| David Linane's big game kept John Carroll pointed toward first place in the OAC. Photo by Rachel Hiestand, JCU Sports Information |
No. 10 John Carroll edged No. 8 Marietta 82-78 in closely contested matchup of highly ranked OAC teams on Saturday afternoon.
The Blue Streaks and Pioneers battled back and forth, with both teams holding leads in the final 10 minutes but never by more than five points. After Brennan McKean hit a three-pointer for Marietta to tie the game at 71 with four minutes left, David Linane answered with his fifth three of the game for John Carroll. Linane scored seven points in the closing minutes, including two free throws with a second left to put the game away. Recap
Linane finished with 27 points, five assists, four steals and four rebounds in 26 minutes for John Carroll (9-0, 4-0 OAC). Luis Garcia scored 21 points for Marietta (8-2, 4-1), which got all but five points from its starters.
No. 6 Elmhurst improved to 9-1 by outlasting Buena Vista 125-115 in double overtime. Buena Vista's Kennedy Drey hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to double overtime. Elmhurst scored the first eight points of that second extra period to take control for good. All five Elmhurst starters scored double figures, led by Kyle Wuest (31 points). Nick Clark posted 36 points and 14 rebounds for the Beavers.
Illinois Wesleyan hit two more 3-pointers than No. 25 Texas Lutheran and that was the difference in the Titans' 92-86 victory. Bryce Dolan scored 19 points, including four 3-pointers, for Illinois Wesleyan (6-4). Sterling Holmes had 27 points for the Bulldogs (6-2).
Hartwick gave coach Todd McGuinness his 100th career victory in dramatic fashion as the Hawks rallied past Gywnedd-Mercy, 77-71. Two Division III teams hung close before falling to Division I foes. Piedmont lost at Presbyterian 69-65 while Ursinus lost to Penn 73-66.
Women: Great to be back
| Sydney Moss had the first triple-double of her career at Calvin in the title game last season. She nearly had her second on the same court, this time against the Knights. File photo by d3photography.com |
No. 1 Thomas More returned to the court where it won the national championship nine months ago and looked as good as ever. The Saints defeated No. 11 Calvin 85-69 at Van Noord Arena.
In her second game of the season, Sydney Moss scored nine points in the opening five minutes to stake the Saints to a 11-2 lead. She scored 20 points in the first half and finished with 31, along with 15 rebounds and seven assists. Abby Owings scored 18 points and handled the Calvin press while Nikki Kiernan added 12 points, all in the second half. Ali Spayde scored 17 points for the Knights (7-2). Recap
Saturday's win at Calvin might have been the biggest obstacle to Thomas More completing another perfect regular season. The Saints play one more non-conference game against Illinois Wesleyan (4-5) before returning to conference play where they've lost one game in five seasons.
Austin snapped its three-game losing streak in surprising fashion as the Kangaroos bounded past No. 13 Texas-Tyler, 82-73. Kalli Vittallo scored 22 points for Austin (6-3). The Kangaroos shot 48 percent from the field and 48 percent from three (10-for-21).
Chicago edged Puget Sound 88-85, completing a 2-0 weekend trip to the west coast. The Maroons made three free throws in the game's final 21 seconds to snag the victory. The teams combined to shoot an impressive 82 percent from the foul line (45-for-55).
Rowan stayed perfect by beating Widener 82-72 at home. The Profs are 10-0 for the first time since the 1999-2000 season when they started 12-0. Their next three games are against NCAA tournament teams, including No. 9 Montclair State.