Saturday: No one wants to be No. 1

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Dec 02, 2023
 
There was nothing small about Rob Littlejohn's play in No. 11 Guilford's ODAC-opening win over No. 2 Hampden-Sydney
File photo by Deon McFarland, Guilford athletics

 

Five teams received No. 1 votes in this week’s D3hoops.com Top 25 poll and, after No.1 UW-Whitewater lost on Tuesday, two more teams picked up Ls on Saturday afternoon. No. 11 Guilford topped No. 2 Hampden-Sydney and Wilmington stunned No. 4 Mount Union in Division III men's basketball action.

In a battle between undefeated ODAC heavyweights, Guilford took the lead over Hampden-Sydney with great three-point shooting in the first half, and then sealed the victory with even better shooting from the foul line down the stretch. The Quakers hit seven 3-pointers, four of them coming from Rob Littlejohn, in the first half and led 33-26 at the break.

Hampden-Sydney pulled within five with four minutes to play in the game, but Tyler Dearman’s three-point play repelled the Tigers’ rally. The Quakers hit 8 of 11 free throws in the final two minutes to secure the win.

"We knew they would just keep coming at us and we couldn't let up," Guilford head coach Tom Palombo said. "They're a pretty good team, but you know we've got a pretty good team too. We showed that tonight."

Guilford improves to 6-0, 1-0 in the ODAC.

Hampden-Sydney (5-1, 1-1 ODAC) entered the day with a golden opportunity to stake its claim to the top spot in the D3hoops.com Top 25 after No. 1 UW-Whitewater fell at Carthage earlier in the week. The Tigers are one of five teams receiving No. 1 votes in this week’s poll, and three of the five picked up Ls this week.

Wilmington added No. 4 Mount Union to that group when Jayden Lewis’ jumper with five seconds left lifted the Quakers to an 80-79 victory over the defending OAC champions. Wilmington closed the game on a 6-0 run and capitalized on Domenic Farley’s stellar performance. He led the Quakers in points (24), rebounds (eight), and assists (6).

No. 3 John Carroll bolstered its case for No. 1, easily dispatching Ohio Northern at home, 89-65. The Blue Streaks put the game away early, shooting 63 percent in 47-point first half. Luke Chicone scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in the first half for John Carroll (6-0, 2-0 OAC).

No. 5 Calvin should also get a look for the top spot. The Knights downed UW-La Crosse 84-71 thanks to a 36-13 reserves scoring advantage. Uchenna Egekeze had 15 points off the bench and Jalen Overway added 14 more for Calvin (6-0). Marcus Bult also posted a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) for the Knights.

The next Top 25 poll will be released on Monday afternoon.

No. 15 Williams scored just six points in the first 10 minutes of its game and trailed most of the way at Wesleyan, but the Ephs rallied past their Little Three rival, 62-60. Wesleyan shot 45 percent from the foul line (9 for 20) and that opened the door for Cole Prowitt-Smith to score the go-ahead layup with 27 seconds remaining. Alex Lee led the Ephs (7-1) with 19 points. The teams will meet again during NESCAC play in early February.      

Heidelberg held No. 19 Marietta to 18 percent shooting in the first half and went on to upset the Pioneers, 84-65. Marietta shot 32 percent in the game (23 for 73), and Heidelberg was not much better at 37 percent (28 for 76), but the Student Princes hit 10 three-pointers to just five for Marietta. Tre Watkins had half of those threes and finished with 26 points to lead Heidelberg (4-2, 1-0 OAC).

Maryville worked overtime to win its sixth consecutive game, as the Scots outlasted Washington and Lee, 87-84. The Generals forced overtime when Robert Disibio hit back-to-back three-pointers in the final 21 seconds of regulation and knotted the game at 72-all. W&L nearly did it again in overtime when Drew Harrell’s three-pointer with nine seconds remaining cut Maryville’s lead to 85-84. Reed Kemp extended the Scots’ lead back to three with two free throws, and then the Generals missed a potential game-tying three.

Kemp led Maryville (6-2) with 26 points, including six 3-pointers, in 36 minutes. Disibio poured in 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Washington and Lee (5-2).

Coast Guard held Merchant Marine to 25 second-half points and sank its maritime rival, 78-64. The Bears shot 52 percent from the field with 13 three-pointers, five of which came from Mitch Shettles. Coast Guard (5-2) also scored 25 points off Mariner turnovers.