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Notables

News and notes from around D-III

Feb. 1-14, 2003

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Miseri pair all-time teammates
DALLAS, Pa. — What began unknowingly four seasons ago, ended in impressive fashion Feb. 12 as Misericordia teammates
Willie Chandler and Jason Perry combined for 65 points in a 97-80 win at Marywood to break the Division III scoring record for a pair of classmates.

Chandler (right) sank a pair of free throws in the final minute to close the game with 45 points and Perry (left) added 20 as they ended the game with 4,301 points for their career. They moved in front of Phil Dixon and Al White who held the mark with 4,300 points.

"I didn't realize they were that close at the end of the game," said Misericordia head coach Dave Martin, whose team was facing their local rival in the first of three consecutive road games. "Since they couldn't get the record at home, it's nice that they could get it just up the road."

Chandler also moved past Lamont Strothers of Christopher Newport (2,709) into second place all-time in D-III with 2,742 points. Andre Foreman of Salisbury is the leading scorer in D-III history with 2,940 points. Perry passed Mike Moeller for second place on Misericordia's scoring list with 1,559 points.

"It's been a pleasure to coach these guys from Day One," said Martin. "I knew they would be impact players for our program, but I never imagined anything like this."

More important than the scoring record, the Cougars won for the fifth consecutive game and clinched a Pennsylvania Athletic Conference playoff berth while improving to 14-8 overall and 9-5 in the PAC.

"The points are nice, but Willie and Jason are both competitors and they want to win," said Martin. "Their goal is to get to the NCAA Tournament."

Chandler is a two-time NCAA scoring champion and both players have been All-PAC performers in each of their first three seasons.

Visness adds NCAA record
WINONA, Minn. — Concordia-Moorhead's Jamie Visness was perfect on another four free throws at St. Mary's (Minn.) on Sunday afternoon, breaking the NCAA record for consecutive free throws made. She finished with 68 in a row.

She passed Ginny Doyle's record, set from 1990-91 to 1991-92 for Division I Richmond.

She needs two to pass Valerie Kepner's women's collegiate basketball streak of 69, eight of which came for Lake Erie in 1987-88, which was not an NCAA member at a time. Kepner also held the Division III record before Visness broke it Saturday at Carleton.

Visness made her final 12 free throws last season, and is currently 56-for-56 for the 2002-03 season.

The streak, which started on January 28, 2002 against St. Catherine, spans the course of 29 games. She has made free throws in 21 of those 29 games, and has played a total of 646 minutes during the streak. Concordia is 15-14 during the 29 games during in the streak. Her last miss was Jan. 9, 2002, against Macalester.

Visness tied Doyle's record midway through the first half. Her record-breaking free throw came with 13:05 left in the game, and was one of only a handful of attempts that have hit the rim. Her second attempt went cleanly through the basket to further the NCAA record to 68.

Elsewhere, Devean George returned to Augsburg to have his number retired, and we have a photo gallery to prove it. No Jared Mills? No problem for No. 3 Randolph-Macon as the Yellow Jackets roll past Virginia Wesleyan 69-49. And Savannah Art & Design won for the 14th consecutive time, beating Newport News 64-60. SCAD has just one regular-season game left, on Monday against St. Mary's (Md.). In women's action, No. 7 Scranton beat No. 8 King's 61-55 for its first win against the Monarchs since February 2001, while No. 20 UW-Stevens Point needed a layup in the final second to beat UW-Platteville.

Maine Maritime's Johnson passes 1,000 rebounds
CASTINE, Maine — Jed Johnson led the Maine Maritime men to an 80-65 victory against Mt. Ida on Sunday afternoon, and in the process, passed the 1,000-rebound mark and became the Academy’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 1,411 points and 1,014 rebounds. Johnson is the fifth recorded Division III player to pass the 1,000 rebound milestone this season.

Johnson is the only player in Maine Maritime Academy history to achieve over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. The senior center finished the game with 15 rebounds and 14 points to surpass the previous record of 1,405 points set by Adam St. John (1982 to 1985).

Johnson was named North Atlantic Conference Rookie of the Year in 2000 and was selected to the All-NAC team again the following year. He was named the NAC Player of the Year in his junior season and was also voted Second Team All-Maine for Division III schools. Jed holds school records for blocks in a game (six) and rebounds in a season (285). He has recorded a double-double in 16 of 17 games this season, and in 58 out of his total 81 career games.

Scranton women, IWU men fall

By Pat Coleman, D3hoops.com
Elmhurst's Wayne Bosworth led all scorers with 26 points, on an incredible 9-for-11 shooting performance.

A pair of Top 10 teams found the road tougher than expected, as the No. 5 Illinois Wesleyan men lost at Elmhurst, while the No. 7 Scranton women lost at Delaware Valley.

"This is certainly one of our biggest wins this season," said Elmhurst head coach Mark Scherer, ending the Titans' 12-game win streak. "Our guys really stepped it up when they needed to."

Though both Elmhurst and Delaware Valley have been contenders recently, neither is over .500 this season.

The Aggies got the job done on the defensive end, holding Scranton to a season-low 22.2 percent shooting from the field. The Lady Royals managed to hit just five of 32 shots (15.6%) from the field in the second half and finished with just five assists on 14 field goals. Full story.

Elmhurst opened up a 15-point halftime lead, but Illinois Wesleyan went on a 23-6 run to cut the lead to two in the closing seconds. Full story.

In other key games, Marymount upset No. 17 Mary Washington 73-67, view our photo gallery. New Jersey City rallied from seven points down in the final 1:06 to beat Montclair State 79-77. No. 4 Catholic needed two overtimes to subdue Salisbury, 97-85. Washington College couldn't maintain its momentum, with a 67-61 loss at Swarthmore. And Heidelberg upset No. 14 Baldwin-Wallace 52-41 in women's action.

Trinity goes from bottom to top facility
By Pat Coleman
D3hoops.com

WASHINGTON — After decades of struggling to even maintain an athletic program, Trinity College dedicated its sparkling $20 million athletic center, the Trinity Center for Women and Girls in Sports. Although the game result was a disappointment, a 67-64 loss to Notre Dame (Md.), everything else was a success for this small women's school in northeast Washington, D.C.

Trinity, which tried to elevate a program from club status to varsity in the early '90s, succeeded in 2000-01 under Christy Neff despite not having a home court. The Tigers didn't win a game their first year, but went 12-10 last year and are 10-7 through Feb. 6. The facility can only help.

"It's an amazing difference," said Neff. "The biggest difference is practice: We now get two hours instead of 45 minutes. Kids can also come down and shoot on their own." Prior to the opening, Trinity held "home" games down the street at Catholic University.

Although the facility is more than a school Trinity's size needs (they have just 500 full-time undergraduates), the school hopes to nearly double that in the coming years and attract outside events to the campus.

"The idea was to not only serve the campus but to be a magnet," said college president Patricia McGuire. "We've had other events in here already. We had WNBA players say they'd love to do clinics."

It's quite a change for a campus that hadn't seen any new construction in decades. The cost was underwritten with a local bond initiative and backed up by a $12 million capital campaign, the largest fundraising effort the school had ever undertaken. The center includes a swimming pool and fitness center, and playing fields and tennis courts are included in the project.

"It took a belief that women's athletics was an integral part of higher education," said McGuire. "Athletics is the only activity here at Trinity," said Neff. "It's critical for our campus."

The facility takes Trinity from the bottom of Division III in facilities to very near the top. "I'd love to have a facility like this," said Notre Dame head coach Scot Reisinger, despite watching his players being solicited to transfer to Trinity during dedication ceremony remarks by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Washington's archbishop. "I think most women's colleges would."

Plattsburgh co-captain called to Guard duty
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Erica Poole, a co-captain and guard on the women's basketball team, played her final game for the Cardinals Feb. 4 after being called to active duty in the National Guard.

She was honored in a ceremony before the game and was to report to duty at 8 a.m. on Feb. 5 in Latham, N.Y.

"We had drill this weekend and there was no mention of this, and then all of a sudden I have to leave two days later," Poole said. "When the call came it was a shock. It came out of the blue."

She is a member of the 4th Finance Battalion, which transports money, distributes payroll and ensures that money that soldiers are sending home to loved ones gets transferred to the proper accounts. She was called up during last year's preseason but spent just two weeks on duty before returning to school.

Poole joined the National Guard three years ago because she wanted the challenge of boot camp. Her father and uncle were both members of the Guard, and her grandfather was also a soldier. While the thought of being in harm's way has entered her mind, she isn't letting it bother her.

"This is why I signed up. I'm nervous about the unknown, but it's my duty to serve my country, and I'm willing to do what I need to do," she said. "I'm upset to be leaving, but we have a good team and there's no doubt in my mind that they can go a long way."

Poole transferred to Plattsburgh prior to the 2001-02 season after graduating from Paul Smiths and took over as a starter at point guard. She started 22 of the team's 23 games and finished the season tied for the team lead in assists, finishing 10th in the SUNYAC in that category and fifth in steals.

She has been hampered by a back injury this season, but when she is on the floor there is an immediate increase in the team's pace and intensity. She is second on the team in assists despite missing six games.

Coach Cheryl Cole understands that Poole has to leave, but she is acutely aware of what she's losing.

"Poole's our leader and our only senior. She's the epitome of what our team is and what we want to be. She couldn't make her full impact on the floor this year, but just by being there she helped us. When the rest of the kids see her playing hurt and pushing herself to the limit, it makes them say if she can do it, what am I doing?" said Cole.

She continued: "Erica pushes everyone. I can't say enough positive about her. Now this team has two choices: We can meet this challenge and succeed, or we can pack it in. I can't see them ever packing it in."

Glover gets 2,000th point
JOHNSON, Vt. — Patrick Glover scored 23 points, including his 2,000th along the way, as Johnson State defeated visiting Maine Maritime, 79-74.

Glover scored his 2,000th with 2:54 to go in the second half and received a standing ovation from the home crowd. He is the second recorded D-III player to pass 2,000 this season and one of three active players over 2,000 points.

"His hard work and dedication to improving himself has allowed him to achieve such an outstanding milestone," said head coach Greg Dixon. "I've never seen a harder worker or worked with a better young man. It is hard to imagine where we would be this season without him."

The win helped the Badgers snap a six-game losing streak. Johnson State is now 7-11.

Glover led Division III in scoring during the 2001-2002 season and currently leads Division III in scoring this year with a 30.7 points per game average. He is also among the national leaders in rebounds per game.

Virginia Wesleyan awarded
women's Final Four in 2004, 2005

Photo by Pat Coleman, D3hoops.com

VIRGINIA BEACH — NCAA officials announced Jan. 31 that Virginia Wesleyan College was selected host of the Division III women's basketball championships in 2004 and 2005.

The Jane P. Batten Student Center, which opened in January 2002, will host the semifinals, third-place game and national championship game on March 19-20, 2004, and March 18-19, 2005. It's the third pre-determined neutral site for the women's finals, following three years at Western Connecticut State in Danbury, Conn., and two years at Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute, Ind. This year will be the second and final year at Rose-Hulman.

“It’s a tremendous honor for our college, our coaches, our facility, and to the region, to be selected to host this event," said elated VWC President William T. Greer. Virginia Wesleyan is seeking to be a national figure in both the academic and athletic scenes. Being selected to host the Division III Final Four only bolsters the kind of image we are attempting to craft.”

“We’ve been fortunate to host some great events here in the short time that the Batten Center has been open, but being selected as the site for an NCAA basketball championship event is major for our College,” said VWC head women’s coach Joanne Renn.

Renn began contemplating the idea of applying for the NCAA event shortly after the Batten Center opened its doors. With the help of assistant coaches Don Proehl and Kendra Robins, the ground work was accomplished, the application completed, and the effort rewarded.

“We’re doing this because we can,” said Renn. “It’s only because we have this facility, that we even thought about trying to host the NCAA event. Many individuals have contributed to the process, but Kendra really did most of the leg work on this. She deserves a lot of credit.”

The seating capacity of 1,200 permanent seats will be increased to 2,400 for the NCAA event.

“I think for first time in my life I am actually speechless,” said Renn. “This will provide national exposure not only for our college, but also for the greater Norfolk and Virginia Beach area. I think the fact that this is a resort area adds a flavor that the women’s tournament has not had in the past.

“This is a great honor, just a great honor. We can’t wait to start working on the 2004 event. We want to make it the best ever.”

Brown wins 400th game at N.J. City
NJCU's Charles Brown JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Charles Brown had waited 10 days for his 400th career victory. But when the team he and New Jersey City had beaten for No. 399 came to town, he didn't have to wait any longer.

The Gothic Knights rallied from a 16-point second half deficit and rallied for a last-second, 66-64 victory over Rutgers-Camden at the Athletic & Fitness Center on Saturday, Feb. 1. It was the 400th career win for Brown, a 1965 graduate of NJCU, in his 21st year as head coach of his alma mater. His career record is 400-178. The milestone win makes Brown the 41st coach in Division III history, and the 24th active coach to reach the 400-win plateau. He is the fourth coach in Division III to reach that mark this season. Audio highlight, with Jerry Recco on the call.

With the victory, NJCU improves to 10-9 overall and 5-7 in the NJAC. The Scarlet Raptors are 6-12 and 2-10 NJAC. NJCU has won 15 consecutive games over Camden in Jersey City dating back to a loss in 1988. Brown's teams are 39-2 against the Raptors since he became the NJCU coach in 1982-83.

The Knights trailed by 16 points at 12:10 of the second half after Camden guard Gene Mergenthal drained one of his three 3-pointers, to give the Raptors a 52-36 lead.

But with the game looking bleak, the Gothic Knights, shooting 26% at that point, went on a 3-point shooting tirade. NJCU nailed three consecutive treys, including the first two by freshman point guard Richard Clark III. After the third, by senior forward George Thomas, the Knights were down 55-48 with 10:21 left.

Minutes later Clark sank another three to cut the lead to 57-55 at 7:31, and a layup by Thomas tied the game at 57-57 with 4:44 on the clock. Thomas followed with a trey at 4:13 to give NJCU their first lead of the game, 60-57.

After each school traded a pair of free throws, Mergenthal sank a three at 3:25 to even the game at 62-62. NJCU hit two free throws for a 64-62 lead, before Camden hit a jumper to tie the game, 64-64, with just 1:08 left.

After Camden missed on a chance to take the lead in the final minute, NJCU had the ball with 10.7 seconds left. The Knights did not score, but a push-off foul was called on Mergenthal underneath with 1.1 seconds on the clock. Clark calmly went to the line and drilled both free throws for the 66-64 final margin.

Thomas' 21 points (8-for-16 shoting) led all scorers, and Thomas had two threes and seven rebounds. Senior guard Reginald Wright had 18 points, while Clark added a career-high 16. Freshman forward Mark Washington hauled down a career-high and game-best 15 rebounds and had three blocks.

NJCU shot 25.0% in the first half (10-for-40), but rallied to hit 12 of 29 overall in the second period to finish at 31.9% from the floor (22-for-69). The Knights were 9-for-25 from 3-point range.

Mergenthal scored 20 to lead the Raptors, grabbed 13 rebounds and had six assists. He shot 8-for-14 from the floor and 3-for-7 from deep. Senior guard Chuck Walter had 13 points (5-for-16, 3-for-11 3-pointers) and four steals. Senior center Homer Hemmings notched a double-double with 12 points (4-for-12) and 10 rebounds (six offensive). Camden finished shooting 40.3% (25-for-62), after shooting 46.7% in the first half (14-for-30).

NJCU outrebounded Camden, 49-40, including a 23-15 edge on the offensive glass. The NJCU bench outscored the Camden reserves, 22-1.

Upsetting afternoon
Joel Blackwell A pair of highly ranked men's teams lost in baffling fashion on Saturday afternoon, as No. 15 Franklin & Marshall fell at Washington College (6-12), while No. 24 Nazareth lost at home to Hartwick (7-9).

Hartwick, which used just seven players, got 22 points from senior Joel Blackwell (left) on 8-for-13 shooting. The Hawks went on a 19-2 run to close the first half and Nazareth rallied to tie in the second half but could not hold on. The full story.

Washington College shot 10-for-26 from 3-point range and led for the last 37:26 of the game in beating Franklin & Marshall 96-86. The Shoremen took the lead with a 12-0 run and survived two runs in which Franklin & Marshall (16-3) cut the lead to a single possession. The full story.

In women's action, No. 8 King's held No. 9 DeSales scoreless for the first nine minutes of the second half and broke open what had been a 19-19 game en route to a 52-30 win. St. Lawrence handed Union its first loss in a 74-55 game between the top two teams in the UCAA. And Wheaton finally got Sarah Harris back and played like it, winning at Illinois Wesleyan 62-55. Plus, we add a new feature today, photo galleries of games our staffers attend, starting with Hamline's last-second men's win at Bethel (plus the story) and Gustavus Adolphus' women winning at St. Catherine's.