Victor Davis and Illinois
Wesleyan won a tough road game in the CCIW opener D3sports.com file photo by Ryan Tipps |
The 25th ranked Illinois Wesleyan men opened CCIW play with a big win on the road at No. 8 Wheaton (Ill.) 83-80 while the Thunder beat the Titans in women's action.
The Titans held a 17-point lead midway through the second half and an 11-point lead with a minute left. The Thunder extended the game with fouls and shrunk the lead with long-range jumpers. The Thunder scored 15 points in the final minute, but the Titans hung on for the victory.
In other CCIW games, No. 19 Augustana rolled over North Park 89-54. Millikin picked up its first conference win since January 30, 2010 at Carthage's expense, 71-59.
North Central debuted as the new No. 1 team in the men's rankings with an 71-51 win at Elmhurst. Virginia Wesleyan, which dropped from No. 1 to No. 23, will likely fall out of the next poll. The Marlins lost to Apprentice 100-89 for their fourth consecutive defeat.
No. 13 St. Mary's (Md.) defeated Roanoke 82-72 for its 12th consecutive win. No. 14 WPI beat St. Joseph's (Maine) 58-45 for its 14th straight victory, a new program record. No. 20 Albertus Magnus held Worcester State scoreless for the last two minutes and rallied to edge the Lancers 84-82.
Brian Lane picked up his 200th career victory as Transylvania stopped Franklin 72-58 in HCAC play. Scranton beat Wilkes-Barre rival King's 81-66 as senior guard Travis Farrell returned from injury with 13 points in 33 minutes. SUNY-Purchase ran its record to 8-1 with a 69-65 win at Springfield. Muskingum beat Franciscan 73-62 in a battle of winless teams.
Women's action
Alexa Barbush scored a
career-high 31 points for Franklin & Marshall Franklin & Marshall athletics photo |
No. 19 Lebanon Valley outlasted Franklin and Marshall 81-76 in a double-overtime battle between regional rivals. The Diplomats held a narrow lead late in the second half but only mustered two made field goals in the final 5:42. Caitlin Bach's layup with 52 seconds left sent the game to overtime. The Flying Dutchmen made seven of eight free throws in the second extra session.
Bach led Lebanon Valley (10-2) with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Preseason All-American Alexa Barbush scored 31 points in 48 minutes for the Diplomats (4-6). The Franklin and Marshall reserves scored just three points.
Wheaton (Ill.) opened CCIW play with a victory over defending national champion Illinois Wesleyan 66-62. Three Thunder starters scored double figures and Maris Hovee grabbed 15 rebounds. The Titans picked up their fifth loss, matching their total for all of last season.
Ithaca improved to 8-1 by edging Rochester 57-55 on the road. Devin Shea, who scored 13 points for the Bombers, sealed the victory with a steal in the closing seconds. Smith improved to 9-1 with an 82-60 win at Westfield State.
Off the court, Mount Mary became the second program in the last week to cancel its season. The Angels only had three certain starters with other players battling injuries. On Friday, the Piedmont men's program announced it was cancelling the rest of its games.