Piedmont athletics photo by Karl L. Moore

With masks secured around their chins, the Adrian Bulldogs marched into Northern Indiana and promptly lost the first Division III men’s basketball game of a very strange 2020-21 season, 66-59 to Trine. If not for the masks, things would’ve looked almost normal in Angola. Trine had a full cheerleading squad and dance team along the baseline and clumps of students scattered around the stands.

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It was an odd opening night, on a day in which two games were played, rather than the usual hundreds. 

The basketball was about as you’d expect from an opening game. Adrian was pretty frisky on offense, but couldn’t get defensive stops down the stretch to cut the lead. Brent Cox led the Thunder’s balanced attack with 15 points. Three others scored in double figures, including Nick Bowman, who also had seven steals. The Bulldogs were led by Kendall Bellamy’s 18 points and nine rebounds. They also got a great 27 minutes out of freshman Gabe McDevitt, who looked confident in scoring 11. Game story and box score.

The first women’s game was a nail-biter with Transylvania hitting the road for a 360-mile trip, then falling just short of host Piedmont 71-69. The Lions spotted the visitors a big lead, then worked back early in the second half. This game looked more like the NBA bubble, with completely empty stands and chairs on the bench socially distanced in three rows.

The teams traded baskets down the stretch, with the lead rarely more than three either way. Lion freshman, Lu Woolfork stole the ball with four seconds left to preserve the win; she also led the team with seven assists. Nakiyah Washington paced Piedmont with 20 points. Transylvania got 12 a piece from Celia Pelfrey and Kennedi Stacy. Game story and box score.