| Anthony Mosely, Jr. had 12 points and eight assists for Illinois Tech in the Scarlet Hawks' victory over No. 9 North Park. Photo by Kirsten Robinson, Illinois Tech athletics |
Illinois Tech isn't eligible for the NCAA tournamet yet, but the Scarlet Hawks can shake up other teams' post season hopes. Illinois Tech did that by beating No. 9 North Park 81-77 on Saturday afternoon.
- Saturday scoreboard: Men | Women
- Saturday news releases: Men | Women
- Women's recap: Catholic overthrows Royals
- Women: LaVerne beats Caltech in 4OT; four Beavers play 59 minutes
Illinois Tech, which is in its third year as a provisional member of NCAA Division III, made the most of its first opportunity to play a ranked Division III foe. The Scarlet Hawks built a 34-18 lead at the half and led by eight with 12:24 to play. North Park rallied to tie the score at 73 as All-Americans Juwan Henry and Jordan Robinson scored a combined 36 points in the second half. Illinois Tech got to the foul line on three of its next four possessions and hit all six free throws down the stretch to get the victory.
Samuel Rarick tallied 23 points and nine rebounds for the Illinois Tech (12-5). As a provisional member, the Scarlet Hawks (12-5) are not eligible for the NCAA tournament but their games do count in the regional records for opponents. The loss ends a rough week for North Park (13-4), which dropped two of three games.
Lewis and Clark hit a handful of three-pointers and led No. 2 Whitman 33-31 at the half, but the Blues amped up the defensive pressure and scored 24 points off 17 Pioneer turnovers in an 82-69 Whitman victory. Jase Harrison scored 23 points for the Blues (16-0, 7-0 NWC) who play at George Fox tomorrow afternoon.
No. 18 Marietta turned the three-way tie atop the OAC into a two-way tie by beating visiting John Carroll, 86-81. The Pioneers, who lost to the Blue Streaks in December, overcame a seven-point halftime deficit as Keith Richardson and Anthony Wallace scored 31 points in the second half. Marietta's reserves outscored John Carroll's 41-17. The Pioneers (13-4, 8-2 OAC) remained tied for first with Ohio Northern which defeated Mount Union, 86-75.
No. 17 Salisbury won another game in dramatic fashion as Justin Witmer nailed a three-pointer with two seconds left to lift the Sea Gulls over Marymount, 57-56. Salisbury shot 2-18 from three and Witmer was 0-for-5 before the game-winner. Salisbury's win sets up a showdown for first place with No. 3 Christopher Newport on Wednesday night. The Captains overwhelmed Frostburg State in the second half on its way to a 93-67 victory.
No. 5 UW-River Falls continued its roll through the WIAC with a 22-point win at UW-Oshkosh. Garrett Pearson (22 points, 11 rebounds) and Alex Herink (15 points, 10 rebounds) posted double-doubles in the Falcons' 79-57 victory. Whitewater won at Stout 65-51 to even its conference record while Stevens Point handled No. 12 Eau Claire at home 89-69, leaving five teams tied for second, three games behind River Falls. WIAC standings
Harry Rafferty scored five points in the final minute to help No. 24 Wesleyan edge Bates 67-64 in Maine. Rafferty scored 15 points for the Cardinals (15-4, 3-3 NESCAC) who are tied for seventh in the conference. No. 4 Tufts stayed in front of the pack with a 100-83 win over Connecticut College as Everett Dayton scored a career-high 25 points for the Jumbos (15-2, 6-0 NESCAC). Trinity (Conn.) remained 1.5 games back with a 71-53 win at home over Bowdoin. NESCAC standings
There were several dramatic finishes in the Mid Atlantic and Atlantic regions. Widener's Sam Smith scored 32 points including a three at the buzzer to erase Albright's lead at the end of regulation and the Pride went on to beat the Lions in overtime, 89-78 (see video below). Joseph Taylor hit a three with 0.2 seconds left to push William Paterson past Rowan, 78-75. Wilkes edged archrival King's 64-63 when Marcus Robinson was fouled with 0.5 seconds remaining and hit the game-winning free throw.
Bethel and St. Thomas moved into a tie for first place in the MIAC with wins and some help. Bethel beat Hamline 94-70 as the Royals shot 61 percent (35-for-57) including 52 percent from three (13-for-25). Grant Shaeffer scored 16 points and St. Thomas topped Augsburg 80-64. Meanwhile St. John's lost 73-58 at Carleton and lost its one-game lead on the Royals and Tommies. MIAC standings
Randolph-Macon took sole possession of first place in the ODAC as the Yellow Jackets edged Lynchburg 72-70. Randolph-Macon's reserves outscored the Hornets' 45-15 and Korey Turner hit two free throws with 11 seconds left to help extend the Yellow Jackets' win streak to nine games. Hampden-Sydney helped its archrival by beating Guilford 64-58, knocking the Quakers out of the first place tie with Randolph-Macon. Virginia Wesleyan won at Shenandoah 88-79 as Khory Moore broke TonTon Balenga's school record for career three-pointers.