In the win over Marietta, Carthage was fully in control from the game’s opening tip. The Red Men led, 24-3, at 13:10 and went up by 30 points, 39-9, at 8:54. Carthage enjoyed a 27-point lead at halftime, 50-23. The lead ballooned to 38 points in the second half, 80-42, at 3:12, as the Red Men cruised to a 31-point victory, 82-51. Carthage shot 47 percent (26-55), including a phenomenal 62 percent (18-29) in the first half. The Pioneers shot just 37 percent for the game (19-52). Four Carthage players scored in double figures. Brian Schlemm scored a game-high 18 points on six-of-10 field goals, including two-of-two from three-point range, and four-of-five from the free-throw line, along with five rebounds. Milos Vukosavljevic had 17 points on four-of-11 three-pointers. Sean Fendley had 17 points on four-of-four three-pointers, and Joe Higgins added 11 points on three three-pointers, along with four assists. As a team, the Red Men connected on 15-of-30 three-point attempts and tied a game record of 15 set against Maranatha Baptist Bible College on Dec. 8, 1998. Carthage returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 30 by traveling to Romeoville, Ill., to play non-conference opponent Lewis University in a 7:30 p.m. game at Neil Carey Arena.
“We played very well against Marietta,” said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic, “and I’m happy to get out Las Vegas with two wins. With our inside game, if we shoot like we shot in this game, we’re a very difficult team to defend. Our perimeter defense has been outstanding. Joe Higgins and Navarro Thompson give opposing point guards no time off. Marietta didn’t have enough big guys to match up with us, but they do a very good job with what they have. We’ve played really well to this point, and we deserve to be 8-1. We’ve only played two home games, and we’ve played some of the top teams in the country. We have no time to sit back, with a very good NCAA Division II Lewis team coming up next on Dec. 30.”
Newspaper Box Score Marietta vs Carthage 12-20-06 1:15 p.m. at Las Vegas, Nev. (UNLV McDermott Center) At Las Vegas, Nev. (UNLV McDermott Center) CARTHAGE 82, MARIETTA 51 MARIETTA (3-6) Matthew Rucker 4-7 2-6 10; Isaiah Creasap 4-8 0-0 10; Steve Luckhardt 2-7 2-4 6; Jordan Johnson 1-3 3-4 5; Wade Ewing 2-5 0-0 4; Adam Rockhold 2-6 0-1 4; Kyle Reed 2-5 0-0 4; Tyler Morando 1-6 1-2 4; Mike Stanek 1-3 0-0 3; Matt Phillips 0-0 1-2 1; Fred Munkachy 0-0 0-0 0; Eric Lechlitner 0-1 0-0 0; Ryan Wilkinson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-52 9-19 51. CARTHAGE (8-1) Schlemm, Brian 6-10 4-5 18; Vukosavljevic, Milos 5-12 3-3 17; Fendley, Sean 5-7 3-3 17; Higgins, Joe 3-3 2-2 11; Bowens, Trey 3-7 0-0 8; Franciskovic, Neb 2-2 1-2 5; Ideran, Steve 0-1 2-2 2; Thompson, Navarro 1-1 0-0 2; Moore, Eric 1-2 0-1 2; Jacklin, Billy 0-0 0-0 0; Williams, Richard 0-0 0-0 0; Mikolaitis, Dave 0-2 0-0 0; Shemerdiak, Bill 0-4 0-0 0; Majewski, Luke 0-3 0-0 0; Nute, Thomas 0-1 0-0 0; Hood, Scott 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-55 15-18 82. Marietta...................... 23 28 - 51 Carthage...................... 50 32 - 82 3-point goals--Marietta 4-19 (Isaiah Creasap 2-6; Mike Stanek 1-3; Tyler Morando 1-6; Wade Ewing 0-1; Kyle Reed 0-2; Jordan Johnson 0-1), Carthage 15-30 (Fendley, Sean 4-4; Vukosavljevic, Milos 4-11; Higgins, Joe 3-3; Schlemm, Brian 2-2; Bowens, Trey 2-4; Shemerdiak, Bill 0-3; Majewski, Luke 0-2; Moore, Eric 0-1). Fouled out--Marietta-None, Carthage-Hood, Scott. Rebounds--Marietta 36 (Kyle Reed 7), Carthage 35 (Shemerdiak, Bill 8). Assists--Marietta 8 (Matthew Rucker 3), Carthage 19 (Thompson, Navarro 6). Total fouls--Marietta 17, Carthage 24. Technical fouls--Marietta-None, Carthage-None. A-65 Adidas D-3 Desert Shootout championship game. Olivet (2-6) defeted Bridgwater (4-4), 72-67, in the consolation game.