| Kevin Hamilton scored 23 points and Mount Union pushed its record to 9-0 with a road win at Muskingum. File photo by Ed Hall, Jr. |
No. 12 Mount Union topped Muskingum in a meeting of unbeaten OAC teams, while No. 17 St. Thomas battled past Colorado College in Boulder. In women’s action, William Paterson looked better than fine in win No. 9, and UW-Platteville upended No. 23 Wisconsin Lutheran.
Mount Union dealt Muskingum its first loss of the season and took over first place in the OAC with a 77-75 road win over the Muskies. Kevin Moore’s layup gave the Purple Raiders an 83-76 lead with 1:06 to play, but Muskingum scored the next six points and pulled within one on Roman Crosby’s layup with seven seconds left. Moore sank two free throws for Mount Union, and the Purple Raiders didn’t let the Muskies attempt a game-tying shot.
Mount Union had four players scored double figures, led by Kevin Hamilton who racked up 23 points, six assists and three rebounds for the Purple Raiders (9-0, 3-0 OAC). Duane Davis scored a game-high 25 points for Muskingum (8-1, 2-1 OAC).
Colorado College scored the last four points of regulation to force overtime against No. 17 St. Thomas, but the Celts caught fire in the extra period and pulled away, 84-80. St. Thomas went 3-for-3 from the floor and 9-for-11 from the foul line in overtime, and Nicholas Buffalo scored seven of his 10 points in the extra period for the Celts (8-1, 1-0 SCAC).
Jack Cherry’s late three-pointer lifted Elmhurst over No. 18 Illinois Wesleyan, 67-66, and the Bluejays dealt the Titans their third loss in four games. After trailing by 10 points early in the second half, Illinois Wesleyan rallied to take the lead and held a 64-59 advantage in the closing minutes. But Elmhurst held the Titans to two free throws the rest of the way, and Cherry hit the game-winning shot with 31 seconds left.
No. 9 Montclair State scored 53 points in the second half and rolled over Rutgers-Camden, 89-63, for its ninth consecutive win to start the season. The Red Hawks are tied for first in the NJAC with New Jersey City, which took care of Kean, 73-65.
Zach McLaughlin scored 27 points and Jason Reynolds added a double-double (20 points, 12 rebounds), as Maine-Farmington seized first place in the NAC with a 91-83 win over Husson. The Beavers (9-3, 5-1 NAC) scored 21 points off 13 offensive rebounds.
Women: Pioneers blaze their way to victory
| Luna Kirby and William Paterson are 9-0 for the first time since the Pioneers went 26-3 in 2011-12. Photo by Larry Levanti Photography |
Saturday was a pleasant day for Pioneers, as William Paterson plowed past Rowan for its ninth straight win and UW-Platteville picked off No. 23 Wisconsin Lutheran in Division III women’s basketball action.
William Paterson outscored Rowan 41-14 in the middle periods of an impressive 76-44 home win that kept the Pioneers alone atop the NJAC. Renee Wells sparked a 17-3 Pios run early in the second quarter and William Paterson led the rest of the way. William Paterson (9-0, 5-0 NJAC) converted 21 Rowan turnovers into 21 points, and got a strong all-around performance from junior Jada Jacobs (16 points, seven rebounds, five assists).
UW-Platteville made half of its three-point attempts and nearly all of its free throws, and the Pioneers knocked off No. 23 Wisconsin Lutheran, 63-57. UW-Platteville turned a nine-point deficit into a five-point lead with a 17-2 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters. The Warriors got as close as 59-57 in the final minute, but the Pioneers shut out WLC the rest of the way and sealed its win at the free throw line, where UW-Platteville went 10 for 11. Alexis Strom scored 10 points off the bench for UW-Platteville (8-1), which had a 22-10 reserves scoring advantage.
Four starters scored double figures for No. 22 Bethel, and the Royals held off UW-River Falls, 73-67. Bethel (5-1) made a living at the foul line where the Royals went 25 for 28. Colette Duininck had 17 points, eight from the foul line, and Alli Born added a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) for Bethel.
No. 8 Washington and Lee held Stevenson to 14 second-half points, and Mary Schleusner continued her pursuit of the Division III rebounding record in the Generals’ 68-45 win over the Mustangs. Schleusner grabbed 13 rebounds and is now 139 away from Jordan Holmes’ record, and the Generals star also scored 18 points, leaving her just 38 shy of 2,000 in her career.
All-American Jacqueline Berry scored with six seconds left and lifted Hardin-Simmons over crosstown rival McMurry, 75-74. Berry scored 25 points on 10-for-21 shooting for the Cowgirls (9-1) who have won nine straight since their season-opening loss to Texas Lutheran.
UW-Eau Claire also stayed hot with a 61-46 road victory at Gustavus Adolphus. Kyla Overskei tallied 17 points and six rebounds for the Blugolds (8-1) who head into their semester break on a seven-game winning streak.