LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – All eight of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball teams were in action over the holiday break.
Seven teams competed in non-conference action, putting together a cumulative record of 7-6. Six of the teams kicked off their conference season this weekend.
Centenary College and Colorado College went head-to-head twice over the break, splitting the two games. Southwestern University and Texas Lutheran University played for the second time this season, but the first conference game, and the Bulldogs earned the win. Austin College and the University of Dallas rounded out the weekend, with the ‘Roos earning a one-point win over the Crusaders.
Austin College
The ‘Roos competed in three games over the holiday
break, earning two wins and a loss. AC took on Illinois College
Monday evening, earning a 74-66 victory. Despite shooting under
40%, the ‘Roos dominated on the boards and held a 50-31
advantage. Alan Sullivan led the team with 15 points, while also
marking six rebounds. Eghosa Igbinosa marked career-highs in both
scoring and rebounds, recording his first double-double of the
season with 13 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds. Brian Baehl
came just short of his own double-double, marking 12 pints and nine
rebounds, while also adding six assists. Following the victory, the
‘Roos took on Nebraska Wesleyan and fell 102-79. Cedric
Hudson and Sullivan each notched 15 points to lead the team, while
Sullivan also put up a team leading nine rebounds. Jeremy Swisher
rounded out the top-scorers with 11 points. Andres Rivera marked a
career-high five steals in the game. In the team’s first
conference game, the ‘Roos pulled out a one-point win over
the University of Dallas, defeating the Crusaders 69-68.
Swisher led the team with 22 points in the game, adding six
rebounds, two assists and three steals. Sullivan marked 11 points,
and Cedric Hudson put up 10. The ‘Roos were able to force 19
turnovers by the Crusaders, while only committing eight.
Centenary College
The Gents began conference play this week, posting a win
and a loss against Colorado College. In the first match-up between
the two teams, Centenary pulled out to an eight point lead at
halftime, but the Tigers were able to even things out in the second
half, forcing the teams into overtime. Colorado College notched the
first eight points of the overtime period and didn’t look
back, earning an 83-76 win. James Sapp put up 21 points and 10
rebounds to lead the team, marking his second double-double of the
season. Travion Kirkendoll marked 20 points in the game, while
Brandon Campbell and Caden Cheramie rounded out the top-scorers
with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Cheramie also added a team
leading eight assists and five steals in the game. Following the
loss, the Gents faced the Tigers again, but earned a 64-52 win.
Sapp led the scoring attack again, putting up 24 points. He also
marked a team-leading seven rebounds in the game. Kirkendoll marked
12 points and Campbell added 11. The Gents only committed nine
turnovers in the game, while forcing 20 by the Tigers, which led to
22 points.
Colorado College
The Tigers had a busy holiday break, competing in four
games. They began action in Las Vegas at the D3hoops.com Classic,
taking on Clark University and Willamette. In the first game, the
Tigers fell to Clark 71-64. Despite holding a 32-24 advantage at
halftime, CU shot 56% in the second half to earn the comeback win.
Luke Winfield led the team with 18 points while three other
Tigers marked double-digit scoring efforts. Chris Lesnansky put up
14 points, while Tyler Jonas added 12 points and a team-leading
eight rebounds. Ryan Kell rounded out the top scorers with 11. Two
days later, the Tigers took on Willamette, earning a 67-65 win.
Winfield led the team with 12 points and six rebounds, while Kell
and Lesnansky were close behind with nine and eight points,
respectively. Eleven of the team’s 14 players marked at least
one point in the game, earning the Tigers 27 points off the bench.
Following the non-conference games, the Tigers traveled to
Centenary College to kick off SCAC play. In the first match-up of
the two teams, the Tigers earned an 83-76 overtime win after
Lesnansky made a game tying three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining
in regulation. Russell Clark led the team with 16 points, while
Andrew Maddock added a season-high 14 points. Lesnansky rounded out
the top scorers with 11 points, while adding a team-leading nine
rebounds. The following night, the Tigers fell to the Gents 64-52.
Jonas led the team with 14 points and 11 rebounds, marking his
first double-double of the season. Lesnansky added 11 points in the
game and seven rebounds.
University of Dallas
The Crusaders played in two games over the holiday break,
earning a non-conference win over Illinois College, but falling in
the SCAC opener to Austin College. To begin competition, UD played
host to IC, defeating the visitors 80-66. The Crusaders shot 29-57
from the floor (.509) and 17-21 from the charity stripe (.810),
while holding a 36-26 rebounding advantage. Blaine Blackburn led
the team with 18 points, followed by 12 points from Anthony
Johnson. Michael Sarrat rounded out the double-digit scorers with
10 points. Aaron Wyatt led the team with seven rebounds, while also
posting nine points. In the conference-opener, the Crusaders fell
just short against the ‘Roos, falling 68-69. Wyatt led the
team with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the game, while also adding
three assists. Kym Malone put up 16 points, five rebounds and a
team-leading four assists.
Schreiner University
The Mountaineers played three non-conference games this
weekend, earning one win and two losses. To begin their week, SU
took on the University of Texas-Tyler, defeating the Patriots
72-60. Christian Pena led with 11 points of the bench, while Stevan
Guerrero was close behind with 10 points and a team-leading eight
rebounds and four assists. The Mountaineers shot 30-56 from the
field (.536) in the game. On New Year’s Eve, the Mountaineers
fell to LeTourneau University 76-74. Both teams shot over .500 from
the field, while the Mountaineers also marked a .538 performance
from beyond the arc. Wes Miller led the team with 17 points, while
Maverick Harris notched 11 points and his fourth perfect
performance of the season from three-point range. Guerrero led the
team on the boards, pulling down six rebounds, while also dishing
out six assists. Jared Thompson and Guerrero each added 10 points.
To finish the week, the Mountaineer took on NCAA Division II Texas
A&M-Kingsville, but fell 56-64. Pena led the team with 18
points, while Guerrero added 12. Hollis Robinson led the team with
six rebounds and five assists in the game.
Southwestern University
The Pirates notched two non-conference wins over the
break, before falling in their conference opener to Texas Lutheran.
To begin the week, SU took on LeTourneau, earning a 79-74 win on
the road. Zach Whitlock led the team with 21 points and 11
rebounds, while Blake Scott followed with 15 points. Chris Lee
rounded out the top-scorers with 10 points. The Pirates shot .510
from the floor, while holding LeTourneau to a .373 shooting
performance. Following the win, SU took on UT-Tyler, earning a
comeback 73-71 win. The Pirates trailed by five points at halftime,
but five points in a row by Travis Kurtz gave them a lead with 14
minutes remaining. There were nine ties in the game and 17 lead
changes. Scott led the team with 24 points in the game, followed by
12 points from Adrian Johnson and Zach Whitlock with 10. Kurtz led
the team with nine rebounds. In the first conference match up, the
Pirates took on Texas Lutheran, but fell 81-76. In a non-conference
meeting earlier this season, Southwestern defeated TLU 55-53.
Despite another impressive shooting performance, shooting .531 from
the field, the Pirates committed 14 turnovers, which led to 21 TLU
points. Chris Molina led the team with 11 points, while Scott,
Kurtz and Lee each added 10 apiece. Scott led the team with six
rebounds and three blocks. Brandyn Hawk marked a team-leading six
assists in the game.
Texas Lutheran University
The Bulldogs began their holiday break with a 77-54 win
over the previously undefeated University of Hardin-Simmons. Twelve
players marked at least two points for TLU, totaling 36 points off
the bench. Jordan Kouremetis led the team with 13 points, followed
by 11 points from Garrett Wilkins. Donte McGee led the team with
nine rebounds, while Sterling Holmes added seven boards and nine
points in just 17 minutes of play. The Bulldogs shot .482 from the
field, while holding HSU to a .320 performance and .286 from beyond
the arc. Following the win, the Bulldogs took on the University of
Mary Hardin-Baylor, but fell 50-55. Kouremetis led the team
against, marking 15 points in the game. McGee followed him with 11
points, while adding a team-leading 10 rebounds. TLU finished out
the week at Southwestern to kick off conference play. The Bulldogs
earned an 81-76 comeback win over the Pirates. At halftime, the
Bulldogs faced a 42-33 deficit, but the y took their first lead of
the second half with just three minutes remaining after Kouremetis
hit a three-pointer to give them a 71-69 lead. After SU tied it up
at 71, Sterling Holmes marked the last field goal for the Bulldogs
with just over a minute remaining. The Bulldogs made eight free
throws over the last minute to secure the win. Holmes led the team
with 20 points, while also adding a pair of rebounds and three
assists. Kouremetis put up 16 points and McGee recorded his fourth
double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds. McGee
shot 5-6 from the field and a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc.
Trinity University
The Tigers played in just one game over the holiday break,
falling to the University of Texas-Dallas 73-60. The Tiger faced a
42-20 deficit at halftime, but outscored the Comets 40-31 in the
second half to cut the lead. Brian Blum led the team with 12 points
and five rebounds in the game, while A.J. Pulliam was close behind
with nine points. Matt Jones marked a team-leading five assists,
while putting up six points. Ten of the Tigers’ 13 players
recorded at least two points, earning TU 34 points off the
bench.
