Wheaton, Ill. - The Alma College men's basketball team, opening a six-game road trip, built an early double-digit lead and held on to defeat the host Wheaton College Thunder, 79-65, at King Arena.
With the victory, the Scots have now won three straight contests and four of their last five outings. In addition, Alma's 4-3 record after seven games marks the best start under Head Coach Sam Hargraves, who is in his fifth season.
Sophomore Jason Beckman (Shelby, Mich./Shelby) led Alma with 12 points, hitting four of his six shots, including both three-point attempts, to tie a season high. Seniors Scott Nikodemski(Rockford, Mich./Rockford) and DJ Beckman (Shelby, Mich./Shelby) also scored in double figures with 11 points each, while junior Chase Fairchild (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) netted 10 points and dished out a team-high six assists.
Joel Smith led all scorers with 22 points for Wheaton (3-6 overall) as the Thunder dropped their fifth straight game.
The Scots took control early in the first half, building a 14-point lead less than 10 minutes into the game. From there, Wheaton could get no closer than seven points, and spent much of the game down by 10 points or more. Alma led by nine at the break, 42-33, and led by as many as 17 midway through the second half.
Alma shots season-high .583 from the floor, making 28 of its 48 shots, while holding Wheaton to less than 30 percent (17-58) shooting, marking the Scots' best defensive effort of the season. Alma out-rebounded the Thunder, 33-29, with DJ Beckman collecting a team-high nine rebounds.
The Scots remain on the road next week, traveling to San Antonio, Texas, to take part in the Trinity Holiday Classic, hosted by Trinity University. Alma will face Mary-Hardin Baylor on Saturday, Dec. 19, followed by a meeting with Texas Lutheran on Sunday, Dec. 20.
NOTES
• The Scots are on a season-high three game winning streak and have won four of their last five games. Alma's only loss in the last five games was a two-point setback to No. 8 Elmhurst (Ill.).
• The 4-3 start to the 2015-16 season is the best under Head Coach Sam Hargraves, and the best opening to the season since the 2010-11 campaign. In the last 10 seasons, the Scots have had a winning record after seven games on only two occasions.
• The win over the Thunder was the first in school history for Alma. Entering the contest, the Scots were 0-3 against Wheaton, with the meetings taking place the previous three seasons.
• Alma completed a four-game stretch against teams from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) with a 3-1 record.
• Scott Nikodemski extended his double-digit scoring streak to eight games with his 11 points tonight. Nikodemski has scored 10 or more points in every game this season and the final game of the 2014-15 campaign.
• After being held scoreless in their last game against North Central (Ill.), both Chase Fairchild and DJ Beckman scored in double figures against Wheaton.
• Scott Nikodemski took sole possession of fifth place on the career assists chart with four helpers and now has 244 for his career.
• Doug Bradfield posted two blocks tonight and now has 15 for the season and 59 for his career. That ties him with Colon Lewis (1990-94) for fifth all-time at Alma.
• Jason Beckman tied a season high with 12 points.
• DJ Beckman collected a season-high nine rebounds and also posted season-highs in blocks (2) and assists (2).
• Chase Fairchild tied a career high with six assists.
• Kevin Gamble scored a career-high eight points and pulled down a career-high five rebounds while playing a career-best 23 minutes off the bench.
QUOTES
Head Coach Sam Hargraves
"This was a great team win. Our defensive effort tonight was impressive from the start. Every coach knows the easiest way to score is off of getting stops. Wheaton is a very talented team and has been a bad matchup for us in the past, which makes this win so big for our guys on the road."