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| Ted Hinnenhamp scored a game-high 28 points, including the game-winner at the buzzer for Dickinson. Dickinson athletics photo by C.Payne |
Augustana, Marietta, Emory and Dickinson scored game-winning baskets in the final seconds of their second round games while the NESCAC, ODAC and Centennial Conference each advanced two teams to the Sweet 16.
Emory edged Whitworth 85-84 in a back-and-forth rematch of the 2013 second-round NCAA Tournament match. With the game tied at 83, Whitworth's George Valle hit one of two free throws to give the Pirates the lead. After the teams traded turnovers, Emory's Rao Davis was fouled with four seconds left. He nailed both free throws and Whitworth missed the desparation three.
Marietta was the last Division III men's team to lose a game this season, and teams with that distinction often end their seasons with second round NCAA tournament losses. Not so for the Pioneers, who won a thriller 86-84 over Wooster. While Marietta led by as many as 10 points in the second half, the Pioneers didn't seal their first win over the Fighting Scots since the 1985-86 season until Dan Fanelly's 3-point basket bounced off the rim at the buzzer. "From where I was sitting ... I thought it might fall," said Marietta coach Jon VanderWal.
The Cinderella run by Northwestern (Minn.) will continue for at least one more week. The Eagles topped Elmhurst 84-75 and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time for any UMAC team. Porter Morrell led Northwestern with 20 points.
Sites for games in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 will be announced mid-day on Sunday. The leading contenders are Augustana, Babson, Randolph-Macon and UW-Stevens Point.
Dickinson edged Albertus Magnus 74-72 on Ted Hinnenkamp's layup at the buzzer. The Falcons had just tied the game at 72 on Victor Ljuljduraj's jumper with 11 seconds left and blocked a Red Devils' 3-point attempt, but Hinnenkamp grabbed the rebound and put in the game winner. He finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Eian Davis had 23 for Albertus Magnus.
Fellow Centennial Conference member Johns Hopkins had a little easier time with Skidmore, but not much. The Blue Jays went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 31 seconds and held off Skidmore 61-58.
Augustana's Jawan Straughter stole the ball from DePauw with five seconds left, got fouled and hit two free throws to lift the Vikings over the Tigers 68-66. Hunter Hill paced Augustana's balanced attack with 16 points while Tommy Fernitz scored 21 for DePauw. After a DePauw timeout, Bradley Fey attempted to lob to Fernitz, but Motzel defended it well and Straughter came away with the loose ball and was fouled by Bob Dillon before he could drive for the potential game-winner. Straughter calmly knocked down both ends of the one-and-one to give the hosts a 68-66 lead, their first since the six and a half minute mark. Lattner took the ensuing inbounds pass and went the length of the floor, but his runner from the left side wedged between the rim and backboard as the clock expired.
The NESCAC is sending two teams to the Sweet 16, but it's not teams that usually reach that far. Bates squandered a 10-point halftime lead, didn't score a field goal in the final eight minutes of regulation and still upset Stockton 68-59 in overtime. Graham Safford scored seven of his 14 points in overtime for the Bobcats, who outrebounded the Ospreys by 14. "I'm really happy for these guys," said Bates coach Jon Furbush. "We were so up and down throughout the game. Things didn't go our way at times, and things were great at other times. The guys stayed the course and found a way to win."
Bates will be joined in the Sweet 16 by Trinity (Conn.) which held Salisbury to 16 first-half points and defeated the Sea Gulls 60-47. JaQuann Starks led the Bantams with 18 points, including four 3-pointers and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. St. John Fisher had an unconscious night shooting and knocked out Amherst 87-70. The Cardinals shot 53 percent from the field, 60 percent from three and 22-for-23 from the free throw line.
Top-ranked Randolph-Macon avoided the upset bug that plagued so many top five teams on Friday night, pulling away midway through the second half to defeat Catholic 78-65. Chris Hamilton drained a 3-pointer from the left wing, was fouled, and completed the four-point play to put the Yellowjackets up by 14, 66-52, and led by double figures the rest of the way. Hamilton finished with 18 points, while Joe Hassell added 16 for Randolph-Macon. Catholic got 22 points from Corey Stanford in the loss.
Virginia Wesleyan built a double-digit lead at William Paterson and held on for a 77-74 victory. The Pioneers tied the game at 60 with seven minutes left, but the Marlins responded by scoring the next nine points and led the rest of the way. Khory Moore accounted for more than half of the Marlins' offense with 41 points, including 19 free throws. It will be the Marlins' fifth consecutive trip to the Sweet 16.