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Notables

News and notes from around D-III

Jan. 1-15, 2003

Gustavus knocks off St. Ben's
ST. PETER, Minn. — With no time left on the clock, No. 2 St. Benedict missed two free throws, allowing No. 14 Gustavus to upset the Blazers 43-42 on Jan. 15.

Gustavus guard Angie Peterson, right, hit a jumper with just over one minute remaining to put the Gusties (12-0, 9-0 MIAC) on top 43-41. Peterson was fouled on the shot, but missed the free throw. St. Ben's cut the lead in half when Kim Johnson hit the second of two free throws after being fouled by Peterson with 40 seconds left. The Blazers (12-1, 9-1) got the ball back with nine seconds and drove the length of the court. After a missed shot, the ball caromed out of bounds with 1.8 seconds remaining. Johnson received the ball at the left elbow and was fouled as she put up a shot at the buzzer.

Johnson stepped to the emptied lane with no time remaining and missed the first free throw. After a Gustavus timeout, Johnson went back to the line for her second opportunity, which rimmed in and out, leaving Gustavus with a one-point victory.

Gustavus held the lead only twice in the second half. St. Ben's largest lead was 32-25 with 14:07 left in the second half of play.

After shooting 50% (6-for-12) from behind the 3-point line in the first half, the Blazers were unable to connect on any of five 3-pointers in the second half. Gustavus ended the game shooting 5-for-9 from the free-throw line, while St. Ben's was 2-for-7.

Kelly Etzel led Gustavus with 10 points. The Gusties ended the game shooting 29.5% from the floor (18-for-61). Leah Laurich paced St. Ben's with 10 points. The Blazers shot 36.2% from the field (17-for-47). Gustavus outrebounded St. Ben's 42-35.

Gustavus has now won 14 consecutive home games. The Blazers' last regular-season MIAC setback came in St. Peter on Jan. 28, 2002 when Gustavus defeated St. Ben's 53-50.

On the men's side, Franklin & Marshall was upset at home as Ursinus guard Bret Jenkins drilled a 3-pointer with three seconds left on the clock for the game-winning basket as the Bears (8-5) upset the No. 15 Diplomats 83-82. It was one in a night of big games which saw No. 4 Hampden-Sydney knock off No. 3 Randolph-Macon, No. 14 UW-Whitewater hand No. 5 UW-Stevens Point its first loss, William Paterson upset No. 18 Montclair State in overtime and No. 7 Catholic end No. 21 Mary Washington's 10-game win streak.

Wabash player's return complete
The final score will show Wabash defeating Earlham 93-57 at Chadwick Court on Jan. 15, but the most important basket of the evening came with 1:24 left in the contest and the outcome already decided.

That’s when senior guard Jeff Espino scored his first points since learning 15 months ago that he had a brain tumor. Espino was diagnosed with the tumor in September of 2001, forcing him to miss the 2001-2002 school year and basketball season. After going through treatments in Houston, Texas, near his hometown of Mission, he returned for his senior season this year. He received the news from the doctors last February that the treatments were successful and the tumor, diagnosed as malignant, was gone. He is still battling vision problems from the tumor and treatments, but he saw his 12-foot jumper go through the net on Wednesday for his first basket of the season.

“When we heard the news about Jeff last year, it was devastating,” said head coach Mac Petty. “He had worked so hard to get ready for the season, but more than that it was news that made us realize that basketball is so unimportant in the big picture. I’ve never had a player go though something like that during the season. Jeff’s strength through all of the treatments was a boost to our team. He would call us and wish us luck in our games, and the players would call him to tell Jeff how much we were all thinking about him. Jeff has accepted his role as a leader in practice and on the bench this season.”

That leadership was rewarded when he hit that shot against Earlham in traffic.

The contest itself was a complete turnaround for the Little Giants after Saturday’s loss at Wooster. After the Quakers opened the game with a basket, Wabash went on a 13-0 scoring run led by Brady Claxton and Joe DesJean. Claxton scored three of his game-high 19 points on the first basket for the Little Giants after DesJean hit two free throws to tie the game in the early going. A three-pointer by David Wagner, who finished with a career-high 14 points, and another three by DesJean gave Wabash a lead that would not fall below double-digits again in the contest. The Little Giants jumped out to a 19-point lead midway through the first half and never looked back.

Wabash moves to 10-3 with the win, 4-1 in the NCAC. Earlham, led by the 11-point efforts of Brandon Miller and Tyler Stewart, falls to 7-7 and 1-3 in conference play.

Corbett reaches 1,000 rebounds
GENEVA, N.Y. — Hobart senior forward Joe Corbett brought down his 1,000th career rebound and added 34 points in the process in helping the Statesmen defeat Hilbert 92-77.

Corbett shot 15-for-18 from the floor for the game, 8-for-10 in a first half in which the rest of the team struggled to a 43-36 halftime deficit. But Hobart (2-7) shot 17-for-24 for 79.2% from the floor in the second half to rally for the win. Hobart went on a 20-0 run early in the second half to put the Hawks (1-10) away.

All five Hobart starters reached double digits in points. Senior guard Tim Lomot had 11 points and seven assists, junior guard Brad Strait added 12, while senior forward Davidek Herron chipped in 10 points and three blocked shots. Sophomore guard Adam Gioia led Hilbert with 22 points.

Corbett was the first D-III player reported to reach the 1,000-rebound milestone this season.

Williams strikes first in archrivalry
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Playing without senior center Pat Fitzsimons, out with an injury for the third consecutive game, No. 8 Amherst fell at No. 7 Williams 74-65 in front of a capacity crowd at Chandler Gymnasium. Williams remains undefeated at 11-0 with the non-conference win, while Amherst falls to 9-2 overall after an 8-0 start.

The Jeffs trailed by as many as 15 in the second half but clawed back to cut the deficit to just two points with 3:34 remaining. Sophomore guard Russell Lee helped key the comeback when he stripped Williams forward Drew DeMuth and threaded a long outlet pass to Harper, who drilled a floater and was hacked in the act. The three-point play brought the Jeffs within striking distance, 65-63, but Amherst managed just two more points in the game and went scoreless over the last 2:26.

They even had a chance to take the lead, but Lee's 3-pointer at the 2:00 mark was no good.

On the Ephs' ensuing possession, Chuck Abba's three from the top of the key was long, but DeMuth tipped in the follow to put the Ephs back by four. Following an Amherst miss, the Ephs iced the game at the line.

"This win means so much, especially for our senior class," said DeMuth. "It's a great game to win in front of a crowd like this."

While DeMuth's tip-in was one of the biggest shots of the night, it was the stellar play from Ben Coffin that allowed the Ephs to play most of the second half with a double-digit lead. In addition to his 16 points, he added 13 rebounds and had two blocked shots.

"To score and rebound he did and then to play defense and work so hard was great," said head coach Dave Paulsen. "He was a monster."

With Coffin and DeMuth controlling the paint, the perimeter opened up and the Ephs took advantage. Mike Crotty and Abba in particular were deadly from downtown, combining for seven 3-pointers.

"When we move the ball well, it opens things up inside," said Paulsen. "And when teams become so conscious about our inside game, it frees up space for guys like Mike and Chuck."

Adam Harper led Amherst with a game-high 25 points and Steve Zieja added 16.

The lack of a big man hurt Amherst on the glass, as the Ephs outrebounded the Lord Jeffs 38-24.

Crotty led the way for Williams with 18 points on the strength of three 3-pointers. DeMuth added 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, while Benjamin Coffin chipped in with 16 points and a game-high 13 boards.

Amherst, which entered the game shooting 68.4% from the charity stripe, drilled all 11 of its free throw attempts but lost the battle of the boards 38-24 and shot just 4-for-20 from beyond arc. Sophomore forward Andrew Schiel was Amherst's lone perimeter threat with a trio of trifectas and 17 points off the bench. Harper's 25 points tied a career-high set in last year's NCAA Tournament.

Despite the loss, Amherst has won five of its last seven and eight of its last 11 meetings with Williams, including a pair of victories in three matchups last season. Williams maintains a 107-74 series lead.

Hopkins rallies to upset No. 4 Catholic
WASHINGTON — Mike Blaine scored 14 of his team-high 16 points in the second half and Eric Toback scored all 11 of his points in the final 20 minutes as Johns Hopkins upset No. 4 Catholic 77-69 at the DuFour Center on Saturday.

Blaine, averaging just 6.5 points per game, got his points on 8-for-9 shooting and Toback hit three 3-pointers after being held scoreless in the first half. Steve Adams added 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

"Blaine is one of those guys who started out on the JV and worked and worked his way up," said head coach Bill Nelson. "This was his signature game."

William Morley led the Cardinals (11-2) with a game- and season-high 22 points and Matt Hilleary scored 13. CUA was out-rebounded 42-30 and committed 12 turnovers to the Blue Jays' 23.

Hopkins (9-3) fought back from a 48-41 deficit with 11:49 to go in the game. Toback put the Jays on top 59-58 at the 4:30 mark. After the Cards went back up by two, Jay Kreider (13 points) nailed a trey from the left wing with a hand in his face to give Hopkins a 64-61 lead with 3:19 left.

Toback answered Kevin Wise's only 3-pointer with one from the top of the key to almost put the game on ice, 71-64, with less than a minute remaining. The Jays hit five of eight from beyond the arc in the second half after making two of nine in the opening half. CUA was just 1-for-11 overall.

Hopkins improved to 17-28 all-time against the Cardinals. The last time they beat CUA was 71-67 on Nov. 20, 1990. This was the teams' third meeting since then.

Montclair State men survive in overtime
UPPER MONTCLAIR, N.J. — Senior guard Joseph Thomas scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half in overtime as No. 23 Montclair State remained unbeaten with an 88-78 extra-session victory against Mass-Dartmouth at Panzer Gymnasium on Wednesday evening, Jan. 8.

Junior center Jerome Trawick had 24 points and 15 rebounds for the Red Hawks, who needed overtime for the second straight game to keep their record unblemished. Sean Walsh had 22 points and Brian Cagle added 19 and nine rebounds for the Corsairs (4-6), who were outscored 16-6 in the extra session and made just three of 12 attempts in the period.

The win pushed Montclair State to 11-0 on the season, the best start by the Red Hawks since the 1969-70 season when MSU began the year 14-0. Montclair also completed their non-conference play unbeaten (6-0) for the second time in five years under head coach Ted Fiore.

Tied at 72-72, Montclair scored the first seven points of the extra session. Thomas hit two free throws and Antwan Dozier put back a missed shot to make the score 76-72. Thomas then sank a foul shot for a five-point advantage and Dozier hit a layup to make the score 79-72 with 2:19 to play. Tim Gaspar cut the lead to five with a layup, however, Montclair reeled off the next eight points, including a three-point play by Michael Gluck to give MSU an 84-74 lead with 67 seconds to go.

The Red Hawks overcame a 10-point deficit with 16 minutes left in regulation and held a 72-68 lead with 20 seconds left as Gluck sank two free throws. But Gaspar scored on a layup with 14 seconds left and the Corsairs caused a turnover on the inbounds pass. Walsh picked up the loose ball and scored to tie the game at 72-72. The Red Hawks had an opportunity to win the game, but Doziers jumper from the corner bounced off the rim.

Dozier finished with 11 points and six rebounds as Montclair State shot 55 percent over the last 25 minutes (21-for-38) after making just 11 of 32 (34%) from the floor in the first half. Gluck added 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench while Thomas grabbed seven boards as the Red Hawks held a 42-31 edge on the glass. MSU also held a huge advantage at the charity stripe going 19-for-27 (70%) while UMass-Dartmouth managed just three attempts, making two of them.

UST hands GAC second loss in a row
ST. PAUL — Freshman guard Sean Sweeney scored 17 points, including 5-of-6 at the foul line in the final 1:05, as No. 17 ranked St. Thomas held off No. 9 Gustavus, 74-70, in MIAC men's action Wednesday at St. Thomas.

The Tommies (9-2, 5-1), who never trailed, had five players score in double figures as they extended their MIAC home-court win streak to 16 games.

St. Thomas moved into a second-place tie with Carleton (5-1) in the MIAC race, just behind conference leader Bethel (6-1). It was the fifth consecutive St. Thomas-Gustavus game decided by five points or fewer.

St. Thomas broke to leads of 14-2 and 37-22, and led 39-29 at halftime.

The Gusties (8-3, 4-2) pulled within four points on four occasions in the second half, then used a steal and quick 3-pointer with eight seconds left to pull within 73-70.

But a Gustie player called a time out his team didn't have after that 3-pointer, resulting in a technical foul. St. Thomas sank one of two free throws and got the ball out of bounds, to end the GAC comeback bid.

UST made 18 of 23 at the foul line to GAC's 8-for-13. Sweeney and Paulson each sank two free throws in the final 40 seconds to build a 73-65 lead.

The Tommies outrebounded GAC 29-24 to overcome the Gusties' 55% shooting.

Tommie senior Nic Marx scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half; Mark Paulson had 12 points and six rebounds; Brendan Finn had 10 points and four assists; and Kevin Fitzgerald had eight points and four assists.

Gustavus was led by guard Chris TeBrake's 18 points. David Newell had 11 points, seven assists and four rebounds; Eric Nelson had 11 points; and Tim Brown had 10 points and four rebounds.

Maryville's Lambert wins 400th career game
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Josh Tummel had 29 points and 14 rebounds for his sixth double-double this season and Maryville's Randy Lambert earned his 400th career win with a 79-71 victory against King on Jan. 6.

Maryville (9-2) has won seven in a row. The Scots used an 11-point surge by Tummel in the final 5:00, to break open a tight game. MC also shot 50% from the field and outrebounded the Tornadoes (6-9).

Lambert has spent 23 seasons with the Scots and is now 400-190 (.678). Lambert became the 23rd active Division III men's head coach to reach 400 victories. He has guided MC to two consecutive Great South Athletic Conference championships and nine NCAA Division III National Tournament appearances. His teams reached the Elite Eight in 1991-1992 and Sweet 16 in 1999-2000.

"It's been a great 23 years. This accomplishment is a real tribute to a supportive administration, several great players through the years, and a fantastic group of assistant coaches. Theyre the ones that deserve the credit."

For the Scots, Monte Calloway and Brent Langham had 14 points apiece; Sidney Ellis scored 10 points.

Christopher Newport rallies to beat Wheaton men
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Carlos Heard was 8-for-8 from the line down the stretch as Christopher Newport rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final 7:30 to beat Wheaton (Ill.) 72-70 and win the Ramada Inn/Captains shootout Saturday night.

The Captains led 29-19 early before Wheaton rallied to take a 40-36 lead into halftime. CNU shot 42% from the floor in the first half on 14-for-33 shooting. The Captains were also 5-for-12 for 42% on 3-point attempts.

Wheaton extended the lead to 56-44, with 15:17 left to play in the second half. The Thunder (7-2) maintained that lead the next eight minutes until CNU whittled the lead down and eventually trailed 70-69 when Heard's drive to the basket was blocked. The ball ended up in Mark Hepner's hands who laid the ball in and was fouled to give the Captains a 71-70 with 19 seconds left. Hepner hit the free throw. Wheaton had a shot to tie the game with 0.5 seconds left, but Martin Trimiew's shot fell off the rim after he went up in traffic off the inbounds pass.

"We're very fortunate to win," said Christopher Newport head coach C.J. Woollum. "They showed a will down the stretch they hadn't shown early in the game."

Heard, above, led the way for the Captains (8-2) with 23 points. Terry Gray finished with 17 points and six rebounds.

Joel Kolmodin led Wheaton with 23 points and 17 rebounds. Trimiew added 17 points and Will Landry finished with 10 points.

Heard was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team with Gray, Kolmodin, Trimiew, Samar Battle of New Jersey City and Badou Gaye of Gywnedd-Mercy.

St. Thomas coach wins 400th career game
MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Fitzgerald had 12 points and 12 rebounds for his ninth career double-double and St. Thomas' Steve Fritz became the third men's basketball coach in MIAC history to reach 400 career wins with a 75-57 victory at Augsburg on Jan. 4.

No. 18 St. Thomas (7-2, 3-1 MIAC) has won five in a row. The Tommies used a 21-7 game-closing run, including 10 of 12 free throws down the stretch, to break open a tight game. UST also shot 51% from the field and outrebounded the Auggies (3-7, 0-5 MIAC) 37-20.

Fritz has never had a losing season in 23 seasons with the Tommies and is now 400-194 (.673). Fritz became the 22nd active Division III men's head coach to reach 400 victories. The only other MIAC coaches with more victories are St. John's Jim Smith, who has a 608-409 record in 39 seasons; and former UST coach Tom Feely, who went 417-269 from 1954-80. Fritz played for Feely from 1967-71 and was his assistant coach from 1971-80.

Fritz will coach his 600th game Jan. 20 at Bethel.

For the Tommies, Brendan Finn had 15 points and four steals; Sean Sweeney scored 14 points; Nick Schader added 12 points and Nic Marx scored nine.

Fitzgerald has started 62 consecutive games and the Tommies are 34-5 in that
span when he scores in double figures and 16-7 when he scores nine or less.

By Pat Coleman, D3hoops.com Sarah Harris went 15-for-25 from the floor, including a layup move around All-American Amy Campion in the second half of the victory.

Harris went to the bench with her fourth foul midway through the second half, but Wheaton responded with a 12-0 run in which Salisbury did not even get a shot off. Junior guard Sarah Clark had a pair of steals and a 3-pointer, while senior forward Jennifer Clum had a wide open layup and a pair of free throws.

"We knew we had to step up," said Clark, who finished with 19 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. "We took that as a challenge."

By the time Harris returned, with 5:24 remaining, the Sea Gulls were buried.

"To be on the floor 40 minutes is the greatest thing," said Harris. "(But) Caroline Nelson is a great defender, so we don't lose anything when I'm out of the game."

"That was a critical time," said head coach Beth Baker. "I was proud of the team, the way they played defense.

"We had two freshmen out there, but we made some big shots, played good defense and I look up and we're up 15 points."

Harris finished with 34 points on 15-for-25 shooting and 10 rebounds, outdueling Salisbury's All-American Amy Campion, who had 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists but was 8-for-18 from the floor and turned the ball over eight times.

"Obviously (Campion) is one of the best players I've seen in years," said Wheaton head coach Beth Baker. "It took a team effort to stop her."

"We had to put a lot of pressure and match up with them in the full court," said Clark. "We tried to limit their advantage."

Wheaton (7-2) took a 39-35 advantage into the locker room and expanded on it in the second half by turning 12 Sea Gull turnovers into 26 points. Salisbury (7-2) never led by more than two, at 6-4, and was tied as late as with 7:02 in the first half.

The Sea Gulls cut the lead to two points with a 7-0 run that spanned over halftime, as C.K. Cahoun hit a jumper 10 seconds into the half to cut the Thunder lead to 39-37. But Harris answered with two layups sandwiched around a bucket by Jane Berg and Salisbury was only once able to cut the lead before Wheaton's run.

Harris was one of four Thunder in double figures, followed by Clark's 19, 10 from Clum and a season-high 10 points from Erin Wingerter. Harris led all rebounders with 10.

Salisbury got Campion's 26 as well as 17 from Pam Kenney. The Sea Gulls shot 63.6% from the floor but attempted only 22 baskets and turned the ball over 12 times.

Central's first win is upset at Wartburg
WAVERLY, Iowa — Central hit over 53% from the field in the second half and went on a key 8-0 run in the final four minutes, knocking off No. 19 Wartburg 81-74 at Knights Gymnasium on Jan. 3. It was Central's first win against seven defeats.

The upset ends Central’s eight-game losing streak, dating to last season. The Dutch are 1-7 overall and 1-1 in Iowa Conference play. The Knights (6-3, 1-1 IIAC) had defeated Central six consecutive times and hadn’t lost to the Dutch in Knights Gymnasium since the 1997-98 season.

The Dutch staged a decisive 9-1 run, making it 73-66 Central with 2:10 left. Wartburg pulled within 75-71 with 1:18 on the clock but Central answered eight seconds later with forward Joe Steinkamp’s layup. Central hit four of six free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

Freshman guard Jason Steege and senior forward Jake Olsen kept the home team in it down the stretch, scoring 25 of the team’s 36 second-half points. Steege wound up with his second straight 20-points-plus effort, tallying 22, while Olsen led all scorers with 27.

A three-pointer by Steege gave the Knights (6-3) a 65-64 lead with 5:44 left. From that point, Central went on its run and never again trailed. Wartburg rallied within 75-71 with 1:18 left but could get no closer.

Tony Polito, above, guided five Dutch in double figures with 19 points added to nine rebounds, two assists and two steals. Steinkamp finished with 16, while Scott Huisman and Scott Veldhuizen added 15 each and Darin Schuknecht tallied 10.

Notables 2003-pres.

2003 Notables
February 15-28
February 1-14
January 16-31
January 1-15

2002 Notables
December 16-31
December 1-15
November
October-early Nov.
September-October
June-August
May
March-April
February 22-28
February 15-21
February 8-14
February 1-7
January 22-31
January 15-21
January 8-14
January 1-7

2001 Notables
December 16-31
December 1-15
October-November
July-September
June
May
April
March

Notables 1998-2001

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