Travis Jocelyn returned to the floor for TCNJ for the first time since being named D3hoops.com All-Region in 2020. TCNJ athletics file photo by Keith Lucas

Wooster and Wittenberg didn't really play tonight and Wittenberg didn't actually win 70-67. Doug Cline didn't coach his first game for Wooster after Steve Moore's retirement. And the archrivals did not become eligible for inclusion in the D3hoops.com Top 25.

• NCAA announces: No winter championships
• Friday men's scores
• Friday women's scores
• More men's news releases
• More women's news releases

That's because, mere hours before the game tipped off on Friday night, the teams announced that tonight's outing and the Saturday night meeting which follows would become exhibition games. A half-dozen NCAC members with men's basketball assembled a 10-game schedule outside of the auspices of the conference office.

Through Friday's games, 173 women's teams and 166 men's teams had played at least one game.

The New Jersey Athletic Conference is playing a league-sponsored schedule involving eight of its teams and all eight were in action on Friday for the first time this season. TCNJ, last year's champ, got back on the floor after 331 days off and took care of Stockton with an 89-81 win in the teams' opener. Jason Larranaga scored a team-high 21 points and Travis Jocelyn added 20 for the Lions. 

Steve Breeman notched his third career double-double as Montclair State downed William Paterson 83-70 in the season-opener for both teams. Behind 23 points and 13 rebounds, the Red Hawks knocked off the Pioneers for the sixth time in the last seven meetings.

No. 1-ranked Randolph-Macon entered a two-week pause tonight and saw their next four games called off. But No. 2 Mount Union is rolling along, as the Purple Raiders improved to 4-0, winning 89-72 at Otterbein. Collen Gurley scored a team-high 24 points, while Ethan Stainslawski had a double-double (13 points, 10 assists) and Logan Hill did as well (10 points, 11 rebounds). 

John Carroll returned to the floor after having three games canceled and finally got its first win of the season as Jackson Sartain went 4-for-6 from 3-point range en route to 19 points in a 69-66 win against Baldwin Wallace. The lead changed hands 26 times before Mason Trubisky gave the Blue Streaks the lead for good with a layup with 3:14 left, starting a 7-0 run. Luke Hippler added 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Baldwin Wallace got a game-high 21 from Drew Wennes.

UW-La Crosse finished its two-game sweep of UW-Eau Claire as the Eagles had four scorers in double figures in a 64-56 win against the Blugolds. Austin Westra hit a layup and sunk the foul shot with 4:29 left in the game to give La Crosse the lead for good and the Blugolds were just 1-for-6 from the floor the rest of the way. Wyatt Cook scored a team-leading 13 points, while Seth Anderson added 11, and Ethan Anderson and Henry Noone scored 10 apiece.

Drew erased a 12-point first-half deficit, then held off a late rally in the second period to beat Catholic 69-65 in the teams' season opener. Howard McBurnie, Jr. paced Drew with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds while Lybrant Robinson added 14 points, none bigger than a clutch 3-pointer with just over a minute to go that turned a one-point Ranger lead into a four-point cushion. Tommy Kelly scored 17 points to lead the Cardinals. Juniata also beat Moravian as Landmark Conference play got underway with a five-team schedule and Scranton on a bye.

Tyson Cruickshank had a huge night, scoring a game-high 32 points including 5-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc as No.7 Wheaton (Ill.) rolled past Carthage, 87-75. Nyameye Adom added 22 and Cade Alioth scored 21, with the rest of the team combining for 12 points. Carthage (3-2) shot just 8-for-24 from 3-point range and was outrebounded 45-38.

Friday's women's results

Reagan Chiaverini scored 22 and Kacie West added 21 but it wasn't enough as St. Thomas (Texas) handed Austin College its first defeat of the season by an 81-73 score. The pair shot 19-for-35 from the floor but the rest of the Roos combined for just 12 baskets in 38 attempts, and AC was just 5-for-24 from 3-point range. Hayden Morin scored 10 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter to help lift the Celts to a 3-2 mark. Austin was ranked No. 9 in the first D3hoops.com poll of the season and had received two No. 1 votes.

Oglethorpe won its 32nd consecutive game, defeating homestanding Hendrix 86-55 to improve to 5-0 on the season. It was the 117th career win for coach Alex Richey, who became the program's winningest coach, passing Ron Sattele, who coached the Stormy Petrels to the 2008 Final Four. Savannah LeGate led the Petrels with 13 points on 5-of-9 from the field and seven rebounds over just 13 minutes of play in the victory.

"I couldn't be more grateful for the incredible efforts of the players and coaching staff, who deserve so much credit in helping this program achieve all that it has over the last six-plus seasons," said Richey. "When I was hired, we knew that Coach Sattele had provided a blueprint for how incredible things could be accomplished at Oglethorpe. Although our coaching styles are different, his philosophy in regard to the importance of creating lasting relationships has certainly been an inspiration to me in my development as a coach."

The UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout and UW-Whitewater women each finished off two-game sweeps of their opponents as only Oshkosh and Platteville split their opening two-game series in WIAC women's basketball play. The Titans evened their mark at 1-1 on Friday night as UW-Oshkosh roared out to a 16-4 lead and hardly looked book. Eleven players reached the scoring column, led by 15 from Kennedy Osterman in an 81-64 win. 

Washington & Jefferson got onto the floor and led for all but 87 seconds of the contest as the Presidents defeated Bethany 78-58. Alie Seto scored a game-high 21 points and added 11 rebounds, while Sarah Berardelli scored 11 points in her collegiate debut.