Colorado College athletics photo

Ryan Milne had the dream of every kid who has ever picked up a basketball. He wanted to play big-time college hoops and showcase his skills in the spotlight that comes with playing on the Division I stage.

He worked hard to make it happen. Countless hours were spent sending out game tapes to schools in the hopes that someone would take notice.

A couple of schools offered the opportunity to walk on. But that was as far as it went.

"I wanted to play Division I, but that path just didn't work out," Milne said. "I was given a chance to walk on at a couple of schools, but Colorado College was the only place that really wanted me. They believed in me."

So that is where Milne ended up, and without question, it's been a good fit for the 5-9 senior guard out of Arizona.

Milne has been a star since the beginning for the Tigers, cashing in on the opportunities that have come his way and leading Colorado College to two winning seasons in the last three years. The Tigers are on pace for another winning campaign this season, too, sitting at 7-2 through nine games.

"I was able to get a lot of minutes as a freshman and that really helped me become the player I am now," Milne said. "I believed in myself and worked hard, and I've been able to make the most of my opportunities here."

Milne was the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2011 and has been an all-conference and D3hoops.com All-West Region selection the last two years, earning first-team honors both times.

Not bad for a player who was barely recruited out of high school. And even Milne admits he's a little surprised by what he has accomplished.

"If you had said I was going to be this successful, I wouldn't have believed you," Milne said. "I had no idea what I was coming into when I got here, but I was given an opportunity to play and have been put in a position to succeed."

Milne's career has been nothing short of impressive and it makes you wonder why someone as talented as he is was overlooked by other schools. Milne is averaging 22.9 points per game and has knocked down 25 3-pointers. He has also tallied 42 assists and 15 steals.

His career totals look like this at the moment: 1,301 points, 181 3-pointers, 385 assists and 109 steals.

"My confidence is sky high right now and I feel like I'm playing really well," Milne said. "But a lot of that credit goes to my teammates, especially with Chris Lesnansky establishing himself as a strong inside player. It makes my life a lot easier."

Milne is just one piece of the puzzle for Colorado College, which is averaging 76.3 points per game and allowing 74.1. Lesnansky is clicking for 18.4 points pe outing and is grabbing 7.4 rebounds per game. Justin Berardino is averaging 8.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while Daniel Webb is averaging 6.1 points per game.

"I think our team chemistry is really good and we have a lot of different guys who have stepped up at different times," Milne said. "We're not one-dimensional, and as long as we continue to be consistent and be productive as a team, we will be in good shape."

Milne said he put in a lot of time in the offseason to make the most of his final season with the Tigers. He called last year a down year from a shooting standpoint and worked hard to make sure that wasn't an issue this season.

A year ago, Milne shot 32.2 percent from the floor. His percentage is up to 43.7 percent this season.

"It was a down year for me as far as shooting percentage went, so I worked a lot on improving my shot this year," Milne said. "I watched a lot of game tape from some of the bad games I had last season and looked at what I could do to improve. It's like night and day this year."

Still, Milne is not done striving for success. Although the Tigers have been successful up to this point, there is still a lot they want to accomplish.

"We're happy, but we aren't satisfied," Milne said. "We can always get better, and we feel like our non-conference schedule was tough, which has prepared us to be successful in the conference. More than anything, I would love to win a conference title. Anything less that would be a disappointment."

American Southwest Conference

Men: Derrick Jefferson stepped up for Hardin-Simmons in its latest win as he scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Cowboys, who knocked off Louisiana College 71-63 on Saturday.

The Cowboys have won three consecutive games and are 4-6 overall and 4-3 in the ASC.

Jefferson has led Hardin-Simmons in scoring five times this season, including the last two games, and is averaging 17.1 points per game. He is also pulling down 8.8 rebounds per game and has racked up 20 steals.

Women: Brittany King torched Howard Payne for a season-high 26 points as Texas-Tyler edged the Yellow Jackets 72-71 on Saturday.

The Patriots have won nine consecutive games, improving to 10-1 overall and to 8-0 in the conference. King not only led the Patriots in scoring, but she grabbed nine rebounds as well.

King is clicking for 15.9 points per outing and is grabbing 7.5 rebounds per outing. She is shooting 59.3 percent from the field on the season.

Great South Athletic Conference

Salem stretched its win streak to seven games on Saturday with a 71-68 win over Bridgewater College.

Quantashea Lewis paved the way for the Spirits, pouring in 20 points and pulling down 12 rebounds as she helped Salem improve to 7-3 overall.

Salem hasn't lost a game since Nov. 22 and has scored 70 or more points in six of its seven wins. Lewis has played a pivotal role in the Spirits' success, averaging 9.1 points per outing through 10 games.

Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Men: Tyler Good clicked for a career-high 25 points and led Trine to a 73-68 win over Ohio Northern in its final non-conference game of the season.

Good was 9-of-15 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds as he helped Trine win its second consecutive game. Good was one of four Trine players in double figures. He is the second-leading scorer on the team at 14.4 points per outing and is shooting 57.1 percent from the field.

The Thunder, who are now 7-4 on the season, also got double-digit efforts from Jared Holmquist (17 points, seven rebounds), Nick Tau (13 points) and Will Dixon (13 points).

Women: Olivet hasn't had a lot of luck against Calvin, but its luck changed on Saturday. The Comets knocked off the Knights 77-73, earning their first win over Calvin since 2001. It's only the second time in the 72-game history between the teams that Olivet has come out on top in the series.

Carli Reid paved the way as she scored 20 points. Chelsea Ciba clicked for 14 points to go along with three assists and three steals. Heather Lauwers came through with a double-double as she scored 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

The Comets shot 52.9 percent from the field and are 10-1 overall and 3-1 in the MIAA. The Comets have won five consecutive games and have lost only twice in their last 10 games.

North Coast Athletic Conference

Men: Wittenberg has made a habit of winning the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic. The Tigers won it again last weekend as it knocked off Kean 91-75 in the championship game. It is the 26th time in the 31 years of the tourney that Wittenberg has won the title.

Sam Collins scored 23 points to pace the Tigers, who have won nine consecutive games and are 10-1 on the season. Scott Masin registered a double-double as he scored 12 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. It was his sixth double-double of the season and the 21st of his career. Masin was named the MVP of the tournament.

Wittenberg shot 48 percent from the field and held a 49-25 edge on the boards.

Women: Maureen Hirt poured in 30 points and propelled Kenyon to an 81-76 win over Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday in an NCAC road game. Hirt also pulled down seven

rebounds and dished out six assists.

Hirt has been a scoring machine for the Ladies this season, averaging 21.2 points per game. She is shooting 52.2 percent from the field and has knocked down 35 3-pointers. Hirt is also pulling down 5.9 rebounds per game and has dished out 33 assists.

The Ladies shot 50 percent from the field in the win and have shot 50 percent or better five times this season. Maggie Boelter scored 16 points for the Ladies while Miranda Diesz finished with 12 points. Meredith Williams added 10 points for Kenyon, which is 8-3 overall and 3-0 in the NCAC.

Ohio Athletic Conference

Men: Clay Owings capped off a thrilling comeback win for Muskingum on Saturday as he drilled a game-winning shot at the buzzer in the Muskies' 87-85 win over John Carroll.

The Muskies trailed by 18 at one point in the first half and were down 50-43 at halftime before rallying in the second half for their first OAC win of the season.

Owings helped make that win happen as he finished with nine points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Dave Brown poured in 20 points to pace Muskingum, which improved to 6-4 overall and to 1-4 in the league. Cody Seiler tied his career high with 14 points and

Christian Keller dropped in 12 points on a day when Muskingum shot 47.2 percent from the field.

Joshua Keyes also played well as he scored a career-high 10 points to go along with six rebounds, helping Muskingum win its third consecutive game.

Women: Marietta kept its unbeaten home record intact as it knocked off Ohio Northern 72-64 on Saturday. The Pioneers have won all six of their home games this season and are 8-4 on the year. They are 2-3 in the OAC.

Marietta also ended a 14-game losing streak to the Polar Bears, beating Ohio Northern for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign. The Polar Bears entered the game riding a five-game win streak.

Candice Alexander paced the Pioneers with 18 points and Tori Dixon clicked for 12 points. Heather Booth added 10 points and five rebounds. Marietta shot 49.1 percent from the field and has won its last two games.

Old Dominion Athletic Conference

Men: Roanoke extended its win streak to three games with an 80-66 victory over Ursinus on Saturday in the Dick Leftwich V-Foundation Classic in Salem.

Julian Ramirez, the MVP of the tournament, scored 18 points to pace the Maroons. He also grabbed four rebounds, tallied three steals and dished out seven assists.

Daneil Eacho poured in 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds as he earned a spot on the all-tournament team as well. John Fitchett came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points. Fitchett pulled down five rebounds and blocked two shots as well. Andrew Daniels scored 15 points as well while Seth Bradley clicked for 11 points and grabbed five rebounds.

Roanoke shot 52.5 percent from the field and improved to 6-4 on the season.

Women: Brittany Glasco scored a career-high 23 points and nearly finished the day with a triple-double as she led Virginia Wesleyan to a 61-51 non-conference win over Washington College on Saturday.

Glasco dished out 10 assists and grabbed nine rebounds as she turned in one of the best performances of her career. Her 10 assists is tied for the sixth-most in a game in school history and she is the first player to have at least 10 assists in a game since 2000.

Glasco is averaging 11 points and 6.8 rebounds per game on the year and has dished out 57 assists as well to help the Marlins fashion a 9-3 record through 12 games.

Presidents' Athletic Conference

Men: Dillon Stith turned in two stellar performances this past week as he had two double-doubles to help the Bearcats win a pair of games.

Stith scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in Saint Vincent's 86-56 win over Penn State-Fayette on Thursday and poured in 17 points to go along with 14 rebounds in a 73-62 win over Grove City on Saturday in PAC action.

Stith is averaging 18.4 points per game and is grabbing 9.3 rebounds per outing as well. He has helped the Bearcats win six consecutive games. Saint Vincent is 10-2 overall and 3-0 in the conference.

Women: Allison Borts tallied the first double-double of her career as she scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Westminster in its 61-54 win over Chatham on Saturday.

Both totals were career highs for Borts, who helped the Titans win their second consecutive game.

Borts was one of three players in double figures for Westminster. Gabby Holko clicked for 17 points to go along with three steals and Courtney Zitt scored a season-high 16 points.

Westminster only shot 37.8 percent from the field but held Chatham to 32.8 percent shooting from the floor.

Southern Athletic Association

Men: Mike Gump scored 10 points and helped Centre rally for a 48-46 win over Sewanee in the SAA opener for both teams on Saturday.

Gump was the lone player in double figures for the Colonels, who trailed 45-41 with less than three minutes to play. Gump helped fuel the rally as he hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to one and then hit two free throws with six seconds to play to secure the win.

Donovan Whiteside and Mike Geegan scored eight points apiece for the Colonels, who are 8-3 overall. Centre led 29-22 at halftime and shot just 30 percent from the field. The point total was the lowest of the year for Centre, which has scored 80 or more eight times this year.

Women: Hendrix pushed its win streak to three games on Saturday with an 81-69 win over Centenary. The Warriors are now 6-6 on the year and got 16 points out of Taylor Neal as they reached the .500 mark.

Neal also dished out two assists, blocked two shots and racked up a steal while Anna King played well of the bench, scoring 12 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking three shots.

Caitlin Kriesel-Bigler also had a double-double as she scored 11 points and handed out 10 assists. The assist total is tied for the fourth-most in program history.  Melanie Martin scored a season-high 10 points for the Warriors, who shot 43.5 percent from the field and held Centenary to 35.4 percent shooting from the field.

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

Men: AJ Myres rose to the occasion on Saturday for Schreiner, scoring 27 points to help pace the Mountaineers to an 80-64 win over Texas Lutheran in its conference opener.

Myres also grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists. He also blocked three shots for Schreiner, which led 40-36 at halftime. The Mountaineers, who have won three consecutive games and are 5-7 overall, never trailed in the game.

Steve Guerrero scored 13 points and pulled down six rebounds for the Mountaineers while Jared Thompson clicked for 10 points and grabbed four rebounds.

Schreiner shot 64 percent from the floor in the second half to put the game away while holding Texas Lutheran to 32 percent shooting in the final half of play.

Women: Texas Lutheran matched its second-best start in program history after knocking off Schreiner 73-59 on Saturday. The Bulldogs, who moved from the ASC to the SCAC  this year, are 9-3 overall and won their first SCAC game in history with the win over Schreiner.

The Bulldogs have won six consecutive games and are off to their best start since going 11-1 during the 1973-74 campaign. Karisa Cantu helped pave the way with a triple-double. She scored 13 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 10 assists.

Kristen Lye led Texas Lutheran in scoring with 14 points and scored 10 of her points during the Bulldogs' 20-4 run in the first half. The Bulldogs led 42-24 at halftime.

Savannah Hight and Taylor Dydalewicz scored 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Bulldogs, who haven't lost a game since Dec. 19.

USA South Athletic Conference

Men: Six players scored in double figures for Maryville as it knocked off Ferrum 85-74 on Saturday in conference action.

Jaumonee Byrd paved the way as he scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Christian Ford clicked for 13 points and handed out five assists while Oscar Butler finished with 12 points. Spencer Shoffner scored 11 points and Craig Raye and Joey Bodewig poured in 10 points apiece.

Maryville shot 43.1 percent from the field as it improved to 6-6 overall and to 2-0 in the conference. The Scots were tough on defense as well as it held Ferrum to 35.6 percent shooting from the field.

Women: Piedmont scored 23 of the final 30 points of the game in a battle with Meredith on Saturday and earned a 79-68 USA South victory.

The Lions led 10-0 at one point but trailed 39-29 at halftime. They were down 58-45 at one point in the second half but managed to battle back for the win.

Chandler Alverson scored a career-high 20 points and dished out five assists as well. Gabby Arencibia clicked for 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds while Taylor Swoszowski scored 10 points as well.

Piedmont has won two consecutive games, both in league play, and is 8-3 overall while sitting at 2-0 in the league. It has won four of its last five overall.

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