Five Friends/Foes

[PointGuard]

Chicago St. @ Texas St.—Another meeting of two of the friends found DJ Brower’s Chicago State Cougars visiting Vernell Strom’s Texas State Bobcats in a game between two of the teams tied atop Conference U standings. Throughout the first half the lead shifted back-and-forth with Texas State eking out a 41-35 lead at the break. The Aggies used their home court advantage to pull away in the 2nd half and cruise to a 86-77 triumph. Texas State’s PG Gilbert Lemeke tossed in 19 points and PF Kebu Dupay added 18. For Chicago State, PF Robert Allocco led all scorers with 23 while SF Gavin Johnson hauled down 13 boards. Texas State mpw has a 6 game win streak. (Texas State: 14-6, 8-1; Chicago State: 11-9, 7-2)

Cal-Davis @ Utah Valley—This game was tight most all the way with 23 lead changes and 14 ties. Utah Valley held a slim 39-38 halftime lead, but it wasn’t until the final portion of the 2nd half that the Wolverines were able to pull away and drop an 85-69 loss on Cal-Davis. PF Jeremy Wolthers scored 18 for Cal-Davis. PG Billy Felix scored 13 while dishing out 10 assists for Utah Valley. (7-13, 4-5)

Grand Canyon @ Wofford—Wofford used a stingy defense to defeat Grand Canyon 62-49. The Terriers forced the Antelopes into 23 turnovers. PG Alton Johnson scored 13 for Wofford. (9-11, 4-5)

Jacksonville @ Nebraska-Omaha—The Dolphins used sharp shooting to get on to and stay there. By the end of the first half they led 43-31 and then held off the Mavericks to achieve a 74-66 road win. PF Maurice Braun was the top scorer for Jacksonville with 15 points. (7-13, 4-5)

Lamar @ Chicago St.—Chicago State jumped out to a lead and by the half was on top 39-28. They continued their dominance in the 2nd half and finished with a 75-56 beatdown of the Cardinals with whom they were tied for 2nd place in the conference before the game began. PF Robert Allocco scored 23 for the 2nd straight game for Chicago State. (12-9, 8-2)

Texas St. @ Howard—Texas State came into the game in sole possession of first place and one game ahead of Howard. But they were unable to control the potent offense of Howard and trailed 40-27 at the half and couldn’t recover, losing 80-68. PF Kebu Dupay led Texas State’s scoring with 16. For Howard SG Kyle Fisher scored 20 and SF Antonio Stallings scored 18 with 9 rebounds. The loss put the Bobcats back into a 3-way tie for first place in the conference with Howard and Chicago State. (14-7, 8-2)

Nebraska-Omaha @ Cal-Davis—The Aggies used their home court advantage to lead wire-to-wire enroute to a 74-64 victory. C Casey Givens scored 20 points to top the scoring for Cal-Davis. (8-13, 5-5)

Lafayette @ Jacksonville—Jacksonville poured it on offensively in the first half and held a commanding 49-34 advantage at the break. The Dolphins then failed to stop the Leopards defensively in the 2nd half and fell behind before rallying late to gain a slim 82-79 victory. PG Reggie Scholl carried the Dolphins offensively with 26 points. (8-13, 5-5)

Wofford @ Florida Gulf Coast—Playing the last place Eagles, Wofford completely folded in the first half. By the end of the half they trailed 50-25. The Terriers tried to come back in the 2nd half but the difference was just too great and they tumbled to a 79-65 loss. The Terriers defense was so bad that Florida Gulf Coast made just 5 turnovers. C Jamaal Hobbs scored 12 points for Wofford. (9-12, 4-6)

Injury: SG Victor Griffin of Wofford strained his back and will miss practices but is expected to be ready for the Terriers next game.

[PointGuard]

North Dakota @ Texas St. –Texas State controlled the game from beginning to end. The Bobcats outplayed the Fighting Hawks in all aspects of the game and won the game 66-54. C John DePina scored 19 and yanked down 7 rebounds for Texas State. (15-7, 9-2)

Jacksonville @ Wofford—Parsons Nyland’s Dolphins took on Kyle Anders’ Terriers. Nyland had his Jacksonville team playing as if they were on their home court. Early in the first half they gained control and built a 43-37 halftime advantage. They then completely smacked down the Terriers in the 2nd half and won easily 79-61, hitting 55% of their FG attempts and 47% of their 3 point shots. For Jacksonville PF Maurice Braun scored 20 points. PG Alton Johnson led Wofford’s offense with 13 points. This was the Dolphins 4th straight win. (Jacksonville: 9-13, 6-5; Wofford: 9-13, 4-7)

Cal-Davis @ Lafayette—This was an exciting game the entire way. Cal-Davis eked out a 34-32 lead at the half. Following a total of 13 lead changes and 4 ties, the Aggies brought the ball up court with 26 seconds remaining and trailing by a single digit. They played for the last shot and were rewarded when SG Steffon Forman took a pass from PG Jason Everett and hit an 18 foot jumper with 2 seconds remaining giving the Aggies a 73-72 win. The saving factor for Cal-Davis in the game was that they hit 11 of 19 shots from beyond the arc. 4 starters for Cal-Davis (SF Adrian Ballard, PF Jeremy Wolthers, C Casey Givens, and SG Steffon Forman) each scored 12 points with Givens also grabbing 9 rebounds. Jeremy Wolthers bruised his shoulder and likely will miss the Aggies next game. (9-13, 6-5)

Chicago St. @ Incarnate Word—Another nail-biter with 29 lead changes and 14 ties during which neither team had more than a 7 point lead. Chicago State held a 36-31 halftime lead, but the game remained close throughout the 2nd half. Incarnate Word scored the final 4 points and to come away with a 74-72 win and snatch victory from the teeth of the Cougars. Chicago State controlled the boards (41-26) but ultimately lost this game because they had 23 turnovers to the Cardinals 13 while Incarnate Word also outshot the Cougars 47% to 40%. PG Steve Greer scored 12 points for Chicago State. PF Robert Allocco twisted his ankle limiting him to just 12 minutes of play, another factor in the Cougars’ loss. SG Ryan Roberts also was injured, spraining his wrist late in the game. Allocco is expected to be ready for Chicago State’s next game, but Roberts will miss at least 2 games. Coach DJ Brower was observed muttering obscenities following his team’s 2nd loss in its past 3 games. (12-10, 8-3)

Cal-Davis @ Lamar—Lamar exploited their home court advantage to spurt to a 20 point lead at the half and then coast to an 81-68 bruising of the Aggies. Cal-Davis’ starting SF Adrian Ballard and his substitute Tori Johnson both scored 11 points. But PF Chris Amaker of Lamar was the player of the game 2ith 12 points and 13 rebounds. (9-14, 6-6)

Texas St. @ Florida Gulf Coast—Texas State held a small lead throughout much of the 1st half but was only able to take a 42-40 lead to the locker room. The Bobcats maintained a small lead throughout the 2nd half and edged the Eagles 81-75. SF Russell Brown led Texas State’s scoring with 19. (16-7, 10-2)

Abilene Christian @ Jacksonville—Once the Dolphins got untracked, they sprinted out to a 40-27 lead at the half. Their lead ballooned to 27 in the 2nd half, and they came away with an 87-66 pasting of the Wildcats. Abilene Christian hit 50% of their shots, but Jacksonville dropped in a phenomenal 62% of their shots. PF Ryan West had 16 to lead Jacksonville’s scoring. The win was the Dolphins fifth straight. Getting a 6th straight is a tall order since they travel to take on a hot Texas State team for their next game. (10-13, 7-5)

Chicago St. @ Nebraska-Omaha—Chicago State came out focused on turning their recent misfortunes around following what was likely a tirade by Coach DJ Brower…and they did so dramatically. At the half they led 52-38. They continued their dominance in the 2nd half, going on to win in a cakewalk, 96-71. The Cougars hit 60% of their FG attempts. PF Robert Allocco came back from a brief stay on the injured list to score 35 points. SF Gavin Johnson contributed 14 points while pulling in 10 boards for the Cougars. (13-10, 9-3)

North Dakota @ Wofford—The game was close in the early going, but Wofford pulled away to lead 41-31 at the break. Wofford continued to apply presume throughout the 2nd half, walloping the Fighting Hawks 95-61. Wofford popped in 60% of their shots including 17 of 28 from 3-point distance. PG Alton Johnson led the offensive onslaught by Wofford with 25 points. (10-13, 5-7)

Standings: Texas State (10-2) is now in sole possession of 1st place in Conference U with Chicago State (9-3) tied for 2nd a game behind. Jacksonville (7-5) has moved into 5th place. Cal-Davis (6-6) is tied for 6th place. Wofford (5-7) is tied for 10th place.

PF Robert Allocco of Chicago State was the Conference U Player of the Week based on his 35 point performance against Nebraska-Omaha. He’s now the leading scorer in Conference U, averaging 18.1 ppg. He also tops the conference in blocks, averaging 1.6 per game.

Injuries: PF Jeremy Wolthers (Cal-Davis), sore shoulder, should be return for their next game; SG Ryan Roberts (Chicago State), sprained wrist, expected to miss one more game.

Team Leaders:

Scoring: Cal-Davis, Jeremy Wolthers, 10.7 ppg; Chicago St., Robert Allocco, 18.1 ppg; Jacksonville, Maurice Braun, 11.0 ppg; Texas St., John DePina, 11.7 ppg; Wofford, Alton Johnson, 12.5 ppg.

Rebounds: Cal-Dais, Casey Givens, 5.8 rpg; Chicago St., Gavin Johnson, 8.0 rpg; Jacksonville, Maurice Braun, 6.2 rpg; Texas St., John DePina, 7.2 rpg; Wofford, Kenny Taylor, 5.8 rpg.

Assists: Cal-Davis, Jason Everett, 4.0 apg; Chicago St., Steve Greer, 3.4 apg; Jacksonville, Reggie Scholl, 4.0 apg; Texas St., Gilbert Lemeke, 3.9 apg; Wofford, Alton Johnson, 2.9 apg.

[PointGuard]

Jacksonville @ Texas St.—Jacksonville’s Parsons Nyland and Texas States’ Vernell Strom got together for lunch and went over old times, but had their game faces on for the start of the game between their two teams. The two team were evenly matched in the first half although Texas State held a 36-31 halftime advantage and then again for 10 minutes of the 2nd half. 22 lead changes and 8 ties attested to how evenly matched the two teams were to that point. But Texas State then scored 14 straight points. Before the end of the game the Bobcat’s lead expanded to 19 through a combination of Texas State’s control of the boards and some hot shooting. The final score was 77-60 thus ending Jacksonville’s win streak. C John DePina and SG Terry Deng provided an inside-outside attack that the Dolphins were unable to stop. Both players scored 21 points with John DePina also picking off 11 rebounds. PF Maurice Braun was the top scorer for Jacksonville with 14 points. (Texas State: 17-7, 11-2; Jacksonville: 10-14, 7-6)

Utah Valley @ Chicago St.—The score remained tight throughout the first half and the early stages of the 2nd half with 18 lead changes and 10 ties. But then PF Robert Allocco took over the game for Chicago State and the Cougars pulled away all the way to the end of the game scoring a resounding 78-55 conquest over the Wolverines. Allocco finished the game with 30 points and 11 rebounds. The win kept Chicago State in a tie for 2nd place a single game behind Texas State. (14-10, 10-3)

Wofford @ Howard—Wofford played evenly with Howard in the first half and trailed by just 5 at the break. But in the 2nd half it was another story with Howard simply outclassing the Terriers. Howard hit 54% of their shots compared with Wofford’s 30% shooting and that led to Wofford’s 70-46 demise. C Jamaal Hobbs was the leading scorer for the Terriers with just 8 points. (10-14, 5-8)

Incarnate Word @ Cal-Davis—A large and loud home crowd pumped up the Aggies who responded by rolling to a 50-34 halftime advantage. Midway through the 2nd half, Cal-Davis had opened a 30 point lead and then cruised to a 74-50 shellacking of the Cardinals. The Aggies outshot Incarnate Word 52% to 37% and dominated the boards 37-23. SG Steffon Forman scored 17 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. (10-14, 7-6)

Texas St. @ Lamar—Texas State continued to shine in conference play. Even though this was a close game with the Bobcats having a slim 2 point lead at the half and with 13 lead changes and 7 ties, Texas State had the ability to pull away in the middle of the 2nd half. After leading by as much as 18, the Bobcats held off a late run by Lamar to win by a score of 73-64. PF Kebu Dupay led the Bobcats’ attack with 17 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds. PF Chris Amaker also scored a couble-double for Lamar with 12 points and 11 rebounds. (18-7, 12-2)

Nebraska-Omaha @ Wofford—Nebraska-Omaha jumped out to an early 7 point lead, but the Terriers reeled them in and took a 30-22 halftime lead. Wofford then corralled the Mavericks in the 2nd half to brand them with a 67-47 loss. A 38-25 rebounding advantage was the difference in the game for Wofford. PF Kenny Taylor’s 16 points were high for the Terriers. (11-14, 6-8)

Chicago St. @ Howard—Chicago State took on the team tied with them for 2nd place in Conference U. The first half was tightly contested with Chicago State coming out on top 35-34. But the Cougars came out of the locker room and clawed their way to a 20 point lead. The finished the game in sole possession of 2nd place with a 74-60 win. Chicago State hit 52% of their shots compared to just 32% for the Bison. PF Robert Allocco scored 18 and had 9 rebounds for Chicago State. Howard’s SF Antonio Stallings led all scorers with 26 points. (15-10, 11-3)

Cal-Davis @ Jacksonville—Parson Nylands Jacksonville Dolphins had another contest against one of the friends…this time Monroe Thurlow’s Cal-Davis Aggies. In a well-played and highly competitive game by both teams, Jacksonville was able to build a 53-42 lead at the half and then hang on for an 83-78 victory. SF Michael Frederick scored 19 points for Jacksonville and PF Jeremy Wolthers had 16 for Cal-Davis. (Jacksonville: 11-14, 8-6; Cal-Davis: 10-15, 7-7)

Awards: Chicago State’s PF Robert Allocco again was Conference U’s Player of the Week while Jacksonville’s SF Michael Frederick was the Conference U Freshman Player of the Week. Allocco had 48 points, 20 rebounds and 6 blocks in his team’s 2 games this week. Frederick scored 28 ooints to go along with 6 rebounds and 3 steals in Jacksonville’s 2 games.

Injury: PF Kenny Taylor of Wofford is nursing a sore back so has backed off from practicing but should be ready to go for the Terriers’ next game.

Texas State is 61st on the Bubble Watch’s “Who’s In” list while Chicago State is 24th on the “Who’s Out” list for the NCAA Tourney. But it will all come down to what Conference U team wins the conference tournament since only one “U” team will be chosen by the NCAA Committee. Texas State RPI is 65th and Chicago State’s RPI is 58th nationally.

[PointGuard]

Texas St. @ Incarnate Word—Incarnate Word embarrassed Texas State in the first half and saddled the Bobcats with a 47-26 deficit. Texas State was unable to overcome such an abysmal half and fell hard 88-73. To put it mildly, Texas State’s defense simply stunk, allowing the Cardinals to hit 52% of their shots with the Cardinals making just 6 turnovers. PG Gilbert Lemeke’s 19 points were the highlight for the Bobcats. (18-8, 12-3)

Wofford @ Lafayette—Wofford overcame Lafayette’s home crowd. By the end of the first half the Terriers were ahead 38-34. They maintained their positive momentum in the 2nd half and came away with a 73-61 road win. Wofford offset their 19 turnovers by hitting 54% of their FG attempts as well as 48% of their 3’s. PG Alton Johnson dropped in 21 points for Wofford. (12-14, 7-8)

Longwood @ Chicago St.—Chicago State got off to a good start and poured it on all the way through the 1st half and led 46-28 at the break. The Cougars stumbled a bit in the 2nd half, but the refs kept them afloat so that they held on to take an 80-71 victory and move into the first place tie in Conference U. PF Robert Allocco led the Cougars in scoring with 19 points and SF Gavin Johnson grabbed 11 rebounds. (16-10, 12-3)

Cal-Davis @ Florida Gulf Coast—The biggest lead by both teams in this game was 6 points. Florida Gulf Coast led 34-30 at the half. While the game was constantly in doubt, Cal-Davis missed some big shots in the final 2 minutes and fDJell 68-65. PF Jeremy Wolthers topped the Aggies’ scoring with 14 and SF Adrian Ballard added 12 points and 9 rebounds. (10-16, 7-8)

Grand Canyon @ Jacksonville—Jacksonville had a tough time getting untracked in the first half and trailed 32-25 at the break. The Dolphins came out with a daunting defense in the 2nd half and opened a 16 point lead, but then Grand Canyon struck back and pulled closer and closer and just ran out of time as Jacksonville was able to hang on by their fingertips to win 64-61. Reserve C Ross Walker scored 14 points and PF Maurice Braun had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. (12-14, 8-7)

Abilene Christian @ Texas St.—Texas State wasn’t about to absorb a 2nd straight loss and led from beginning to end in this game. They led 45-20 at the half and expanded their lead to 32 early in the 2nd half before relaxing to roll to an 84-63 rollover of the Wildcats. SG Terry Deng banged in 25 points and C John DePina added 14 points, 6 assists, and 9 rebounds for the Bobcats. (19-8, 13-3)

Wofford @ Utah Valley—Wofford controlled the game in the first half, opening a 13 point lead before going to the locker room with a 34-27 advantage. Things turned abruptly around in the 2nd half and the Terriers fell behind by as much as 8 points before putting on a late comeback. Trailing by 2 with 12 seconds to play, Wofford brought the ball up court quickly and PG Alton Johnson got the ball over to SG Antuan Lackey who drilled in a last second 3 which allowed Wofford to notch a 63-62 road win. PG Alton Johnson led the Terrier’s scoring with 14. (13-14, 8-8)

Grand Canyon @ Cal-Davis—Grand Canyon struck early and often to gain an 8 point lead, but the Aggies made a late run that put them in front 32-26 going to the locker room. Cal-Davis added to their lead in the 2nd half and then had to hold on as Grand Canyon made a late run. The final score was 62-54 in favor of Cal-Davis. Cal-Davis won the game on the basis of their rebounding advantage (36-24). Tyrone Dickenman came off the bench to lead the scoring for Cal-Davis with 12 points. (11-16, 8-8)

Jacksonville @ Florida Gulf Coast—Jacksonville employed a sound defense. By the end of the first half they led 30-23. Their defense remained strong in the 2nd half as they moved on to a 67-54 victory. The Dolphins held the Eagles shooting to 37% and forced them into 19 turnovers. Reserve C Ross Walker again led Jacksonville’s scoring with 14 points. PF Maurice Braun just missed out on a double-double, scoring 9 and getting 9 rebounds. (13-14, 9-7)

Chicago St. @ North Dakota—Could the Cougars win and share 1st place in the conference? The first half was a doozy. The lead flipped back and forth. The Cougars trailed 46-44 after the first stanza. But the game fell apart for Chicago State in the 2nd half as their offense fizzled. They lost 80-68 and fell not only out of 1st place, but into a 2nd place tie in the conference. PG Steve Greer scored 14 for Chicago State and SF Gavin Johnson yanked down 10 rebounds. But North Dakota’s SG Rashun Harper dazzled the home crowd by hitting 10 of 14 FG’s, 6 of 9 three’s, and 4 of 5 from the foul line for 30 points. The Fighting Hawks’ SF Shaun Nelson scored 21 and had 10 rebounds. (16-11, 12-4)

A good showing by the 5 friends within Conference U: Vernell Strom led his Texas State team to a 1st place finish, DJ Brower’s Chicago State team finished in a tie for 2nd place, Parsons Nyland brought Jacksonville into a tie for 4th place, and Kyle Ander’s Wofford team and Monroe Thurlow’s Cal-Davis team finished in a tie for 6th place within the 16 team conference.

[PointGuard]

[Magic Bird]

Looking forward to seeing if Coach Strom's Bobcats and Coach Brower's Cougars end up playing or winning anything in the postseason. How does postseason national tournament selection work in promotion/relegation mode? I only played the mode once with DDSCB2 shortly after it's release several years ago, so I forget.

[PointGuard]

Post-season tourney selection is the same.

[PointGuard]

Incarnate Word (12th seed) vs Jacksonville (5th seed): Incarnate Word’s offense was firing away on all cylinders and they led the entire way, by 7 at the half (49-42), then by as much as 17 in the 2nd half and winning 88-78. Jacksonville’s defense was porous allowing the Cardinals to his 54% of their FG attempts and 63% of their 3’s. A disappointing ending for Parsons Nyland and his team. SF Michael Fredericks led Jacksonville’s scoring with 18 points. Rowland Boland came in off the bench and dished out 8 assists while scoring 8 and getting 3 steals. SG Adam Marvray tossed in 24 points for Incarnate Word. (13-15)

Utah Valley (11th seed vs Cal-Davis (6th seed): Cal-Davis scored first and never looked back. They led 48-35 at the break and by as much as 22 in the 2nd half. They scorched Utah Valley 77-57. SG Steffon Forman had 18 points and C Casey Givens scored 17 for the Aggies. (12-16)

Abilene Christian (10th seed) vs Wofford (7th seed): This was a close game all the way. The two teams were tied at 35-35 at the half. Wofford fell behind in the 2nd half and then just couldn’t catch up, losing 72-67. The Terriers top scorer was C Jamaal Hobbs with 18 points. (13-15)

Longwood (9th seed) vs North Dakota (8th seed): Longwood won a fiercely fought game 69-61.

[PointGuard]

Longwood (9th seed) vs Texas St. (1st seed): Texas State played soundly in the 1st half and led 43-34 at the break. But their offense fell apart in the 2nd half and Longwood streaked by them to pull off a huge 73-65 upset. The Bobcats hit just 36% of their FG attempts and only 4 of 25 from beyond the arc. Starting C John DePina fouled out and was on the court only 6 minutes! His replacement Matt Wright scored 16 points to lead the Bobcats’s scoring. (19-9)

Abilene Christian (10th seed) vs Chicago St. (2nd seed): This was a very close game the entire way. Abilene Christian led 44-40 at the half. Neither team could pull away in the 2nd half, but Abilene Christian was able to put on the last run and topple the favored Chicago State team by a score of 92-86. PF Robert Allocco led Chicago State’s scoring with 27 points. For Abilene Christian, PG Paris Budde scored 26 and SG J.R. Crider added 20. (16-12)

Cal-Davis (6th seed) vs Howard (3rd seed): There were 6 lead changes and 5 ties early in the 1st half, but Cal-Davis then took control and was up 38-29 at the intermission. The Aggies continued to hold their lead in the 2nd half and won 63-52. Cal-Davis had a 35-25 rebounding advantage and a 21-15 turnover advantage. PG Jason Everett, SG Steffon Forman, and C Casey Givens each scored 10 points for Cal-Daivs. (13-16)

Incarnate Word (12th seed) vs Lamar (4th seed): Incarnate Word continued their run of upsets by whipping Lamar 71-60 as SG Adam Marvray scored 23 points.

[PointGuard]

Incarnate Word (12th seed) vs Longwood (9th seed): Incarnate Word marched on with a minor upset. But they had to make a late comeback to win 75-73.

Cal-Davis (6th seed) vs Abilene Christian (10th seed): Cal-Davis stopped the Wildcats defensively to take a 32-17 halftime lead. The Aggies continued their commanding performance in the 2nd half and flattened Abilene Christian 63-41. The Aggies’ defense limited the Wildcats’ shooting to 28% with only 2 of 21 from 3 point distance. PF Jeremy Wolthers scored 24 points for Cal-Davis. (14-16)