Manny Garcia Earns All-Tournament Honors as Mavericks Fall to Valdosta State

The Mercy College men’s basketball team led for all of 38 seconds in a New Year’s Eve matinee against Valdosta (Ga.) State, falling 120-64, in the McDonald Fleming Moorhead UWF Christmas Classic, hosted by the University of West Florida.

The Blazers (12-2) used 14-1 and 13-0 runs in the first half to blow the game open.

Senior Manny Garcia (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) earned All-Tournament honors, as he scored a team-high 13 points. Sophomore Colin Senior (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) added 12.

Mercy (0-9) will return to the Empire State to host ECC opponent Molloy on Wednesday, January 5, at 7:30 p.m.

Final L.A. run lifts Golden Eagles over CSUS

LOS ANGELES — Even though they out-shot and out-rebounded Cal State L.A., the Cal State Stanislaus Warriors fell to the Golden Eagles, 66-59, Friday afternoon to end the 2010 calendar year.

Reggie Jones had 17 points and seven rebounds while Dan Daviess chipped in 10 points but the Warriors dropped to 3-7 overall and 1-5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Warriors' lone CCAA win remains the big upset win over Humboldt State on Dec. 4.

Jones, who tallied a total of 18 points in the last two games, got back to his early-season scoring form on a 6-for-8 shooting night. He also added four free throws for his 17-point total. It was his seventh double-digit scoring game after netting 10 Thursday night against Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Cal State Stanislaus held Cal State L.A. to just 35.6 percent shooting (16 for 45) while hitting on 42.9 percent of its field goal attempts. The Warriors also out-rebounded the Golden Eagles, 41-33. Stanislaus, however, committed 17 turnovers.

The Warriors trailed 33-25 at the break but had a strong second half.  A pair of Marcus Lever free throws at 7:06 brought the team within one and on the ensuing possession Evan Scott's layup made it 51-50 in favor of the Warriors.

Brett Sayad gave the Warriors a brief 3-point lead with a three-pointer seconds later, but Cal State L.A. went on a 12-0 run during a five-minute stretch to control the game.

The Golden Eagles, now 8-2 overall and 4-2 in the CCAA, were led by Franklin Session who had 16 points. Chris Robinson and Ryan Wetherell each had 14. David Norris notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

UWF Holds Off Wilmington, Wins 76-65

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The West Florida men’s basketball team will go into the new year with a winning record after a 76-65 victory over Wilmington (Del.) in the final game of the McDonald Fleming Moorhead UWF Christmas Classic on Friday.  With the win, the Argonauts improved to 7-6 and went above .500 for the first time this season, while the Wildcats dropped below .500 at 5-6.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Mike Lewis (Upper Marlboro, Md./Eastern Kentucky) led the Argonauts with a game-high 18 points, highlighted by an 8-12 mark at the free throw line and seven at the line in the last minute.  Three others scored in double digits for UWF, including senior and all-tournament team selection Darryl McGhee (Defuniak Springs, Fla./Gulf Coast CC) with 13 points on 6-7 shooting.

Along with McGhee, sophomore Terrance Beasley (Pensacola, Fla./Tulane) was another spark off the bench, finishing with 13 points and two blocked shots.  Junior Marquis Mathis (Columbus, Ohio/Cincinnati State CC) also finished the night in double digits, scoring 12 points with five rebounds.

The Argos jumped out to a huge lead in the first half, going up by as many as 17 points.  A basket by sophomore Keldric White (Pensacola, Fla./Louisiana) on UWF’s final possession put the Argos ahead 37-22 going into halftime.  West Florida was 17-32 from the floor in the first half, led by Mathis who scored nine first half points on 4-6 shooting.

The Wildcats cut West Florida’s lead to just five points on a 13-3 run in the second half’s first five minutes.  The Argos fought back with a short 7-2 run to go back up by 10, but Wilmington kept fighting and eventually tied the game on a pair of free throws by Ed Freeman with 6:45 left in the game.  UWF quickly took the lead back on a three-pointer by Lewis, but Wilmington stayed within striking distance.

With his team down by six with less than two minutes to go, Wilmington’s Herbert Dennis hit a jumper to make the score 67-63.  On UWF’s next possession, junior Jamel Brazeal (Mobile, Ala./Faulkner State CC) drew a foul and went to the line, making both free throws to again put the Argos ahead by six.  On the Wildcats’ next three possessions, they had two missed shots and one turnover, missing opportunities to get back into the game.  Lewis was then fouled four times in the last minute of play, and he converted on 7-8 attempts to help clinch UWF’s 76-65 win.

The Argos kept up their hot shooting with a field goal percentage of 51.8, marking the fifth time in six games the team has shot over 50 percent.  UWF also won the rebound battle 42-38, led by junior Jamar Moore (Coolidge, Ga./Faulkner State CC) with nine.

Corye Payton finished the night with 13 points off the bench for Wilmington, leading to an all-tournament team selection.  Matthew King also had a strong game with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

West Florida will head on the road on Tuesday, Jan. 4 for a visit to No. 9 Montevallo.  The Argos faced the Falcons once earlier this season, falling 67-50 on the road.  Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m., and fans can listen to all the action live at www.GoArgos.com.

GC Men End 2010 with Big Win, 81-49

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Georgia College men’s basketball team (7-2) may be an old acquaintance that St. Augustine’s College (1-7) would like to forget after a 81-49 Bobcat win Friday in day two of the Hampton Inn & Suites Holiday Classic, hosted by Armstrong Atlantic.

Senior forward Reece Wiedeman (Suwanee, Ga.) had 13 to lead the team in scoring for the second-straight contest, as 12 different GC players reached the scoring column.

GC hit 50 percent (14-28) of its shots in the first half, building a 37-19 lead and not looking back. Surprisingly enough, the 49 points are just the third-lowest total given up by a defensive-minded Bobcat squad this season, behind 30 surrendered to Carson-Newman College and 47 allowed to Carver Bible College.

Wiedeman’s 13 came on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor, and was aided by 11 points each from both Nate Hamilton (Snellville, Ga.) and Mike Augustine (Waterloo, Ill.). Wiedeman’s point total came in just over half the game, as he had just 21 minutes of action in the blowout.

Junior Ryan Aquino (Roswell, Ga.) had a solid line of eight points, seven boards and four assists. Leading the team in helps was Jared Holmes (Indianapolis) with five.

Wiedeman has led the team in scoring in the last two games, and has scored in double figures in five of the last six. Hamilton has a similar feat in four of the last five.

The Bobcats dominated in takeaways, getting 18 while giving up just nine. The offense got everyone involved to the tune of matching a season-high with 20 assists. The last time GC had more than 20 assists was a year ago at this tournament against Voorhees College with 23.

Georgia College shot 47 percent (32-68), while allowing just 33 percent (18-54) from the floor.

The Bobcats are back in action Saturday, Jan. 8 at 3:30 p.m., returning to the Centennial Center to face Clayton State University (9-3, 1-1 PBC). GC is 1-0 in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC).

The Georgia College Department of Athletics, back-to-back winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at www.twitter.com/GCSUBobcats and www.facebook.com/GCBobcats for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCBobcats.com for more information, and to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GC Athletics Hall of Fame.

Northwest Missouri State 85, Lincoln 66

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Shaneel Narayan scored a season-high 22 points and handed out 11 assists to steal the show in Northwest Missouri State’s 85-66 win against Lincoln Friday at Bearcat Arena. Narayan’s 11 dimes are tied for the second-most in program history.

Northwest point guard DeShaun Cooper picked up two fouls in the first two minutes, but it set the stage for Narayan who had eight points and eight assists in the first half. Northwest scored 47 points in the first half and took a 16-point lead into the break.

Lincoln (2-8, 0-6 MIAA) got within 11 points five minutes into the second half, but consecutive 3-pointers on three possessions for Narayan quickly pushed the lead to 18. His fourth 3-pointer in a span of five minutes capped a 16-2 run that put the game out of reach. Narayan was 5-of-7 from long range. As a team, Lincoln was 5-of-17.

The Blue Tigers placed four in double-figures, but made 23 of 70 shots (33 percent). Leading scorer Pierre DeClue led Lincoln with 15 points, but was 5-of-21 from the field.

Northwest’s leading scorer, Elijah Allen, was also saddled with early foul trouble, but contributed 10 points and seven rebounds in the second half. He finished with 13 and eight. Dillon Starzl came off the bench to score a season-best 16 points, grab five rebounds and block two shots.

It was the first game in nearly two weeks for both teams. Northwest (3-7, 1-5) ended a string of six losses, the program’s longest skid in the last 35 years. The Bearcats wrap up a three-game home stand Wednesday against Missouri Western.
# # #

UDC Firebirds Lose Tough Game to Tuskegee, 69-65

Pensacola, Fl: December 31, 2010-- Playing without the services of their team captain and overall scoring leader, Lillian McGill (Criminal Justice-Sumter, SC), the University of the District of Columbia Firebirds Women's Basketball Team could not sustain their offensive firepower as they fell to the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers, 69-65, today, in the University of West Florida Holiday Classic in Pensacola Florida.  McGill, who was among several members of the Firebirds team suffering from a virus during the Tournament was unable to suit up for today's game.

UDC led at the break, 35-33, but Tuskegee rallied in the second half to outscore them, 36-30, and take the win. Junior forward Jamilia Bonner (Accounting-Mobile, Al) led all Firebirds in scoring with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals. Bonner was also named to the All-Tournament Team.  Junior forward Dohnay Banice ( Business Administration- Wilmington, DC) followed with a double-double performance of 15 points and 10 rebounds, her second of the season. Junior forward Aida Gueye (Business Management-Alexandria, VA), starting in place of McGill, added 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 2 steals.

The teams were evenly matched in field goal percentage for the game, with each shooting 39 percent, 27 for 70/UDC and 22 for 57/TU. However, there were major differences in shooting from beyond the arc with UDC making 29 percent (6 for 21) while Tuskegee shot 50 percent (5 for 10).  UDC shot 46 percent (5 for 11) from the charity stripe as Tuskegee converted 71 percent (20 for 28) of their free-throws.

Tequila Martin paced the Golden Tigers to the win with a game-high 26 point, 9 rebound performance, followed by Nnenna Eze, who added 19 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists.

The Firebirds led in several statistical categories, including points off turnovers (26-19), points in paint (38-30), 2nd chance points (16-15) and bench points. The Golden Tigers controlled the boards (51-38). Foul trouble haunted the Firebirds as they were charged with 24 personal fouls, while the Golden Tigers were only assessed 14.

The Firebirds fell to 7-6 with this loss, but they look to rebound in the New Year when they play the Fayetteville State Broncos at home on January 3, at 5:30 p.m.

Northwest Missouri State 77, Lincoln 61

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Shelly Martin hit five three-pointers and had a team-high 17 points to lead Northwest Missouri State to a 77-61 win against Lincoln Friday at Bearcat Arena. The Bearcats (8-2, 4-2 MIAA) have won four in a row.

Northwest center Kyla Roehrig was the perfect compliment to Martin. Roehrig scored 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting and pulled down 12 rebounds for her third double-double this season. Roehrig has had double-digit rebounds in five of her last seven games.

Vivian Essuon had 19 points and 12 rebounds to pace Lincoln (1-9, 0-6), which has lost all nine games since a season-opening win against Rockhurst. Essuon was the only Blue Tiger to reach double figures. The rest of her team was 16-of-46 from the field (35 percent).

Lincoln jumped out to an early five-point lead and it was 16-16 halfway through the first half. Martin and Roehrig single-handedly outscored Lincoln 15-11 the rest of the half and the Bearcats led 43-27 at the break.

Northwest was 7-for-13 from beyond the arc in the first frame and 10-for-20 for the game. Martin finished 5-for-7. It’s the second time Martin has made five treys in a game this season.

The lead was 68-38 following Martin’s fifth 3-pointer with nine minutes remaining. Northwest’s starters sat the rest of the way.

It was the first game in nearly two weeks for both teams. Northwest wraps up a three-game homestand Wednesday against Missouri Western.

Valdosta State Blows Out Mercy 120-64

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Valdosta State topped the 100-point barrier for the third time this season as the Blazers defeated Mercy 120-64 in the final day of play at the McDonald Fleming Moorhead UWF Christmas Classic at the UWF Field House Friday evening.

The Blazers (12-2) led for all but 38 seconds of the game as Mercy (0-9) hit an early three before VSU reeled off a 12-4 run to grab the lead. Trailing 3-2, Sidney Harris hit a lay-up to put Valdosta State in front before Josh Sparks added a basket. Ed Wilson scored for the Flyers, but Will Alston added a three-point play and Christian Hunter added a pair of free throws. James Mindingall pulled MC back to within four points, but Harris added a three that pushed the Blazer advantage to 14-7.

Mercy got no closer than five points the rest of the half as Valdosta State quickly pushed its edge to double digits while it topped 20 points on a Tristan Steele lay-up with 8:00 minutes remaining in the first half.

The Steele basket came in the midst of a 25-5 run that extended the Blazer lead from 30-16 to 55-21 with 2:17 to go in the first half while a pair of Billy McShepard free throws with 57 seconds remaining in the half established a 58-23 halftime lead.

Mercy connected on just 10-of-40 first half field goal attempts and turned the ball over nine times in the first 20 minutes of play. Meanwhile, Valdosta State hit 18-of-38 first half shots to shoot 47.4 percent from the floor in the frame.

The Valdosta State lead stretched to as much as 77-31 less than six minutes into the second half before the Flyers used a 12-3 spurt to close to within 37 points. The Blazers quickly stretched their advantage back to 40 points while Tristan Steele put into triple digits with a lay-up with 5:45 remaining in the game.

Martrez Scott pushed the VSU lead to 51 points with a dunk two minutes later while a Steele three-pointer with 36 seconds remaining closed out the scoring.

Tristan Steele led Valdosta State with a career-high 31 points as he connected on 12-of-19 shots. Kevin Harris added 16 and Hunter contributed 13 while Alston tallied his second double-double of the year as he finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Josh Sparks just missed a double-double as he scored eight points while also pulling down 11 rebounds.

The Blazers shot 53.2 percent from the floor in the game as they connected on 42-of-79 field goal attempts while also connecting 22-of-34 free throws. Valdosta State also owned a 61-36 advantage in rebounding and registered 11 steals on 19 Mercy turnovers. VSU also blocked 10 shots in the game, including six by Sparks.

Manny Garcia led Mercy with 13 points while Colin Senior tallied 12. The Flyers shot 33.3 percent from the floor in the game and hit 8-of-15 free throws.

Valdosta State returns to action Thursday, January 6 when it returns home to The Complex to host Carver Bible at 7:30 p.m.

Ichabods dominate second half, take out Mules, 57-45

(Topeka, Kan.) – The Central Missouri Mules were outscored 35-19 in the final half, and were held to their lowest point total since 2002 against Missouri-Rolla (32), as the Washburn Ichabods took a 57-45 win at Lee Arena on New Year’s Eve.

The shooting was the story in the first half, or lack thereof. Central Missouri (8-4, 3-3 MIAA) shot only 36.0 percent and made nine shots from the field, but Washburn (6-4, 3-3 MIAA) was even worse, hitting a season-low five shots for 20.8 percent.
          
The Mules grabbed an early 7-2 lead, but that would be the largest margin for either team in the opening period. The Ichabods tied it at seven with 14:06 to play, and grabbed its biggest advantage at three on a couple De’Andre Washington free throws at the 6:05 mark. UCM went on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes though, making it 20-15 with 3:58 to play on a bucket by senior forward Manny Richardson. The Mules carried that advantage into the break, hitting the locker room up 26-22.
          
Senior forward Joel Barkers tallied a team-high eight points for UCM, while also grabbing nine rebounds in the half. UCM used a 20-16 advantage on the boards as well, but committed 10 turnovers.
          
The Ichabods came out on fire to open the second stanza, scoring 21 points in the first 10 minutes. The Mules continued with the same pace though, and WU used a 22-4 run to hold a 50-36 lead with about six minutes to play. Central Missouri went more than six minutes without scoring a point during the rally.
          
Both teams shot a season-low in the contest, with UCM hitting 33.3 percent, and WU tallying a 32.0 percent clip. The difference came on the free throw line, where the Ichabods had 23 points, compared to the Mules’ 10 points.

UCM had won three in a row, while WU had lost three consecutive coming into the contest, but a 12-day layover stunned both team’s offenses.
          
Barkers was the leader for UCM in the game, scoring 14 points and pulling down a career-high 14 rebounds. Boo Hunter hit for 13 points, but went only 2-of-11 from the floor. Only six players scored for UCM, and two were in double figures.
          
Logan Stutz put up 21 points and had 12 boards in the game for WU, putting up 15 in the final half.
            Central Missouri will head to Hays for a contest with Fort Hays State on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Second Half Slump Costs UWF in 75-54 Loss

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Sixteen second half turnovers proved costly for the University of West Florida women’s basketball team on Friday afternoon as they fell, 75-54, to Harding University in the final game of the 2010 UWF Holiday Classic. The Argonauts led the game at the halftime break, 32-31, but were outscored 44-22 in the second stanza.

Sierra Rollins led the Lady Bisons (8-3) with 13 points and 11 rebounds en route to earning Tournament MVP honors. Harding pulled away in large part thanks to free throw shooting, as they knocked down 21-of-23 (91.3%) foul shots on the night.

West Florida (7-6) had another tough night from three-point range, going 0-for-10 from behind the arc. The game is the fourth of the season in which the Argonauts have failed to hit a three-point field goal. Keaundrea Merriewether paced UWF with a career-high nine points.

The opening half was by far the more competitive of the two periods, with the teams swapping the lead on four occasions. The Argos took their biggest lead at the 13:46 mark, when Kirstin McIntyre scored on a put-back to make the score 15-10.

Harding took control with a 7-0 spurt late in the half. All-Tournament selection Kallie Bartee set up Bailey St. Clair for a running lay-in at the 4:46 mark to end the run and put the visitors ahead, 27-24.

Three late-free throws by Jessica Young gave UWF a 32-31 advantage at the intermission. Young finished the game with seven points, all from the foul line, while chipping in a team-high eight rebounds.

St. Clair opened up the 2nd half with a three-pointer on Harding’s first possession, giving the Lady Bisons a lead they would not relinquish. Harding opened the period on a 19-6 run, capped by Brittany Gottsponer’s three-pointer to make the score 50-40 with 11:16 remaining.

Once pushing the lead to double-digits, Harding was never again tested. A fastbreak hoop from St. Clair stretched the advantage to 69-50 with 2:30 on the clock, and Lauren Harrison gave the Lady Bisons their biggest lead, 75-52, in the game’s final minute.

Michaela Brown scored 12 points off the bench for Harding, while St. Clair scored 11 and Bartee added ten. The Lady Bisons shot just 38.7% from the floor but had more assists (15) than turnovers.

UWF gave the ball away 23 times for the game. Young and Sher’Ryan Scott, who scored eight points in the game, grabbed UWF’s All-Tournament spots.

Young was stellar for UWF on the defensive end, tallying a career-high five blocked shots and three steals. Octavia Bearden and Jade Howard each added eight points for the Argonauts.

UWF will take the weekend off before returning to the court on January 8, when they will face the University of Mobile, an NAIA institution. UWF is 2-0 against NAIA teams in 2010-11. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 pm.

2010 Hampton Inn & Suites Holiday Classic: Day Two Wrapup

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Barton College overcame a 24-point second-half deficit, collecting a 105-101 overtime victory over host Armstrong Atlantic State University to wrap up action in the 2010 Hampton Inn & Suites Holiday Classic on Friday afternoon at Alumni Arena. Georgia College finished the Classic with a 2-0 mark after picking up an 81-49 win over St. Augustine's.

Both the Pirates (6-3) and the Bulldogs (7-4) put on an offensive display in the first half as Armstrong shot 75 percent from the floor (24-of-32), including 9-of-12 three-pointers, while Barton hit 18-of-29 from the floor for 62.1 percent. The Pirates built a 69-49 halftime lead and stretched that lead to 24, 79-55, on a jumper by Chris Vanlandingham with 14:47 remaining in the second half.

The Bulldogs started their charge by going on a 25-10 run over the next 10 minutes, eventually tying the game on a Greg Mammel free throw with 19 seconds remaining. The Pirates' Chris Edwards took the out-of-bounds pass and drove all the way down the floor, converting a layup with 12 seconds left. On the other end, L.J. Dunn grabbed an offensive rebound off of a missed shot by R.D. Dowdy, drew a foul and sank both free throws with 5.5 seconds left to tie the game at 96-96. A three-point attempt to win at the buzzer by the Pirates' Mychal Horn fell short and the game went into overtime.

The Pirates took a three-point lead in the overtime period on two free throws from Vanlandingham and a free throw from DeVon Jones, but Mammel canned a three-pointer with 48 seconds left to tie the game at 101-all. Gerald Boston then gave the Bulldogs the lead for good with a three-pointer with five seconds left, and Dowdy added a free throw at the end for the final margin.

"We just didn't complete plays when we needed it [down the stretch]," Armstrong head men's basketball coach Jeremy Luther said. "We didn't run our plays and didn't stop them from getting basket after basket. It's a real tough loss, but we've got to learn from this and move on."

The Pirates placed five players in double figures on the night, led by three players with 17 points apiece - Vanlandingham, Jesse Wheeler and Brett Goodwell. Grant Domsic added 14 points off the bench and Chris Edwards chipped in 10 points. Barton was led by Dunn's 29 points and 14 rebounds, while Boston added 23 points and Mammel chipped in 14 points off the bench.

In the day's first game, Georgia College completed a perfect 2-0 mark in the Classic with a 32-point win over St. Augustine's. The Bobcats (7-2) shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half en route to building a 37-19 lead at intermission, then held the Falcons (1-7) to just 33 percent shooting from the floor during the entire game to notch the win.

Twelve different players scored for the Bobcats on the afternoon, led by Reece Wiedeman's 13 points. Nate Hamliton and Mike Augustine each chipped in 11 points for Georgia College. Matthew McMillan led the Falcons on the day with nine points and five rebounds.

The Pirates return to action on Monday, January 3, hosting Flagler in a Peach Belt Conference contest at 7:30 p.m. at Alumni Arena.

Women's Basketball completes perfect LA trip

LOS ANGELES — The Cal State Stanislaus women's basketball team will celebrate New Year's Eve when they get back to Turlock tonight after completing a perfect 2-0 road trip to the L.A. area this week.

The Warriors beat the Cal State L.A. Golden Eagles, 76-59, on Friday to win their fourth straight Caifornia Collegiate Athletic Association contest. Cal State Stanislaus now improves to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in CCAA play.

Cal State Stanislaus has now won five of its last six games overall. The Warriors opened conference play with two losses to Chico State during Thanksgiving week and has not lost a CCAA game since. Dating back to the end of last season, the Warriors are 9-2 in their last 11 CCAA contests.

Friday afternoon at the Eagles Nest, Andreanna Marshall led the Warriors with 19 points and five rebounds with four assists and three steals. Katie Busi grabbed nine rebounds to go with her 14 points and Christin Gowan netted her second straight 17-point game. Gowan also led the team with five assists and five steals.

The Warriors again led wire-to-wire in the game with a 10-point advantage three different times in the first half until a 47-39 intermission score.

Despite shooting just 28.1 percent in the second half, the strong CSUS defense again limited its opponents as the Golden Eagles shot just 16.7 percent (4-for-24) in the second half. The Warriors were able to parlay that into a lead as large as 19 points on a Trisha Werre jumper halfway through the second half.

Stanislaus again got to the free throw line and converted on its opportunities hitting 20 of 26 free throw attempts.

Cal State L.A., which dropped to 5-5  overall and 2-4 in the CCAA, was led by Gretchen Tiernan's 14 points. Shatori Dearman had 13 points and eight rebounds.

Dominguez Hills exacts revenge on Wildcats

CARSON, Calif. – The excitement has been building for the Chico State men’s basketball team’s 2011. But what had been a sweet 2010 for the Wildcats ended on a sour note with a 76-65 loss at Cal State Dominguez Hills Friday afternoon at the Torodome in Carson. Sean Park recorded career highs of 23 points and nine rebounds, but the Wildcats could not sustain enough offense against the 15th-ranked Toros, who sent them home swept in Southern California.

The Wildcats, who fell at Cal State L.A. Thursday, fell to 7-3 overall and 3-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Damario Sims was the only other Wildcat in double figures with 14 points. Terence Pellum contributed eight points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

Zareh Zargaryan and Marcquentince Davis finished with 16 points apiece for Cal State Dominguez Hills, which made its final 10 free throws and last four field goal attempts (including three 3-pointers) to salt the game away. The Toros limited Chico State to 29-percent shooting in the second stanza to improve to 9-1 overall and move into sole possession of first place in the CCAA at 5-1.

The Wildcats kicked off 2010 with an improbable upset of eventual National Champion Cal Poly Pomona, stunned the Toros in the opening round of the CCAA Championship Tournament, and then went 7-3 in the 2010 section of this 2010-11 season.


Terence Pellum pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds and scored eight points on 4-of-7 shooting.
But the Toros put a dent in that body of work with a win undoubtedly flamed by the fires of retaliation after the Wildcats finished their promising season in such shocking fashion last season.

Payback looked like money in the bank in Friday’s early going as the Toros tore out to a 9-2 lead. Not so fast. Josh Jackson, Park and Sims stuck 3-pointers to spark an 18-6 Wildcats run that gave them their largest lead of the game at 20-15.

It was a costly stint of minutes, however, as the already injury-depleted ’Cats lost Jay Flores to a lost tooth and bloody mouth and Chris Sharp to an injury. Even before that, Park and Roderick Hawkins were playing in pain.

The lead changed hands five times from that point to the end of the half and the Toros went into the break leading 39-37.

The Wildcats tasted the lead for the last time when Sims sank a 3-pointer two minutes into the second half to make it 42-41, but 12 of their next 13 shots were off the mark and the Toros went on a 10-2 run during that eight-minute drought to take control 51-44.

Park’s jumper with 8:19 to go trimmed the lead to five, as did his 3-pointer at the 5:49 mark, but that was a close as the Wildcats could get. The Toros made their last four shots (including a trio of treys), beginning with Robert Wilhite’s 3-pointer with 5:38 remaining, and also made 8-of-8 free throws down the stretch. In all, Cal State Dominguez Hills scored on eight of their last nine possessions.

Chico State will enter the New Year alone in sixth place in the CCAA. The Wildcats hope to improve their lot in January when they play six home games out of eight beginning next weekend when UC San Diego and Cal State East Bay come to town.

]GAME NOTES – The Wildcats have lost nine of their last 11 meetings against Cal State Dominguez Hills but still lead the series 16-14…The Wildcats have come home from weekend road trips in the CCAA winless 32 times out of 58 since they joined the conference in the 1998-99 season…Park’s 23 points came in 28 minutes off the bench. The freshman is currently averaging a team-best 19.8 points per 40 minutes of action…Sims and Park combined to make 6-of-13 threes, while the rest of the team hit only 3-of-18.

#22 Lady Buffs drop third straight, fall 67-60 to #1 Delta State

CLEVELAND, Miss. – The West Texas A&M Lady Buff basketball team suffered another defeat to a top-25-ranked team this season, falling 67-60 to No. 1-ranked Delta State at Walter Sillers Coliseum in Cleveland, Miss., on Friday.

The No. 22-ranked Lady Buffs dropped a fourth straight contest to teams ranked inside the USA Today/ESPN Division II Coaches Poll and fell to 6-5 overall on the season with the road loss. The top-ranked Lady Statesmen meanwhile improved to 8-0 overall, while picking up their 988th all-time victory. DSU extended its NCAA Division II seventh-best home winning streak to 54-consecutive games as well.

Just as they did against No. 5-ranked Arkansas Tech a few nights ago, the WTAMU defense forced the home team from getting into any type of rhythm on the offensive side of the court. The Lady Buffs led  by as many as 10 points in the first half, but the Lady Statesmen closed out the period on a 6-2 run and WT instead took a 34-28 lead into the break.

Up 9-8 with 12:41 remaining in the first half, Ashley Leven (Jr-2L, Amarillo, Texas) hit a jumper that helped spark a 13-5 run for the Lady Buffs and WT led 22-13 with 7:35 left on the clock. DSU countered though with a 9-0 run and tied the game at 22-22 with 6:00 left to play in the period.

Jamie Simmons (Jr-1L, Houston, Texas) then nailed a jumper with 5:39 showing on the clock and Ariel Robertson (Fr-RS, Cedar Hill, Texas) put in back-to-back layups in-between a pair of free throws from Megan McLain (Sr-3L, Channing, Texas) and a bucket from Aly Sherman (Jr-1L, Mt. Vernon, Texas).

The 10-0 run put WT on top 32-22 before DSU could counter with six straight points at the other end. Simmons then hit both of her attempts at the charity stripe just before the end of the half to give the Lady Buffs the six-point lead heading into the locker rooms.

The Lady Statesmen came out of the break scoring the first eight points of the second half and with 17:35 left to play, DSU took its first lead since the 15:11 mark of the first period, up 36-34. Sherman then put in her second bucket of the day with 16:34 left to play in the game, which tied the game at 36-36.

The two teams would trade buckets over the next few possessions before DSU’s Bug Cooper scored on a layup and then hit the and-one-attempt following a foul to give the Lady Statesmen a 43-38 lead. McLain followed with a pair of free throws and Robertson put in another layup to pull the Lady Buffs within a point, down 43-42.

With 11:38 left in the period, Cooper hit a jumper that gave DSU a 47-42 lead, but Simmons recorded the game’s next four points and WT again trailed by just one point, 47-46 with 9:17 remaining.

The Lady Statesmen were held without a field goal for over three minutes until Moe Bell drained a three-pointer with 8:09 left to play. This gave DSU a 52-46 lead and sparked a 10-2 run, which gave the Lady Statesmen a 58-48 lead with 5:31 left in the game.

WT was forced to foul down the stretch, and despite outscoring the Lady Statesmen 12-6 over the final 5:21, the 11-point deficit was too large to comeback from. A couple of three-pointers from Robertson down the stretch pulled the Lady Buffs closer, but time slipped away from the visiting team and DSU came away with the 67-60 victory.

Simmons paced the Lady Buff offense with a team-high 20 points, while Robertson followed with a total of 16 points off the bench. McLain finished the contest with 10 points. Simmons recorded eight rebounds and Sherman led all WT players with four assists.

Cooper tied a career-high as she led all players with 27 points. Walker (13 points) and Bell (10 points) each tallied double-digit efforts for the Lady Statesmen as well. Walker came within a rebound shy of collecting a double-double, finishing the afternoon with nine boards. Cooper dished out a game-high six assists as well.

The Lady Buffs outshot the home team, 47.9% to 45.6% from the field, but it was the -12.2% difference from the first half (54.5%) to the second half (42.3%) that hurt WT. The Lady Buffs did however manage outshoot the Lady Statesmen 40% to 20% from three-point range.

WT improved at the free throw line on Friday, making 10-of-13 from the charity stripe. The 76.9% effort was the third best outing for the Lady Buffs this season. DSU shot 65.0% after going 13-for-20 from the line.

DSU out-rebounded the Lady Buffs 40-26 and scored 17 more (21-4) second-chance points than the Lady Buffs did. Each team tallied 24 points apiece off of the other opponent’s turnovers.

Despite dropping the past three contests to three top-10 ranked teams, the Lady Buffs should be well prepared for the upcoming Lone Star Conference South Division schedule.

Before opening conference play though, WT still has two LSC crossover games remaining - with both of them coming on the road. The Lady Buffs will have the next five days to prepare for its next opponent as they will ring-in the 2011 portion of the season on the road against Southeastern Oklahoma. The Lady Buffs and Savage Storm will play next Thursday, Jan. 6, with a tip-off set for 6 p.m. inside Bloomer Sullivan Arena in Durant, Okla. WT will then face East Central on Saturday, Jan. 8, in Ada, Okla.

Grizzlies to ring in 2011 with important 2-game swing in Nebraska

KEARNEY, Neb.- After a solid 6-2 start in 2010, the Adams State College men's basketball team will look to get back to their winning ways when they begin the 2011 portion of the campaign here against the University of Nebraska-Kearney Sunday evening in what could be their final visit to the Lopers' Health & Sports Center.

Tip-off is at 5 p.m. CST (4 p.m. Mountain) following a 3 p.m. CST women's start.

The Grizzlies, 3-2 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play, have never won on the Lopers' home court, and have defeated UNK, 5-5 overall and 3-3 in RMAC play, just once in 23 all-time tries.

The Grizzlies then continue the important Nebraska road swing at Chadron State, also 5-5 overall and 3-3 in RMAC play, Monday at 5 p.m., before returning home to begin a stretch in which they play 4 of 6 and 8 of 12 games in the friendly confines Plachy Hall.

Monday's game against the Eagles in Armstrong Gymnasium can be heard live on KSPK-FM (104.1 in Alamosa) as the second half of a women's and men's doubleheader.  The station will also have tape-delayed coverage of Sunday's games following the Denver Broncos' season finale.

Live streaming coverage of both games can also be seen with a single-game or season pass subscription to America One (formerly B2 Networks) or followed with live statistics at the links at the bottom of this article.

The Grizzlies hold a slight 15-14 edge in the all-time series with Chadron State but have dropped three straight decisions by just eight combined points, including a 95-93 overtime heartbreaker in Plachy Hall last season.

The Grizzlies enter the road trip in a 3-way tie for fifth place in the RMAC's tightly-bunched overall standings, just a half-game behind Mesa State, the team that beat the Grizzlies, 89-77, in their final pre-holiday game.  They also sit just a half-game ahead of both the Lopers and Eagles, who face Fort Lewis (7-2, 3-2 RMAC) on Sunday night, making the set of tilts quite important for future RMAC tournament qualifying and seeding hopes for all four teams.

The Lopers, who will leave the RMAC after the 2011-12 season in which they will visit Plachy Hall for the only regular season meeting of the teams, have been solid at home thus far in the season and sport a perfect 3-0 mark in the Health & Sports Center, including a 73-65 win over Mesa State, and an earlier 12-point non-conference victory over in-state rival Nebraska-Omaha.

The Lopers, who got out to a 2-0 RMAC start, however, limped out of 2010 dropping three of their last four in two weekend trips to the metro Denver area.

Loper freshman forward Mike Dentlinger, who checks in at 6-feet-6-inches and 210 pounds, leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with 13.9-point and 6.6-rebound per game averages.  He is also shooting 53.8 percent from the field and is the only Loper to have started all 10 games.

Meanwhile, veteran Max Froehlich, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, is the team's top defensive player with 14 steals and eight blocked shots.  He also paces the team with 48 assists, good for a 4.8 per game average that has him ranked second in the RMAC, and is second on the team in scoring after pouring in an even dozen per game.  The Preseason All-RMAC pick also leads the RMAC with his 89.1 success rate from the free throw line, a big part of why the Lopers lead the RMAC in that category as a team at 80.3 percent.

Chadron State also had a rough end to 2010 dropping three of four in their trips to Denver after defeating both Mesa State and Western State on the first weekend of December in the middle of what was a 4-game, home-court winning streak.

The Eagles are led by 6-foot-4 junior guard Kevin McClelland, who is averaging 15.2 points per game to rank ninth in the RMAC.  Trey Mosby is also averaging in double figures at 10.1 points per game while Preseason All-RMAC pick Moala Tautuaa leads a balanced rebounding squad with 4.4 boards per night.
The Eagles, 4-1 at home, also have three of the top eight long-range sharp-shooters in the RMAC and pace the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.385) while making 77.

The Grizzlies, 3-1 on the road this year, hold the RMAC lead in five statistical categories, including field goal percentage defense (.403), and have held all but one of their opponents below the 50.0 percent mark this season.

Led by RMAC individual leader Jamiko Verner (Denver, Colo.), the Grizzlies also lead the RMAC in steals, turnover margin and rebounding.

Offensively, the Grizzlies are second in the RMAC in scoring average (84.2) and have four players averaging in double figures, including junior Marqus Richards (Los Angeles, Calif.) at 13.6 points per game.

Senior Seth Heinbaugh (Prescott Valley, Ariz.), also amongst that group at 11.3 points per game, is leading the team while ranking fourth in the RMAC with his 8.4-rebound per game average.  He also leads the RMAC in field goal percentage at .617.

Edinboro Downs FSU, 87-80

FAIRMONT, W.Va. – Edinboro used a 16-7 run in the final minutes to down Fairmont State 87-80, on Friday afternoon in the final game of the FSU New Year’s Classic.

The Falcons drop to 7-3 on the season while Edinboro improves to 6-1.

Lauren Gilbert scored 19 points and Kaitlin Snyder added 18 for the Falcons. Rachel Murray finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. Kelsi Wright rounded out the Falcons in double figures with 10.

Renee Brown paced the Fighting Scots with 20 points. Darche’ Jackson and Kiara Brown tallied 14 points apiece for Edinboro. Miki Cerchiaro and Samantha Blazetic each notched 12 points.

Edinboro held a decisive 39-27 advantage on the glass. Fairmont State tured the ball over 20 times to the Fighting Scots 14.

Fairmont State sprinted out to a 10-0 lead in the first half, Wright scored five points during the run. The Fighting Scots got back in the game with a 14-4 run to tie the game at 34-34 with three minutes to play in the half. Edinboro would go to the half holding a 40-39 advantage.

Both teams shot 50 percent from the field FSU was 16-of-32 and Edinboro was 15-of-30. Gilbert (12) and Snyder (10) paced the FSU attack in the first 20 minutes. Brown kept the Fighting Scots with 12 points in the half.  

Fairmont State got used an early 8-2 jolt in the second half to go back in front 54-49, Gilbert and Snyder each hit a three during the run. Edinboro broke a 63-63 tie with a 16-7 run to take a 79-70 lead and would make free throws down the stretch to claim the 87-80 victory.

The Falcons return to action against Concord on January 8 at Joe Retton Arena.

Concord 59, Clarion 51
Jolysa Brown tallied 17 points and 18 rebounds to lead Concord to a 59-51 victory over Clarion on Friday afternoon during day two of the FSU New Year’s Classic.

Concord is now 5-4 on the season and Clarion drops to 1-7.

Camisha Alexander added 15 points and Amanda Bertrand notched 11 for the Mountain Lions.

Courtney Healy paced the Golden Eagles with a double-double 16 points and 11 rebounds. Lauren Savulchak finished with 10 points for Clarion.