The Top 1 Through 16 Tournament

[PointGuard]

Game 9 (L1 vs L2): Kent State vs Charlotte

Game 10 (L3 vs L4): Southern Illinois vs Ball State

Game 11 (W1 vs W2) St. Josephs vs Nevada

Game 12 (W3 vs W4) Massachusetts vs BYU

Game 13 (L5 vs L6) St. Bonaventure vs Valparaiso

Game 14 (L7 vs L8) Saint Louis vs Western Kentucky

Game 15 (W5 vs W6) Hawaii vs Bowling Green

Game 16 (W7 vs W8) UNLV vs Central Michigan

[PointGuard]

Starting Lineups:

Kent State: PG 5-8 Michael Deren, SG 6-3 Willie Baker, SF 6-7 Marco Coursey, PF 6-7 Maurice Bruton, C 6-9 Tony Dupree

Charlotte: PG 5-7 Mark “Honey” Graham, SG 6-4 Craig “Swimming” Poole, SF 6-8 Dwayne Cox, PF 6-8 Greg Brumm, C 6-9 Marion Kurtz

C Marion Kurtz and PG Mark Graham scored 20 of Charlottes first 26 points to forge a 12-point lead for the 49ers with 12 minutes to go in the first half.

Charlotte capitalized on 64% of their shots in the first half and left the court at the break with a 45-32 advantage.

Mark Graham scored 12 and Marion Kurtz had 10 for Charlotte. SG Willie Baker led Kent State’s scoring with 11 points.

With 14:12 to go in the game, Charlotte opened a 20 point lead at 57-37 as their hot shooting continued. Kent State trimmed the lead a little but couldn’t overcome the 1-2 punch of Mark Graham and Marion Kurtz and never seriously challenged.

Final Score: Charlotte—73, Kent State—60.

Kent State: PG Michael Deren-3/6*/1, SG Willie Baker-17/2/4, SF Marco Coursey-11/1/2, PF Maurice Bruton-6/1/-0, C Tony Dupree-6/3/5; Bench player: Clark Day-12/0/3.

Golden Flashes team stats: FG%-50%, 9 of 12 FT’s, 9 of 21 Threes, Rebs: 19, TO’s-21, PF’s-19.

Charlotte: PG Mark Graham, SG -22*/2/1, Craig Poole-5/4/0, SF Dwayne Cox-5/5/3, PF Greg Brumm-8/1/6*, C Marion Kurtz-15/3/4; Bench players: Marc Gunn-8/0/3.

49er team stats: FG%-59%, 5 of 9 FTs, 10 of 19 Threes, 19 Rebs, 16 TO’s, 14 PF’s.

Player of the Game: Charlotte PG Mark Graham-22 pts, 2 assists, 1 reb, 1 steal.

[PointGuard]

Starting Lineups:

Ball State: PG 6-0 Melvin Clark, SG 6-0 Bernard Jackson, SF 6-7 Dwayne Jackson, PF 6-8 Paul Smith, C 6-8 Srecko Lepinat

Southern Illinois: PG 6-0 Shannon Ress, SG 6-2 Brandon Penders, SF 6-8 Tim Montross, PF 6-6 Adam Lilly, C 6-8 Mike Young

Southern Illinois led 7-0 and it was 4-1/2 minutes into the game before Ball State scored. With 11-1/2 minutes to go in the first half, the Salukis led 17-4 and Ball State had already committed 8 turnovers. The Saluki fans were making the night a living hell for the Cardinals. With 7 minutes remaining in the half the score was 31-7 and Ball State had made 13 turnovers. The half ended with Southern Illinois bludgeoning Ball State by a 41-17 score.

The Cardinals turned the ball over 18 times thus limiting them to just 13 FG attempts. By comparison, the Salukis had just 2 turnovers and put up 32 shots. PG Shannon Ress scored 14 points to lead Southern Illinois. Dwayne Jackson was the top scorer for Ball State with just 5 points.

Ball State played better in the 2nd half, but had a tough time cutting into the Salukis’ lead. Finally with 5-1/2 minutes left in the game, they got the deficit to less than 20 points, but they never got closer than 17.

Final Score: Southern Illinois-70, Ball State-52.

Ball State: PG Melvin Clark-6/6*/4*, SG Bernard Jackson-2/0/1, SF Dwayne Jackson-10/0/2, PF Paul Smith-9/1/3, C Srecko Lepinat-4/1/4*; Bench player: Jared DeVone-14/1/3.

Cardinals team statistics: FG%-51%, 8 of 9 FT’s, 6 of 15 Threes, 24 Rebs, 24 TO’s, 13 PF’s.

Southern Illinois: PG Shannon Ress-19/2/3, SG Brandon Penders-0/3/1, SF Tim Montross-21*/3/1, PF Adam Lilly-4/1/3, C Mike Young-4/0/2; Bench player: Jamie Mueller-11/0/0.

Salukis team statistics: FG%-50%, 3 of 6 FT’s, 13 of 27 Threes, 15 Rebs, 9 TO’s, 14 PF’s.

Player of the Game: Southern Illinois SF Tim Montross-21 pts, 3 assists, 1 reb, 4 steals.

[PointGuard]

Starting lineups:

St. Josephs: PG 6-5 Gregg Hoyer, SG 6-5 Chris Kelly, SF 6-6 Mike Hutson, PF 6-6 Dan Deverage, C 6-9 Petrick Watkins

Nevada: PG 5-6 Brett Boston, SG 6-2 Rick Newman, SF 6-8 Marlo Vickers, PF 6-8 Hollis Booth, C 6-8 Donald Thornton

Both of Nevada’s big men (Booth and Thornton) and their PG (Boston) got into foul trouble the first 7 minutes of play. The Hawks couldn’t capitalize, though, due to poor shooting. Nevada gradually pulled away to a 33-24 halftime advantage.

Nevada hit just 38% of their shots, but St. Josephs shot a dismal 24%. Substitute C Ali Fry led the Wolfpack scoring with 7 points. On the other end of the court, C Patrick Watkins also scored 7 points to lead St. Josephs.

St. Josephs could get no closer than 8 points early in the 2nd half and then Nevada got hot and opened a 65-44 lead with 5 minutes remaining. St. Josephs shooting didn’t improve much in the 2nd half (including hitting just 13% of their 3’s), giving them no chance to seriously compete with the Wolfpack.

Final Score: Nevada—74, St. Josephs—57.

St. Josephs: PG Gregg Hoyer-3/2/1, SG Chris Kelly-5/1/3, SF Mike Hutson-8/2/1, PF Dan Deverage-3/0/13*, C Petrick Watkins-9/0/3; Bench players: Selwyn Capel-8/0/1, Russell-7/1/3.

Hawks team stats: FG%-32%, 15 of 21 FT’s, 4 of 30 Threes, 33 Rebs, 10 TO’s, 23 PF.

Nevada: PG Brett Boston-0/1/2, SG Rick Newman-12/3*/6, SF Marlo Vickers-6/0/2, PF Hollis Booth-6/1/2, C Donald Thornton-11/0/3; Bench players: Jerry McKnight-15*/3*/3, Ali Fry-9/0/5

Wolfpack team stats: FG%-47%, 27 of 31 FT’s, 5 of 16 Threes, 35 Rebs, 13 TO’s, 20 PF’s.

Player of the Game: Nevada SG Rick Newman-12 pts, 3 assists, 6 reb, 1 steal, 1 block.

[PointGuard]

Starting lineups:

BYU: PG 5-7 Ben Smith, SG 6-2 John Hopkins, SF 6-8 John Angeli, PF 6-10 Coupe Fuhs, C 6-9 Matt Babul

Massachusetts: PG 6-5 Michael Crenshaw, SG 6-1 David Krimmel, SF 6-6 Teremun Williams, PF 6-8 Tony Logan, 6-9 Chris Kent

BYU took a 5-0 lead but UMass scored 11 of the next 13 points. Then midway through the first half, the Minutemen, led by David Krimmel’s 9 points, opened a 9 point lead at 22-13. When the half ended, Massachusetts led 39-25.

The Minutemen hit 67% of their FG attempts (including 4 of 7 from beyond the arc). The Cougars hit just 42% of their shots and 27% of their 3 point attempts. BYU turned the ball over 12 times. SG David Krimmel popped in 13 points for UMass. BYU’s SG John Hopkins scored 7 to lead their scoring. BYU would have to control the ball better and tighten their defense in the 2nd half, if they wanted a chance to win this game.

Massachusetts led 48-25 just 1-3/4 minutes into the 2nd half. With their guards carrying the load, BYU got within 10 points with 10 minutes to play and then 5 with 7-1/2 minutes left. But the Minutemen would let the Cougars get no closer.

Final Score: Massachusetts—73, BYU—65.

BYU: PG Ben Smith-12/2/0, SG John Hopkins-23/0/2, SF John Angeli-3/2/4, PF Coupe Fuhs-6/3/7, C Matt Babul-9/3/7; Bench player: Heath Cliff-7/1/1.

Cougars team stats: FG%-50%, 11 of 18 FT’s, 11 of 28 Threes, 25 Rebs, 20 TO’s, 13 PF’s

Massachusetts: PG Michael Crenshaw-0/3/3, SG David Krimmel-20/3/2, SF Teremun Williams-15/2/2, PF Tony Logan-10/3/1, Chris Kent-6/1/2; Bench player: Hayward Myles-5/1/4.

Minutemen team stats: FG%-55%, 12 of 14 FT’s, 9 of 16 Threes, 18 Rebs, 18 TO’s, 20 PF’s

Player of the Game: Massachusetts’ SG David Krimmel-20 pts, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal.

[Wayne23]

Rooting for UNLV in honor of a certain towel biter who appears here from time to time.

[PointGuard]

St. Bonaventure is coming off a close loss while Valparaiso got stomped In their first games of this tournament.

Starting lineups:

St. Bonaventure: PG 6-3 Bryan Majerus, SG 6-1 Tavaras Linney, SF 6-7 LeDarion Peterson, PF 6-11 Nick Dunn, C 6-9 Sam Chouest

Valparaiso: PG 6-0 Javon Thomas, SF 6-2 Jeremy Scott, SF 6-6 Jim Walker, PF 6-8 David Richardson, C 6-10 Brandon Diggs

There were 10 lead changes and 3 ties in the first 14 minutes of play and neither team could gain more than a 3 point lead. But with 4 minutes left in the half, St. Bonaventure opened a 7 point lead and finished the half with a 32-37 lead.

The Bonnies achieved their advantage by getting to the line 14 times where they scored 11 points while Valparaiso hit all their free throws but only got 2 attempts. C Nick Dunn scored 11 points for St. Bonaventure. Reserve C Lou Jefferson scored 10 points and pulled down 7 rebounds for the Crusaders.

Valparaiso stayed close but St. Bonaventure maintained a lead until with just over 12 minutes to play, Jim Walker hit a 3 for the Crusaders to give them a 45-44 lead. Taking advantage of miscues by the Bonnies, Valparaiso expanded their lead to 5 a minute later. The Crusaders held the Bonnies off from that point on to achieve a comeback victory to the cheers of their fans.

Final Score: Valparaiso—64, St. Bonaventure—57.

St. Bonaventure: PG Bryan Majerus-5/3/4, SG Tavaras Linney-7/3/2, SF LeDarion Peterson-11/1/4, PF Nick Dunn-15*/1/3, C Sam Chouest-11/2/3.

Bonnies team stats: FG%-51%, 13 of 18 FT’s, 2 of 4 Threes, 22 Rebs, 15 TO’s, 15 PF’s.

Valparaiso: PG Javon Thomas-4/1/0, SF Jeremy Scott-14/1/4, SF Jim Walker-8/0/0, PF David Richardson-6/1/4, C Brandon Diggs-7/0/4; Bench player: Lou Jefferson-14/1/8*, Albert Yearwood-0/4*/1.

Crusaders team stats: FG%-45%, 9 of 12 FT’s, 7 of 23 Threes, 22 Rebs, 9 TO’s, 17 PF’s.

Player of the Game: Valparaiso C Lou Jefferson-14 pts, 1 assist, 8 rebounds, 2 steals.

[PointGuard]

While St. Louis is the odds-makers favorite in this game, both teams played well in their first games of the tournament, even though both lost. Western Kentucky played their first game on the road, though, while St. Louis played their first game at home. Western Kentucky has an interior height advantage but was not able to use that to their advantage in their first game of the tournament. St. Louis is hoping SG Arthur James can replicate his 20 point performance in their earlier tournament game.

Starting lineups:

Western Kentucky: PG 5-7 Mario Jones, SG 6-1 Aaron Taflinger, SF 6-8 Scott Reed, PF 6-10 Julius Dickel, C 6-10 Ray Melson

Saint Louis: PG 6-2 Adam Blizzard, SG 6-3 Arthur James, SF 6-8 Adrian Graham, PF 6-8 John Wiel, C 6-8 Bryce Brown

PF John Weil scored Saint Louis’ first 12 points as the Billikens took a 12-2 lead after 3 minutes of play. But ominously for Saint Louis, the refs called 6 fouls against the Billikens (with 2 starters on the bench with foul trouble) and no fouls against the Hilltoppers in the first 5 minutes of the game. The Billikens continued to run roughshod over Western Kentucky and at the 13:58 mark led 20-5. Chaifetz Arena was really rocking. Then ever so slowly the Hilltoppers crept back into the game. With 4:01 to play in the first half, Western Kentucky tied the game at 29-29. Western Kentucky’s rooters were now the boisterous ones. John Weil, who had scored 18 points for Saint Louis in the first 10 minutes of the game but had been on the bench for the last 5 minutes recouping his energy was brought back onto the court. But Western Kentucky was not to be denied and left the court at the half leading 37-34.

Saint Louis outshot Western Kentucky 65% to 55% but the Hilltoppers got to the line 8 more times and scored 8 more points than the Billikens and Western Kentucky’s bench outscored the Saint Louis bench 16-8. Center Ray Melson scored 6 points to lead the Hilltoppers scoring, but PF John Weil torched the net for 19 points for the Billikens.

Saint Louis came back onto the court and scored the first 6 points of the 2nd half. But the Hilltoppers came back to storm ahead 62-43 with 7-1/2 minutes to play. Both their offense and defense were clicking. At that point they had scored the last 21 points. Saint Louis fans were exiting the arena. Western Kentucky increased their lead to 71-50 before easing up in the final minutes allowing Saint Louis to narrow the gap to 10 points with 30 seconds left.

Final Score: Western Kentucky—75, Saint Louis—65.

Western Kentucky: PG Mario Jones-6/6*/0, SG Aaron Taflinger-6/4/3 (+5 steals), SF Scott Reed-6/1/1, PF Julius Dickel-13/1/4, C Ray Melson-10/2/5*; Bench Players: Starzee Brown-11/0/0, Brandon Neterville-8/0/2, Cain Cage-7/2/5*.

Hilltoppers team stats: FG%-60%, 20 of 27 FT’s, 5 of 12 Threes, 21 Reb, 17 TO’s, 19 PF’s.

Saint Louis: PG Adam Blizzard-0/2/3, SG Arthur James-12/1/3, SF Adrian Graham-3/1/4, PF John Wiel-24*/0/5*, C Bryce Brown-2/1/0; Bench player: Shawn Engstrom-8/2/0

Player of the Game: Western Kentucky PF Julius Dickel-13 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb, 1 block.

Billikens team stats: FG%-55%, 12 of 21 FT’s, 9 of 15 Threes, 19 Reb, 21 TO’s, 22 PF’s.

[Wayne23]

Still waiting for that UNLV win- I mean game.

[PointGuard]

That'll be Game 16. UNLV plays AT Central Michigan.