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| DaeShawn Jackson led Wilmington in points, rebounds and assists and led the Quakers past No. 21 Wabash on Friday afternoon. Photo by Randy Sarvis, Wilmington College. |
The Division III basketball season started to get back underway with more Top 25 upsets, a thrilling win for Whitman and a gritty win for the Hope women.
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DaeShawn Jackson's big game and sufficient free throw shooting lifted Wilmington to an 83-80 victory over previously unbeaten Wabash at Wittenberg's holiday tournament. The teams battled back and forth until Abdul Kanu made three free throws over two possession to give Wilmington (6-4) a 81-78 lead on the 21st ranked Little Giants. Jack Davidson responded with two free throws for Wabash (10-1) to cut the deficit to one, but Wilmington split a pair of free throws on its next two possessions and Kanu blocked a potential game-tying three to seal the upset. Recap
Jackson posted 21 points, nine rebounds and three assists for Wilmington, which will play No. 11 Wittenberg on Saturday. Davidson scored 36 points for Wabash.
Another unbeaten Ohio team fell in Arizona where Elmhurst upended No. 8 Marietta 76-71. In a game of runs Elmhurst used a 7-0 spurt midway through the second half to take the lead for good. The Pioneers (10-1) pulled even with the Bluejays three times but Elmhurst sunk all six of its free throws in the final 27 seconds to keep Marietta at bay. Jeremy Ireland had 18 points and eight rebounds for Elmhurst (7-4).
Joey Hewitt's three-pointer with 24 seconds left was the difference as No. 4 Whitman outscored Illinois Wesleyan 105-103 at Cal Lutheran's weekend event. The lead changed hands 14 times and thrice in the final three minutes. Doug Wallen's dunk put Illinois Wesleyan (8-4) in front 97-96 with 2:25 left. Whitman (9-1) called timeout and got the ball to Cedric Jacobs-Jones who converted two free throws, putting the Blues back in front. The Titans regained the lead again on Colin Bonnett's three pointer with 32 seconds left, only to see Jacobs-Jones connect with Hewitt who drained the game-winning shot.
Brady Rose scored 25 points for Illinois Wesleyan and the Titans shot 61.8 percent (42-for-68) from the field but also had 18 turnovers. Jack Stewart scored 29 points off Whitman's bench, including five 3-pointers and a perfect 6-for-6 night from the foul line.
All five starters scored double figures for No. 5 Hamilton and the unbeaten Continentals stayed that way with a 114-111 win over Ursinus in Daytona Beach. Kena Gilmour had 31 points in as many minutes for Hamilton (10-0) which plays Ithaca tomorrow.
On the women's side, No. 5 Hope built a big lead over No. 19 UW-Oshkosh, watched it disappear and then finished off the Titans 63-57. The Flying Dutch (10-1) looked like they were in line for an easy win entering the fourth quarter with a 46-28 lead. Hope's length frustrated UW-Oshkosh which managed just three points and one field goal in the second quarter. But the Titans caught fire in the fourth quarter, shooting 7-for-10 from three, and coming all the way back to tie the game at 54 on Emily Miller's triple with 2:24 to play.
Hope responded with two free throws from Kenedy Schoonveld and regained its footing defensively, holding the Titans without a field goal the rest of the way. Francesca Buchanan used an array of low post moves to tally 18 points for Hope which plays tournament host Ohio Wesleyan tomorrow. Jessie Rabas led UW-Oshkosh (9-1) with 15 points.
The other ranked MIAA team had a little easier time with its WIAC foe as No. 11 Trine defeated UW-Whitewater 71-55. The Thunder (10-1) outscored the Warhawks 47-24 in the second half with Brandi Dawson (28 points, seven rebounds) pacing the Thunder's attack.
No. 14 Illinois Wesleyan needed a 24-8 fourth quarter to rally past King's 76-65 at Whittier College's classic. The Titans (10-2) shot 9-for-14 and outrebounded the Monarchs 14-4 in the fourth quarter. The rest of the Top 25 had an easier time, including No. 2 Thomas More which rolled over Franklin 100-54. Madison Temple scored 20 points and become the program's all-time leading scorer.
UW-La Crosse stayed perfect with a 67-62 win on the west coast over Chapman. The Eagles (10-0) led wire-to-wire thanks to big games from Dani Craig (15 points, eight rebounds) and Kyah Steiner (13 points, six rebounds). The Panthers (6-4) shot 1-for-16 from three and dropped their third straight.