MORE COLLEGE BASKETBALL POSTSEASON ACTION

*** NAIA ***

* ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INSTITUTIONS *

ROUND ONE – GAME ONE – The 3 seeds – the WASHINGTON ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY SHOCK – took on the 6th seeded FISK UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS in this game. The Shock were … well, shocked to find themselves trailing the hard-fighting Bulldogs 42-31 at Halftime. Washington Adventist regrouped in the locker room and came out for the 2nd Half primed for a comeback. In the end the Shock advanced in a 77-76 Instant Classic! Eric Lindsey led WAU with 27 points.

ROUND ONE – GAME TWO – In the 4 spot the ALLEN UNIVERSITY YELLOW JACKETS did battle with the 5th seeded MORRIS COLLEGE HORNETS in a game of theme mascots. The Yellow Jackets forced the Hornets to play catch-up throughout the game and by the break had compiled a 38-31 advantage. In the 2nd Half the Hornets pulled a bit closer but not close enough, with Allen University notching a 90-86 victory. William McGuire’s 22 points led the Yellow Jackets.  

* MID-SOUTH CONFERENCE *

OPENING ROUND – There was just one game in the Mid-South Conference Tournament’s Opening Round and it pitted the 9th seeded SHAWNEE STATE BEARS against the 8 seeds – the CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS. The Bears pulled off the slight upset, leading 36-29 at Halftime enroute to a 70-59 win. Shawnee State’s Ethan Moffatt led the Bears with 14 points.    

*** USCAA DIVISION ONE ***

SEMIFINAL ONE – The top seeded DAEMEN COLLEGE WILDCATS squared off against the 4th seeded CONCORDIA (AL) COLLEGE HORNETS for the right to move on to the USCAA’s National Championship Game. The Wildcats were clinging to a 32-31 Halftime edge but got a bit more breathing room in the 2nd Half, ultimately winning by a final score of  68-63. Kyle Clifford’s 25 points led Daemen College.  

SEMIFINAL TWO – The 3 seeds – the ROCHESTER COLLEGE WARRIORS – played the 2nd seeded BEREA COLLEGE MOUNTAINEERS for the other opening in the title game. The Warriors kept alive their hopes for a 2nd championship in the last 3 years in this masterpiece of defensive basketball. A 23-23 tie at the midpoint wound up as a 51-50 triumph for Rochester College. Milton Cribbs led the victors with his Double Double of 15 points and 15 rebounds.

*** USCAA DIVISION TWO ***

DAY TWO – GAME ONE – The 6th seeded COLLEGE OF SAINT JOSEPH’S FIGHTING SAINTS came in determined to upset the 3 seeds – the CENTRAL PENN COLLEGE SILVER KNIGHTS. They generated some hope with their 46-44 Halftime lead and fulfilled that hope in the end with a tight 93-92 win in this game for the ages! Dre Anderson’s 29 points led College of Saint Joseph’s.

DAY TWO – GAME TWO – And speaking of upsets the NINTH seeded PENN STATE AT MONT ALTO NITTANY LIONS managed to drag down the TOP seeded SOUTHERN MAINE COLLEGE SEA WOLVES. The Nittany Lions had the Sea Wolves fans worried at the break with a 39-39 tie. In the 2nd Half they proved it was no fluke as they eventually emerged with a 71-67 upset of epic proportions! Once again Corey Meyers led PSUMA with 24 points.

DAY TWO – GAME THREE – The 2nd seeded BERKELEY COLLEGE (NY) KNIGHTS were determined not to fall into the upset trap themselves as they duked it out with the 10th seeded PENN STATE AT FAYETTE ROARING LIONS. The Knights trailed the Roaring Lions 37-36 at Halftime but kept their composure, coming back for a 77-74 victory. Stephon Jennings notched a Double Double for Berkeley College with 17 points and 12 rebounds.  

DAY TWO – GAME FOUR – The 4 seeds – the JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY (NC) WILDCATS took the court against the 5 seeds – the PENN STATE AT YORK NITTANY LIONS. Another school from the Penn State system got knocked out as the Wildcats overcame a 32-28 Halftime deficit to win by a final tally of 68-60. Tramain Parker’s 23 points led Johnson & Wales University.  

CONSOLATION BRACKET – The (8) WARREN WILSON COLLEGE OWLS and the (7) UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT MACHIAS CLIPPERS fought to see who could overcome the disappointment of their early elimination from title contention. The Owls held a 32-27 advantage at intermission and went on to win the game 76-65. Ty Johnson led the way for Warren Wilson College with his 29 points.  

*** ACCA ***

DAY TWO – GAME ONE – The tip-off game for Day Two was a contest between the Defending Champions – the ARLINGTON BAPTIST COLLEGE PATRIOTS – and the CHAMPION BAPTIST COLLEGE TIGERS. The Patriots set out to prove that they are once again the team to beat in this tournament and made believers out of a lot of spectators yesterday. Arlington Baptist College had Champion Baptist College chasing them the whole game and routed them 96-75.   

DAY TWO – GAME TWO – In this hardcourt battle the DALLAS CHRISTIAN COLLEGE CRUSADERS took on the ASSOCIATION FREE LUTHERAN BIBLE SCHOOL CONQUERORS. It was another game of red-hot offenses going against each other with what felt like very large baskets. When all the dust had settled in this action-packed affair the Crusaders had put up a Century Club-level 104 points to the 83 scored by the Conquerors. 

DAY TWO – GAME THREE – Up next was a game between the HILLSDALE FREE WILL BAPTIST COLLEGE SAINTS and the EMMAUS BIBLE COLLEGE EAGLES. Once again the team that had a Bye in the First Round came out on top. What started out as a closely-contested game turned into a clash in which the Saints got more and more separation from the Eagles in the Second Half and ultimately went on to win the game by a final tally of 89-73. 

DAY TWO – GAME FOUR – This was the first game of the Consolation Bracket for yesterday’s losers and pitted the WELCH COLLEGE FLAMES against the OZARK CHRISTIAN COLLEGE AMBASSADORS. This was a much closer affair than the opening three games and remained reasonably tight between the Flames and the Ambassadors throughout. There could only be one winner, of course and that winner was Welch College by a score of 94-83. 

DAY TWO – GAME FIVE – This second game of the Consolation Bracket found the CROSSROADS COLLEGE KNIGHTS going into battle with the RHEMA BIBLE COLLEGE EAGLES. In what turned out to be the game of the day the Knights and Eagles provided forty riveting minutes of roundball. After all was said and done Crossroads College emerged as the victors by a final score of 86-80.