| Sophomore Jacole Hairston
helped Ferrum remain unbeaten. Ferrum file photo |
No. 9 Amherst and Ferrum returned from their holiday breaks with wins over previously unbeaten opponents down south.
Amherst led No. 14 Simpson by six with less than two minutes to play at the Land of Magic Classic in Daytona, Florida. Simpson senior Kate Nielsen erased the deficit single handedly with three consecutive layups. After she tied the game, Amherst senior Marcia Voigt connected on a jumper with two seconds left to lift the Lord Jeffs to a 62-60 win. The Lord Jeffs improve to 9-0 while the Storm slip to 9-1.
A little farther west, Ferrum rallied past No. 24 Louisiana College 97-94 at the Huntingdon College Coaches versus Cancer Classic in Montgomery, Ala. The Panthers trailed by 14 at various points during the second half before using a late 8-0 run to take control. Jacole Hairston had 23 points and seven rebounds for Ferrum (7-0). Natosha Gottlieb led Louisiana College (8-1) with 17 points.
A handful of other teams stayed undefeated. No. 7 Hope had no problems with Finlandia and dispatched the Lions 67-28. Baruch forced 32 Allegheny turnovers and rolled over the Gators 74-47. Castleton State cruised past St. Joseph's (L.I.) 64-44.
Howard Payne used a 30-7 run spanning both halves to push past Carthage 62-54.
Men's wrapup
In a battle between two NCAA Tournament teams from last March, Wittenberg held off Bethany 65-58. The Bison shot just 6-for-15 from the foul line in the loss. Zach Leahy led Wittenberg (8-2) with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Bethany fell to 9-2 despite 17 from Brady Pacific.
Dane McLoughlin scored a career-high 32 points, and Austin Fowler recorded his third double-double of the season with 26 points and a career-high 17 rebounds as the Case Western Reserve men's basketball team earned a 101-99 double overtime win vs. Alma. Case will face Albion in the classic's finale after Albion fell 66-49 to Chicago.
Xavier Brown scored 18 to lead five scorers in double figures as No. 13 Wooster defeated John Carroll 81-67. Jake Mays added 11 points and a game-high 21 rebounds to go with five blocked shots, while Josh Claytor added had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 7-for-9 from the floor.
Mike Cherry led all scorers with 23 points and Tra Benefield added 12 as No. 19 Christopher Newport won in the opening round of its tournament, defeating Heidelberg 65-53. The Captains will face Bridgewater (Va.) for the championship tomorrow, while Heidelberg plays Houghton, a first-year Division III provisional member.