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| Henry Raynor had a double-double in No. 8 John Carroll's dramatic win over No. 3 Mount Union on Wednesday night. Photo by Ben Peskar, John Carroll University |
After losing to No. 3 Mount Union back in December, No. 8 John Carroll beat the Purple Raiders and seized first place in the OAC. Elsewhere, Wooster took over first place in the NCAC, North Park earned a share of first in the CCIW, and the Hope women rolled over Trine in Wednesday night's Division III basketball action.
Playing in front of a capacity crowd at home, No. 8 John Carroll defeated No. 3 Mount Union, 74-72, and moved alone into first place in the OAC.
The game featured 20 ties and 18 lead changes, including several in the final minute. John Carroll led by two until Collen Gurley scored a layup that pulled Mount Union even with 64 seconds left. After the Blue Streaks turned the ball over, Gurley was fouled and split a pair of free throws that gave the Purple Raiders a 71-70 lead with eight seconds left.
The Blue Streaks got the ball to Luke Frazier who was fouled with three seconds left, and he made both free throws, putting John Carroll back in front by one with three seconds left. After a Mount Union turnover, Luke Chicone added two more free throws, pushing the John Carroll lead to 74-71.
On the Purple Raiders’ final possession, the Blue Streaks fouled Gurley in the backcourt, sending him to the free throw line before he could attempt a game-tying 3-pointer. He made the first and missed the second intentionally, but a lane violation nullified any attempt at a game-tying shot. John Carroll ran off the remaining two seconds, and the Blue Streaks student section poured onto the court in celebration.
Sophomore forward Henry Raynor led John Carroll (16-1, 10-1 OAC) with 14 points and 15 rebounds. The Blue Streaks outrebounded Mount Union (16-2, 9-2 OAC) by 12 and now lead the Purple Raiders by one in the standings. This was the 100th meeting between the two programs, but just the first when both teams were nationally ranked.
North Park held off No. 7 Wheaton (Ill.), 66-63, and moved into a first-place tie with the Thunder in the CCIW standings.
Jalen Boyd’s 3-pointer put North Park in front 60-55 with five minutes to play in the second half, and the Vikings clung to their lead entering the final minutes. After Marquise Jackson’s driving layup pushed the advantage to 66-60, Wheaton cut the deficit in half on TJ Askew’s 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining. North Park turned the ball over, giving the Thunder a chance to tie, but Tyson Cruickshank missed a three, and Boyd secured the defensive rebound.
Jackson posted 25 points and four steals for North Park (15-4, 8-2 CCIW), which was picked seventh in the CCIW preseason poll. Cruickshank had 23 points and seven rebounds for Wheaton (16-2, 8-2 CCIW), which had won nine straight.
Wooster finds itself alone in first in the NCAC after closing out Ohio Wesleyan, 72-64. The Fighting Scots closed the game on a 14-5 run and now lead the Battling Bishops by one game with six to play. Najee Hardaway racked up 22 points and 10 rebounds for Wooster (15-3, 9-1 NCAC).
No. 25 Hampden-Sydney defeated No. 14 Guilford, 64-57, and moved past the Quakers in the ODAC. Davidson Hubbard led the Tigers with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Hampden-Sydney (15-4, 9-1 ODAC) remains a game behind archrival Randolph-Macon in the conference standings. The second-ranked Yellow Jackets breezed past Averett, 86-48.
No. 24 UW-Oshkosh gained some breathing room in the tight WIAC race with a win and some help. The Titans took care of UW-Platteville, 75-56, behind 25 points from Quinn Steckbauer and 21 more from Levi Borchert. Then, UW-Whitewater picked off No. 20 UW-La Crosse, 74-71, dropping the Eagles another game back of UW-Oshkosh.
Rowan stayed perfect in the NJAC by downing TCNJ, 83-65. Ja'Zere Noel scored 20 points for the Profts (16-3, 12-0 NJAC) who have won 16 of their last 17 games.
In women's action, No. 8 Hope came out hot and rolled past No. 11 Trine, 83-69, to split the season series with the Thunder.
The Flying Dutch shot 71 percent (10 for 14) and hit six 3-pointers in a 26-point first quarter. Trine got as close as six points midway through the third period, only to see Hope finish that quarter on a 16-4 run. Four of Hope's starters scored double figures, led by Claire Baguley who had 22 points. Savannah Feenstra posted a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) and the Flying Dutch outrebounded Trine, 44-29.
"We needed to get off to a great start against them," head coach Brian Morehouse said. "I thought we played super poised. Our kids were having fun playing basketball; that's when we play our best." The Thunders' lead in the MIAA shrinks to one-half game with difficult road games at Albion and No. 20 Calvin remaining.
No. 25 Gustavus Adolphus doubled up Bethel in the fourth quarter, 22-11, and pulled away from the Royals, 66-53. The Gusties had 20 second-chance points and 31 points off 22 Bethel turnovers. Kylie Baranick had 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals for Gustavus (15-2, 12-2 MIAC), which has won seven straight after losing to Bethel early this month.
UW-River Falls brought No. 14 UW-Eau Claire back to the pack in the WIAC by upsetting the Blugolds, 81-70. The Falcons (13-7, 3-6 WIAC) led most of the game behind 19 points from Macy Nilsen. The loss cuts UW-Eau Claire's lead over UW-Whitewater and UW-Stout to one game. The Warhawks clobbered UW-La Crosse, 66-36, while the Blue Devils took care of UW-Stevens Point, 71-54.
No. 3 Christopher Newport surged past AEC leaders Marymount 69-52 and upped its mark to 18-0. The Captains led by three at the half but outscored the Saints 25-15 in the third period. All-Americans Sondra Fan and Anaya Simmons combined for 34 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for Christopher Newport.
Bryn Bezjak's three-pointer with 0.5 second left lifted No. 23 Washington and Jefferson over Chatham, 59-56, and kept the Presidents' long winning streak in tact. Sophomore Meghan Dryburgh had a triple double (18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists) for W&J which has won 16 in a row.
After starting the season 2-9, New Jersey City has come all the way back to claim a share of first place in the NJAC. The Gothic Knights scored 51 second-half points and knocked off William Paterson, 74-62, for their seventh win in a row. Damarais Rodriguez scored 22 of her game-high 32 points in the second half. Kean is tied for first with NJCU after downing Ramapo, 70-50. Shannon McCoy picked up a double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) for Kean (11-8, 9-3 NJAC).