendrix’s 10 first-half turnovers into 15 points to grab the early momentum. The Roos scored 12 points off the fast break and outscored the Warriors 40-22 in the paint to earn the 72-57 victory on Sunday afternoon. The Kangaroos had four players in double figures with sophomore Walter Phillips leading the way with 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
Millsaps opened the conference schedule with a couple of tough home losses. Friday’s game with Austin went back-and-forth during the first half, with neither team able to gain a clear advantage. Millsaps gave up back-to-back buckets to open the second half and could not answer with one of their own until the 16:35 mark. The 'Roos led by as many as 17 in the half with the final margin at 15, 68-53. Sunday’s game was even tighter through both halves. Neither team shot well, especially early with the game still tied at zero four minutes into play. Colorado College hit a jumper at the buzzer to cut the Majors' halftime lead to four, 25-21. The Majors fell 55-51.
Oglethorpe went 1-1 during the week, falling on the road to Berry (71-62) and winnings its SCAC opener over Sewanee (96-50). Against Berry, the Stormy Petrels were led by senior guard Joe Kennedy’s 15 points. Teammates Todd Ward (14) and Alec Pitts (11) also joined Kennedy in double figures. Ward added 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. In the SCAC opener against Sewanee, the Petrels ran out to a 51-28 halftime lead and never looked back as they picked up their first conference win of the season. Leading Oglethorpe was Alex Richey who scored a game-high 18 points. The Stormy Petrels (4-3, 1-0 SCAC) are back in action on Dec. 11 hosting Berry at 7 p.m. at Dorough Fieldhouse.
Rhodes played two competitive games against defending conference champions Centre and DePauw this week, falling by three points in each contest. The Lynx are now 2-5 overall and 0-2 in league play on the season heading into a non-conference game Tuesday at Rust College. On Friday, the Lynx fought hard against Centre but failed to capitalize on opportunities down the stretch, losing 63 - 60. Sophomore Andrew Galow led the Lynx with 29 points against Centre. Rhodes had a similar fate against DePauw on Sunday losing, 58 - 55. Galow led the Lynx offensively during the weekend averaging 21 points, 4.0 assists, and 4.5 rebounds. In the game against DePauw, freshman Luke Gorman gave a solid effort adding 12 points and six rebounds.
Sewanee went 2-1 on the week, picking up wins over Johnson Bible College and Free Will Baptist early in the week before falling to Oglethorpe in their SCAC opener on Saturday. The Tigers topped Johnson Bible on Tuesday at home, 83-60, behind 19 points from sophomore Brett Bouldin. Bouldin was 5 of 7 from the 3-point line to lead host Sewanee, as 11 different Tigers found the scoring column in the win. On Thursday, the Tigers picked up a 69-56 over Free Will Baptist Bible. Freshman Anvil Nelson recorded his first collegiate double-double in the contest, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the win. On Saturday, Sewanee dropped its first SCAC contest of the season to host Oglethorpe. Lewis Affronti led the Tigers in the loss with 13 points The Tigers have a nearly two-week break now before hosting the Lon Varnell Classic December 17-19.
Southwestern saw its two games this week come down to the wire with one needing an extra frame to decide. Friday night Southwestern opened up conference action against Trinity. A pair of three pointers by Nick Caputo and Jonathan Brown along with two free throws from Michael Cantu in the final 1:30 of the game pushed the Pirates past the Tigers, 53-52. Caputo's three came with just seconds remaining on the clock. Southwestern searched for revenge on Sunday night against the University of Dallas, who defeated the Pirates on a last second shot in their season opener. The Pirates controlled most of the game but the Crusaders hung just close enough to tie the game 64-64 with 1:43 remaining. In overtime, SU pulled ahead by four in the first minute of the extra frame but couldn't hold onto the lead. UD made four of six from the free throw line to close out the game and win 78-74. Southwestern currently sits at 2-5 on the season and 1-0 in the SCAC.
Trinity lost its only game last week, falling at Southwestern 53-52 on a late three-pointer. Since joining the SCAC in 1991-92, Trinity is now 31-11 against Southwestern, as well as 29-7 since Southwestern joined the conference in 1994-95. Of those 42 meetings over the past 20 years, 31 have been decided by fewer than 10 points. Nearly half of the games between the two Texas teams have been decided by five points or fewer (20), and 15 games have been won by three points or less. The Tigers are now 8-4 in SCAC openers under Coach Pat Cunningham, but have lost the past two. In the SCAC era, Trinity has never gone winless in November and December. The Tigers will be off this week, but Trinity will return to action December 17-18 to face Albion and Hardin-Simmons in Georgetown, Texas, as part of the Southwestern/Trinity Holiday Classic.
For the complete SCAC Men's Hoops Weekly for Week 3, click here.
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