COLLEGE BASKETBALL RESULTS FROM DECEMBER 28th, 2013

NUMBER ONE CONTINUES TO ROLL – The top-ranked team in the nation, the UW-STEVENS POINT POINTERS faced a dire threat yesterday from the WHITWORTH UNIVERSITY PIRATES. Whitworth actually led the venerable Pointers at Halftime by a score of 45-43 but Stevens Point came out in the 2nd Half focused and ready to play. When all was said and done the Pointers improved to 9-0 with a 93-75 victory.

TOP 25 UPSETS – The unranked MILLIKIN UNIVERSITY BIG BLUE welcomed the number 19 UW-STOUT BLUE DEVILS and toppled them 68-56 in a masterpiece of hardcourt defense. The Big Blue are now 6-4, the Blue Devils fall to 7-3.   ***   And the DICKINSON COLLEGE RED DEVILS were also ungracious hosts, upsetting the 23rd-ranked GUILFORD COLLEGE QUAKERS in an authoritative 90-75 affair. With this win the Red Devils improve to 9-1 and make their case for the next Top 25 poll. The Quakers are also 9-1 now.

MOVING ABOVE 500 – The RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE YELLOW JACKETS, home of college baseball’s Lonnie Dillard, now boast a 5-4 record after yesterday’s triumph over the visiting BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN COLLEGE PANTHERS. The Yellow Jackets built a 32-29 lead by the break, then managed a little separation in the 2nd Half, ultimately winning by a final score of 67-57. The Panthers fall to 8-2 following this loss.

CENTURY CLUB – For this weekend the NAIA’s WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY PIONEERS entered the Century Club with their 103-80 beatdown of the visiting TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS.   ###   And the MONTCLAIR STATE REDHAWKS, led by Daniel Singleton’s 21, put up 100 points to the 73 scored by their guests, the BERKELEY (NJ) COLLEGE KNIGHTS.

MARATHON GAME OF THE DAY – The 25th-ranked COLORADO COLLEGE TIGERS and the homestanding LEHMAN COLLEGE LIGHTNING went into DOUBLE OVERTIME before a victor emerged. The 6-4 Lightning led 33-22 at Halftime but the 6-1 Tigers knotted things up at 62-62 by the end of regulation. After the 1st OT period the score was 71-all, but after the 2nd Overtime Colorado College went home with an 82-75 win.

WORKING OVERTIME – Meanwhile in a game that ran through a single Overtime session the MILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING RAIDERS were on the road against the UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE LEOPARDS. The Leopards let a 38-33 Halftime lead slip away and watched MSOE force OT with a 64-64 tie. The Raiders improved to 8-2 with a 77-70 victory in the extra session while the Leopards fell to a dismal 3-5.

ALL-NAME GAMES – The WHITTIER COLLEGE POETS handed a 94-82 loss to the visiting CAL MARITIME ACADEMY KEELHAULERS yesterday. The 11-5 Keelhaulers from the NAIA led 51-43 at the break but let the 4-4 Poets bolt past them in the 2nd Half.   ###   And the UC-SANTA CRUZ BANANA SLUGS couldn’t break the 30 point barrier in either Half in their game at the WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY BEARCATS. The final score was Bearcats 79  Banana Slugs 57.

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS – The WHITMAN COLLEGE MISSIONARIES defeated the UW-SUPERIOR YELLOW JACKETS, not only with their cooler nickname but on the scoreboard as well. The Missionaries led 60-33 at Halftime and withstood a furious comeback attempt by the Yellow Jackets, holding on for a 96-88 win. That was the good news. The bad news is the Missionaries face the number one Stevens Point team tonight.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL? – Two teams who are hoping to turn their season around faced each other yesterday. The HIRAM COLLEGE TERRIERS welcomed the OLIVET COLLEGE COMETS and, though trailing 49-48 at the break went on to win by a final score of 95-87. The Terriers are now 2-6 and the Comets are 2-7 with a lot of games left on the schedule for both of these squads!

INSTANT CLASSICS – The 14th-ranked CALVIN COLLEGE KNIGHTS notched an 88-82 road win over the REDLANDS COLLEGE BULLDOGS. The Knights faced a tight 45-44 Halftime deficit but stayed calm and won out in the end.   ###   And the WESTMINSTER (MO) BLUE JAYS likewise won a nailbiter on the road, defeating the COE COLLEGE KOHAWKS by a score of 82-80.

IN THE DOGHOUSE – The YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MACCABEES traveled to take on the JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE BLOODHOUNDS in their iconic arena called the Doghouse. The Maccabees were revolted (see what I did there) to be trailing at Halftime 28-25 and poured it on in the 2nd Half. The final score in this very memorable hardcourt clash wound up being Maccabees 69  Bloodhounds 57. Yisrael Feld led Yeshiva with his 24 points.