| Bradley Jacks' double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Joey Flannery's 35 points helped Babson avoid a slipup at Springfield. File photo by Dean Reid, d3photography.com |
Springfield's win at home over Amherst helped Babson move into the No. 1 spot last month. This afternoon the Beavers avoided a similar slipup, as they won at Springfield, 73-68.
- Saturday scoreboard: Men | Women
- Saturday news releases: Men | Women
- Women's wrap: Upset Athletic Association
With under seven minutes left in the second half, Joey Flannery scored consecutive baskets to give Babson (12-1, 2-0 NEWMAC) an 11-point lead. Springfield freshman phenom Jake Ross scored 10 straight points to pull the Pride within one but Flannery answered with a three and the Beavers made enough free throws down the stretch to claim the victory. Recap
The showdown between potential player of the year Flannery and freshman of the year Ross did not disappoint. Flannery scored 35 points for the Beavers while Ross netted 30 points and 11 rebounds for Springfield (7-6, 1-1 NEWMAC).
The UAA opened conference play with a controversial buzzer-beater and blowout. With 12 seconds left in the opener between Washington U. and Chicago, Maroons guard Noah Karras hit a game-tying three pointer. Washington U. inbounded the ball and Jake Knupp missed a running layup, and the ball bounced out near the Bears' foul line. Clinton Hooks picked up the ball and flung it toward the basket where a Chicago defender swatted it away. The officials ruled it was goaltending and counted Hooks' shot as the game-winner. Hooks had 19 points and five rebounds for Washington U. (9-3, 1-0 UAA). Recap
No. 4 Rochester didn't need any late-game heroics as the Yellowjackets pounded defending champion Emory 84-54 in Upstate New York. Sam Borst-Smith posted 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Rochester (12-0, 1-0 UAA), which hosts Chicago and Washington U. next weekend.
No. 9 Wesleyan's bad week ended with a 92-76 loss at Hamilton. The Continentals' reserves outscored the Cardinals' 38-19 and Hamilton hit 10 three-pointers in the victory. Andrew Groll led Hamilton (10-2, 2-0 NESCAC) with 20 points and 15 rebounds. After starting the season 11-0, Wesleyan went 0-3 this week with both conference losses coming by double-digit margins. No. 8 Tufts capped a productive weekend with an 84-70 win at Colby, with the five Jumbo starters all scoring double-figures. No. 22 Middlebury knocked off Connecticut College 97-89 behind Matt St. Amour's 31 points.
No. 7 UW-Eau Claire bounced back from Wednesday's loss at UW-River Falls with a 68-63 over No. 11 UW-Whitewater. Josh Weix put the exclamation point on the victory when he split the Warhawks' zone defense for a two-hand jam. Weix scored 19 points and Jack Martinek added 20 points, including shooting 8-for-11 from the foul line. UW-Stevens Point finished a rough week on a high note as the Pointers won 76-58 at UW-La Crosse. Ethan Bublitz and MJ Delmore scored 17 points apiece for Stevens Point. Recap
Ohio Northern created a four-way tie for first place in the OAC with a 101-91 win over No. 13 Marietta. The Pioneers got 30 points from A.J. Edwards and 21 points from Keith Richardson, but the Polar Bears hit 12 three-pointers and had a 26-11 advantage in bench scoring, including 19 from Devon Allen. Those two teams plus Mount Union and John Carroll are tied for first with a 4-2 conference record. Marietta hosts Mount Union on Wednesday night.
No. 10 North Park returned to the road and returned to the win column, as the Vikings edged North Central (Ill.) in Naperville, 76-73. After the Cardinals tied the game at 73 with a minute to play, North Park forward Jordan Robinson was fouled while grabbing an offensive rebound. Robinson made both free throws and T.J. Cobbs added one more for the final score. North Park improved to 10-2, 3-2 in the CCIW with all three wins on the road.
Outside the Top 25, Johns Hopkins scored five points in the final six seconds to beat Ursinus, 77-75. With his team trailing 75-72, Kyle Doran hit a three-pointer to pull the Blue Jays even with six seconds left. On the Bears' next possession, Austin Vasiliadis stole the pass and was fouled, allowing him to win the game from the line.
Transylvania's Cooper Theobald set a new Division III record for free throw attempts in a game and just missed the record for made free throws in a game. Theobald went 29-for-32 in the Pioneers' 111-104 double-overtime win over Defiance. The previous record for free throw attempts was 31 by UW-Stevens Point's Brant Bailey in December 1999. Rob Ritter holds the record for made free throws with a perfect 30-for-30 performance for UC San Diego in 1988.
Michael Welch's made jump shot with 32 seconds left was the difference for Calvin, which went over .500 with a 71-70 win over Albion. St. Thomas needed a Connor Bair tip-in with two seconds left in overtime to beat Carleton, 62-61. Kevin Grow had 19 points and 25 rebounds for Carleton (4-7, 1-5 MIAC).
After not winning a conference game for two seasons, UW-Stout improved to 2-0 in the WIAC and 11-2 overall with a 74-67 win at UW-Oshkosh. John Lahti and Cory Speer combined for 37 points off the Blue Devils' bench. Louis Khouri's layup with less than a second to play lifted Catholic over Juniata, 65-64. Western New England, which had just one win all season, stunned Endicott 74-70 in CCC play.