|
| It was standing room only at Clark as the season got underway at 12:01 a.m. ET. Clark athletics photo |
Good things come to those who wait, but they can also come really quickly.
The Division III basketball season offiially started at 12:01 a.m. on the east coast so Clark and Worcester State tipped off just after midnight in Worcester, Mass. The capacity crowd at Clark's Kneller Athletic Center was so loud that the teams skipped pregame introductions since no one could hear the public address announcer.
- Friday men's scoreboard
- Friday's women's scoreboard
- New rules for the new season
- ATN: High expectations for Catholic men, Oshkosh women
Clark sent its crowd home happy with an 83-78 victory over the Lancers as Tyler Huffman scored 29 points for the Cougars. The teams combined for 62 fouls but made just 35 of their 73 free throw attempts. Full recap
An hour later, Illinois College and Eureka played the first game of the Division III women's basketball season. Melissa Solorio paced Illinois College with 21 points and 12 rebounds as the Lady Blues defeated Eureka, 74-69. The Whitworth and La Verne men got the season started on the west coast, tipping at 12:01 local time. George Valle scored 29 points and Kenny Love added 24 as the third-ranked Pirates beat the Leopards, 87-80.
No. 1 Augustana had no problems in its opener, cruising past UW-La Crosse 88-60. Four of Marietta's five starters scored double figures and 11th ranked Pioneers defeated Westminster (Pa.), 100-82.
WPI opened the season unranked, but undaunted as the Engineers stifled No. 14 Eastern Connecticut 60-50. WPI held the Warriors to 30 percent shooting from the field (18-for-61).
Division III didn't notch any victories over Division I on opening night, though Covenant got close before falling at Liberty, 64-62. Berto Dryden led the Scots with 14 points, including a game-tying shot in the final shot. The Flames converted two free throws with 2.6 seconds left to avoid the upset.
Women: Knights look sharp, Randolph-Macon rallies
| Katie Anderson and Randolph-Macon scored an impressive win at home on opening night. Randolph-Macon file photo |
No. 10 Calvin was cool, calm and completely in control in its season opener at run-and-gun North Central (Ill.). The Knights outscored the Cardinals 32-11 in the third quarter and cruised to a 106-80 victory.
North Central tried to employ its System offense predicated on full court press and quick 3-pointers. But the Knights consistently broke the press and took advantage of open looks in transition. Calvin shot 51 percent from the field, including 46 percent from three. Ali Spayde led the way with 26 points and six three-pointers. Box score
Randolph-Macon rallied at home and knocked off No. 16 Catholic, 79-75. The Yellow Jackets outscored the Cardinals eight to four in the final two minutes, with all their points coming on free throws. Melissa Errico had 26 points and 17 rebounds off the bench for Catholic while Katie Anderson tallied 26 points and 12 rebounds for Randolph-Macon. Box score
No. 2 George Fox survived a scare from Cal Lutheran, 71-69. After Trianna Owen hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, Kim Frost scored the game-wining layup for the Bruins with four seconds left.
No. 14 FDU-Florham beat York (N.Y.) 49-41 in a low scoring affair. All-American Shalette Brown scored 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting. Castleton State stymied Southern Maine 43-28 as the Spartans held the Huskies to single-digit scoring in three of four quarters. Southern Maine's starters shot a combined 2-for-20 from the field.