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[Zingo]

Taking all of this in is amazing (albeit from a skimmed perusal) just wow, what an extensive and flushed out story. I love that the coaches have their own personalities and the underlying story beneath everything. Great work, you are an inspiration!

[PointGuard]

Game Results—Dec. 11-17

Western Illinois (4-4)—69, Chicago State—54 (The game was close in the first half with the Leathernecks taking a narrow 29-27 advantage into the 2nd half. But then Western Illinois continually expanded their lead in the final 20 minutes. C Jamar Curtis had a big game, scoring 26 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.)

Virginia Tech—80, UC-San Diego (5-3)—74 (OT) (Virginia Tech opened an early 14 point lead, but then the Tritons came on late in the 1st half to narrow the gap to 34-31 at the intermission. The Hokies held onto a small lead throughout the 2nd half until UC-San Diego hit a last second FG to tie the game at 67-67 and send the two teams to overtime. But the Tritons weren’t able to keep up in the OT. SF Gregg Green tossed in 30 points and grabbed 7 boards, but none of the other Tritons was able to score in double figures.)

Alcorn State (5-3)—77, Robert Morris—56 (Alcorn State overwhelmed the Colonials from the start. At the end of the first half the Braves held a 47-25 lead and expanded their lead to as much as 27 points in the 2nd half. SG Caleb Sanden topped the scoring with 29 points, hitting 5 of 7 of his 3PA’s.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (6-2)—79, Saint Francis—53 (Another run away. The Golden Lions never trailed and led 43-22 at the end of the first 20 minutes. C Chris Betts scored 21 points and had 5 rebounds and 3 steals.)

Saint Peters—77, MD-Eastern Shore (4-4)—61 (Even though Saint Peters led the entire first half, the Hawks closed to within just 2 points when the half ended. But the Peacocks totally shut down the Hawks’ offense in the 2nd half and cruised to an easy victory. SG Travis Temple scored 15 points.)

Awards: C Jamar Curtis of Western Illinois was named Conference V’s Player of the Week.

Significant Injuries: none

Comments: Arkansas-Pine Bluff has the 22nd best NET ranking and even though MD-Eastern Shore is playhing .500 ball, their NET ranking is 55th best in the country.

[PointGuard]

Game Results—Dec. 18-24

Western Illinois (5-4)—75, Ohio—67 (During the first 10 minutes there were 8 lead changes and 4 ties, but then the Leathernecks offense outpaced the Bobcats. Western Illinois was ahead 46-34 at the break. The Leathernecks stubbornly refused to relinquish the lead in the 2nd half to garner a solid road victory. SG Marcelo Barker scored 19 points.)

UC-San Diego (6-3)—85, Loyola (IL)—82 (Loyola looked like the stronger team early in the game, but UC-San Diego came on strong midway through the half to forge a 47-42 lead at the end of the half. The Ramblers quickly jumped on top early in the 2nd half. Neither team could gain a real advante over the next 12 minutes as the lead flip-flopped. But with 5 minutes to go, UC-San Diego jumped ahead by 6 points. The Tritons gamely held off Loyola’s attempted charge in the final 2 minutes. PF Jack Robinson scored 18 points by sinking 9 of 13 shots and PG Brian Thomas had 14 points and 7 assists.)

#6 Providence—86, Alcorn State (5-4)—59 (Providence established their dominance early in the game and led 44-33 by the end of the first half. The Friars defense completely sunk the Braves in the 2nd half and Providence’s SG Will Sanchez poured in 30 points. SG Craig Brown and PF Will Friel both scored 12 for Alcorn State.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7-2)—73, Vermont—70 (The Golden Lions never let Vermont get ahead in the game. At the end of the first half, Arkansas-Pine Bluff led 31-20. The Golden Lions’ stout defense of the first half totally fell apart in the 2nd half. Vermont very slowly narrowed the gap throughout the 2nd half but just ran out of time in their effort to get ahead. Vermont fans left the arena frustrated. C Chris Betts and SG Kwame Mickens each scored 16 points while SF Dan Jefferson hit for 12 points and had 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals.)

MD-Eastern Shore (5-4)—66, Fairleigh Dickinson—56 (The Hawks pulled ahead early and led by as much as 10 with 6 minutes remaining in the first half, but the Knights fought back to get within 2 points at the end of the half. The lead shifted back and forth between the teams for the firsts 15 minutes of the 2nd half, but then MD-Eastern Shore drew away. SF Jibran Hale scored 17 points and PG Lataryl Brown finished with 14 points and 8 assists.)

Awards: none

Significant Injuries: none

Comments: Junior walk-on PG Dalonte Keams got upset with head coach Ken Yamoto at UC-San Diego and blew up when confronted by Yamoto. That earned Keams a one-weak suspension even though Keams has been averaging 7.3 ppg in his 13.8 mpg of playing time. The Tritons will have little depth at the guard positions when in their upcoming game. Otherwise a very good week since the teams won 4 of their 5 games with all games being on the road and the only loss was to the team ranked 6th in the polls.

[PointGuard]

Game Results—Dec. 25-31

Western Illinois (6-4)—72, William & Mary—48 (It took 10 minutes for Western Illinois to gain control but they ten progressively pulled away for the remainder of the game. Sf James Johnson pumped in 21 points and PG Tom Daniel hit for 14 points while dishing out 7 assists.)

UC-San Diego (7-3)—64, Northwestern State—63 (Northwestern State held the lead for the first 13 minutes. The Tritons then went on top for the next 22 minutes of the game. But the Demons regained with 5 minutes to go and held onto it until PG Brian Thomas hit a 14 foot jumper with 2 seconds left to gain the one-point victory for UC-San Diego. SG Craig Williams scored 12 points and C Shannon Van Hook had 10 points and 10 rebounds.)

Alcorn State (6-4)—92, Coppin State—70 (After the Braves gained their first lead 7 minutes into the game, they steadily expanded their lead until the buzzer sounded ending the game. PF Will Friel had 25 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists and PG Caleb Sanden scored 19 points.)

DePaul—72, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7-3)—62 (Arkansas-Pine Bluff hung with DePaul for the first 29 minutes of the game but then faded as DePaul’s home crowd buoyed the Blue Demons. C Chris Betts had 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (8-3)—78, Tarleton State—75 (The first half totally belonged to the Golden Lions an they fashioned a 48-42 halftime advantage. The Texans came back on their home court to go ahead 4 minutes into the 2nd half. Arkansas-Pine Bluff wasn’t able to regain the lead until there were just 3 minutes remaining. They held of for an exciting victory. SF Dan Jefferson scored 26 points which included hitting 6 of 10 from beyond the arc. C Chris Betts got sick during halftime, but reserve Jacob Allen replaced him to score 14 points and pull down 10 boards in his 17 minutes on the court.)

MD-Eastern Shore (6-4)—73, Florida State—70 (A HUGE road victory by the Hawks for a much more vaunted opponent. Florida State led 37-32 after 20 minutes of play and then opened as much as an 11 point lead in the 2nd half. But in the final 4 minutes the plucky Hawks made a game comeback and finally tied the Seminoles with 42 seconds remaining. Florida State was unable to score inside and Travis Temple knocked down a long 3 with 5 seconds on the clock. Florida State could only get off a desperation shot from nearly 30 feet away that was far off the mark. C Dwayne Bullett scored 20 points.)

Awards: Will Friel of Alcorn State was Conference T’s Player of the Week.

Significant Injuries: Back spasms are limiting Western Illinois’ C Craig Grant. While he may play in the team’s next few games, his effectiveness Is likely to be affected.

Comments: MD-Eastern Shore’s upset win over Florida State highlighted the week. Coach Mike McMillan exclaimed after the victory, “No one thought we could win, particularly taking on the Seminoles in Tallahassee. But our guys just wouldn’t give up even after Florida State put us in a big hole in the 2nd half.

[PointGuard]

Game Results—Jan. 1-7

High Point—82, Western Illinois (6-5)—73 (The Leathernecks trailed from start to finish and lost this game primarily due to making 22 turnovers. SG Marcelo Barker scored 17 points.)

Seton Hall—68, UC-San Diego (7-4)—60 (The Tritons led 37-28 at halftime, but couldn’t hold onto the lead as the Pirates took control in the 2nd half. Seton Hall scored 9 more points at the foul line, but UC-San Diego’s 22 turnovers also led to their losing. C Shannon Van Hook scored 11 points.)

Alcorn State (7-4)—78, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi—56 (Alcorn State was on top the entire game and totally dominated the Islanders in the 2nd half to bury them. PG Caleb Sanden led the Braves’ scoring with 17 points.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (9-3)—91, South Carolina State-68 (The Golden Lions had no problem handling the Bulldogs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff led 60-37 at the half and eased their way through the 2nd half. SF Dan Jefferson had 24 points and 7 rebounds and SG Kwame Mickens scored 22 points while dishing out 9 assists.)

MD-Eastern Shore (7-4)—58, Albany—52 (Even though the Hawks led the entire game, the game was close most of the way. SF Jibran Hale had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Reserve guard Edouardo Gaultier also scored 12 points.)

Awards: none

Significant Injuries: none

Comments: At the conclusion of pre-conference play, all 5 coaches had their teams over .500. Arkansas-Pine Bluff had the best record (9-3), but MD-Eastern Shore had the best NET ranking (21st best within Division I).

Ken Yamoto (UC-San Diego): “My guys have played pretty well thus far. All 4 of our losses were on the road. SF Gregg Green is averaging 16.5 ppg and C Joe Roland has scored 10.4 ppg. As a team we’re averaging 79.5 ppg which is 15th best in the country. Our team has hit 51% of our FGA’s and 39% of our 3PA’s. But we need to tighten our defense since our opponents averaged 75.5 ppg. I like our chances in Conference V.”

Mike McMillan (MD-Eastern Shore): “We did damned well since every one of our 11 pre-conference games was on the road. Next season we need to schedule a decent amount of home games. Our biggest victory was over Florida State and we have won 5 of our last 6 games. Our defense has been stronger than our offense. But we have 3 players averaging in double figures: SG Travis Temple (12.4 ppg), SF Jibran Hale (11.5 ppg), and C Dwayne Bullett (10.0 ppg). Our top rebounders are Bullet (6.5 rpg), PF Tony Rueter (6..2 rpg), and Hale (5.6 rpg). Our guys are excited to begin play in Conference U.”

Ramon Montez (Alcorn State): “We’re ready to take on what’s likely to be tough Conference T competition after doing well in pre-conference play. 2 of our losses were playing at Stanford and #6 ranked Providence. We’ve outscored our opponents 74.9 ppg to 68.6 ppg. After missing 4 games due to an injury, Caleb Sanden has returned to average 14.6 ppg. C Gabriel Atwood is averaging 13.5 ppg and 7.4 rpg while PF Will Friel averages 11.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg. Our interior players have combined to score 41 ppg.”

Terry Morillo (Western Illinois): “Three of our 5 losses were by 2 points or less. And although we lost to #9 Indiana and strong Georgia Tech, we nearly pulled off big-time upsets of both of those teams on their home courts. We’re a good defensive team and don’t do bad offensively either. So I think we can do well in Conference V. Our top scorers are SG Marcelo Barker (13.0 ppg); C Jamar Curtis (12.51 ppg) who has also grabbed 6.5 rpg; SF James Johnson (10.6 ppg); and SF James Johnson (10.6 ppg).”

Donnell Spencer (Arkansas-Pine Bluff): “Pre-conference play was an excellent tune-up for going up against our Conference T opponents. After losing our first 2 games, we’ve reeled off 9 victories in our last 10 games. We’ve got the 5th best scoring team in Division I, averaging 81.2 ppg. SG Kwame Mickens is having another strong season, scoring 14.6 ppg. SF Dan Jefferson isn’t far behind with 14.3 ppg. And C Chris Betts is right on his tail with 13.9 ppg. Mickens also is averaging 5.8 apg and 4.4 rpg. Betts is our top rebounder (7.1 rpg).”

[PointGuard]

Game Results—Jan 8-14

Conference V:

NJIT—66, Western Illinois (6-6, 0-1)—59 (Coach Morillo stated, “We got jobbed in this road game. We outshot the Highlanders 46% to 43% and made 6 more FG’s than they did. But we were sent to the foul line 22 fewer times and NJIT scored 19 more points on free throws. Road games are tough enough without having that kind of discrepancy.” SG Marcelo Barker scored 21 points.

Western Illinois (7-6, 1-1)—72, Maine—53 (The Leathernecks led the entire game, but it wasn’t until the 2nd half they were able to pull away. SG Marcelo Barker and C Jamar Curtis both scored 17 points and Curtis had 11 rebounds to record a double-double.)

UC-San Diego (8-4, 1-0)—69, Central Connecticut—63 (The Tritons’ defense limited the Blue Devils to just 19 points in the first half and led by 9 at the break, but then both teams’ offenses clicked in the 2nd half. UC-San Diego fell behind by 6 points with 10 minutes to play but the Tritons rallied to regain the lead and pull away in the final 6 minutes of play. SF Gregg Green scored 20 points.)

UC-San Diego (9-4, 2-0)—91, South Dakota State—54 (The game was tied with 9 minutes to go in the first half, but UC-San Diego then shut down the Bulldogs defensively and their offense went into high gear. By the end of the half they were up 52-34 and then continued to blow away the Bulldogs in the final 20 minutes. SF Gregg Green poured in 29 points, SG Chris Williams hit for 19 points, and PG Brian Thomas had 13 points plus 10 assists.)

Conference U:

North Dakota—80, MD-Eastern Shore (7-5, 0-1)—77 (While North Dakota held a 5 point lead at halftime, the two teams traded the lead repeatedly throughout the 2nd half. But the Hawks, trying to send the game to OT, couldn’t make their 3 point shot in the closing seconds. SF Jibran Hale had 16 points and 8 rebounds.)

MD-Eastern Shore (8-5, 1-1)—73, Presbyterian—69 (The Hawks trailed 36-26 at the half, but 6 minutes into the 2nd half began to rally. With 8 minutes to go MD-Eastern Shore tied the Blue Hose and went ahead by 10 points before nearly losing their lead in the final few minutes. The top scorer was C Dwayne Bullett who had 21 points plus 8 boards.)

Conference T:

Central Arkansas—82, Alcorn State (7-5, 0-1)—79 (Alcorn State fell behind by 16 points in the first half and trailed by 9 at the break. But the lead changed back and forth throughout the 2nd half. Central Arkansas hit a 3 to win the game in the final 12 seconds. PF Will Friel had 18 points and 9 rebounds before fouling out.)

Alcorn State (8-5, 1-1)—45, Southern—40 (A total and complete defensive battle the entire way. But Alcorn State was in control the final 28 minutes of the game. Reserve C Bernie Graham scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (10-3, 1-0)—74, Southern—59 (The Golden Lions took over 4 minutes into the game and rapidly pulled away and led 49-28 at the end of the first half. The team was never seriously challenged in the 2nd half. SF Dan Jefferson scored 26 points and pulled down 7 boards).

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11-3, 2-0)—76, Central Arkansas—68 (Central Arkansas led most of the first half, but the Golden Lions rallied late to achieve a 37-33 advantage at the break. Arkansas-Pine Bluff led nearly the entire 2nd half. SF Dan Jefferson tossed in 23 points.)

Awards: Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Dan Jefferson was named the Conference T Player of the Week.

Significant Injuries: none

Comments: UC-San Diego and Arkansas-Pine Bluff had great starts. Both went 2-0 to start conference play. The other 3 teams are 1-1 in conference play. Dan Jefferson (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and Gregg Green (UC-San Diego) both totalled 49 points in their two games.

[PointGuard]

Game Results—Jan 15-21

Conference V

Florida A&M—82, UC-San Diego (9-5, 2-1)—69 (“We shot well (52%) and dominated the boards (+18). Hard to believe we lost. But…you gotta hold onto the ball and play defense. And we had 28 turnovers and let the Rattlers score 51 points in the first half and hit 52% of THEIR shots the whole game,” said Coach Yamoto. PF Jack Robinson had 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block)

UC-San Diego (10-5, 3-1)—83, Maine—68 (The Tritons took an early lead and stretched it out. Maine was tagged for 30 fouls which gave UC-San Diego a huge advantage on the foul line. SF Gregg Green scored 18 points and PF Jack Robinson again had 18 points and 8 rebounds.)

Western Illinois (8-6, 2-1)—82, Merrimack—70 (Western Illinois held a small lead throughout most of the first half and left the court at intermission with a 41-38 advantage. Merrimack came back to capture the lead early in the 2nd half. But the Leathernecks stormed back to lead by as much as 17 before relaxing a bit for what turned out to be an easy victory. With starting C Jamar Clark in foul trouble, reserve C Larry McClain filled in to lead the team in scoring (16 points) and rebounding (9 boards).)

Western Illinois (9-6, 3-1)—76, Florida A&M—70 (The Leathernecks got ahead early to take the Rattlers’ home crowd out of the game and held off a late run by Florida A&M. SF James Johnson hit for 18 points.)

Conference U

MD-Eastern Shore (9-5, 2-1)—71, Nicholls State—51 (Big road win for the Hawks. The game was oh so close the entire first half, but MD-Eastern Shore came out in the 2nd half on a mission and rapidly pulled away as they outshot the Colonels 51% to 39% and were +13 on the boards. C Dwayne Bullett had 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.)

North Alabama—71, MD-Eastern Shore (9-6, 2-2)—53 (“North Alabama is a very good team, particularly at home. They immediately took us out of our game and hounded us defensively the entire 40 minutes,” said Coach McMillan. SF Jibran Hale scored 16 points.)

Conference T

Alcorn State (9-5, 2-1)—92, Arkansas-Pine Bluff—89 (“This was just a helluva close game the entire way. When you go up against one of Donnell’s teams, you just know your team’s gonna have to play its best. We did, but our fans really helped us pull off this win in the closing minutes of the 2nd half,” said Coach Montez. PG Caleb Sanden dropped in 20 points.)

Alcorn State (10-5, 3-1)—72, Bellarmine—60 (After trailing 33-31 at the half, Alcorn State came on strong in the 2nd half and won easily. The Braves outshot Bellarmine 54% to 34% and were +10 on the boards. C Gabriel Atwood had 22 points and PG Caleb Sanden scored 20.)

Alcorn State—92, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11-4, 2-1)—89 (“This game made me 10 years older. 25 freakin’ lead changes. Just two really good teams fighting it out the entire 40 minutes,” said Coach Spencer. SF Dan Jefferson scored 24 points and SG Kwame Mickens had 20 points and 11 rebounds.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (12-4, 3-1—87, Tennessee Tech—62 (Arkansas-Pine Bluff totally overwhelmed the Golden Eagles with both teams deploying their entire bench late in the game. PG Darrin Randolph pumped in 20 points and SG Kwame Mickens nearly had a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds,and 9 assists.)

Awards: James Johnson of Western Illinois was selected as the Conference V Freshman Player of the Week.

Significant Injuries: none

Comments: All the teams except MD-Eastern Shore are nipping at the heels of their respective conference leaders. The highlight of the week was the exciting game featuring Alcorn State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

[PointGuard]

Game Results—Jan 22-28

Conference V

Western Illinois (10-6, 4-1)—82, South Carolina State—59 (Western Illinois had a slow start but pulled into a tie 7 minutes into the game and then ran away from the Bulldogs. SG Marcelo Barker had 28 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 4 steals.)

Western Illinois (11-6, 5-1)—67, Central Connecticut—56 (The Leathernecks used some hot-shooting (hitting 55% of their FG’s) to achieve a solid road victory. SG Marcelo Barker scored 19 points.)

UC-San Diego (11-5, 4-1)—75, NJIT—65 (UC-San Diego trailed 36-31 at halftime. NJIT held onto a solid lead until the Tritons went on a run with 6 minutes left in the game to not only capture the lead but pull away for a solid win. Leading the way was PF Jack Robinson with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.)

UC-San Diego (12-5, 5-1)—95, Merrimack—64 (The Tritons simply trounced Merrimack, dominating all aspects of the game enroute to a start to finish win. SF Gregg Green hit for 22 points and reserve C Joe Roland scored 19.)

Conference U

MD-Eastern Shore (10-6, 3-2)—63, St. Francis (PA)—62 (It took a while for the Hawks to get untracked, but once they did midway through the first half, they just continued to expand their lead. SG Travis Temple had 21 points and 6 rebounds.)

MD-Eastern Shore (11-6, 4-2)—58, S.E. Missouri St.—43 (The Redhawks opened an early 10 point lead and were in control most of the first half, but the Hawks rallied late to tied the score at 24-24 when the half ended. MD-Eastern Shore came on strong in the 2nd half, using a lockdown defense to overwhelm the Redhawks. PF Tony Rueter had a double-double (16 points and 10 boards).)

Conference T

Alcorn State (11-5, 4-1)—67, Tennessee Tech—50 (Alcorn State opened a big lead midway through the first half and lost it to end up in a 29-29 tie at the break. The Braves fell behind in the 2nd half but came back to retake the lead with 14 minutes remaining and poured it on to whip the Golden Eagles..and rise into a tie with Omaha for first place in the conference standings. C Gabriel Atwood scored 17 points.)

Alcorn State (12-5, 5-1)—80, Hampton—62 (The Braves took an early lead and were never threatened after that and they breezed to an easy victory. Leading the way were SG Craig Brown 17 points and 7 rebounds and PF Will Friel who also scored 17 points but had 6 rebounds.)

Hampton—76, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (12-5, 3-2)—55 (“The Pirates made us walk the plank tonight,” said Coach Spencer. The Golden Lions made just 28% of their FGA’s and 15% of the 3PA’s. SF Dan Jefferson scored 16 points.

Clemson—108, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (12-6, 3-3)—106 (OT) (Although each team at one point in the game held a 10 point edge, the score was very close most of the way with 19 lead changes and 11 ties. It was an offensive show the entire way and even more so in the OT with Citadel outscoring the Golden Lions 19-17 in those 5 short minutes. SF Dan Jefferson scored 29 points, C Chris Betts had 15 points and 9 board, and SG Kwame Mickens scored 17 while dishing out 6 assists and getting 5 steals. Coach Spencer said, “Our guys played their hearts out, but the Bulldogs had the last possession and got the ball in the hoop. A tough loss at home, though.”)

Awards: none

Significant Injuries: Lataryl Brown of MD-Eastern Shore sprained his wrist and is expected to not be fully recovered for a week. Western Illinois’ Zac Johnson sustained a sprained knee and will be hampered all next week.

Comments: Great week for 4 of the teams as they each won both their games. But previously high-flying Arkansas-Pine Bluff came up short in both of their games to drop into the middle of the pack in Conference T. Alcorn State is tied for the lead in Conference T. MD-Eastern Shore is now in a 4-way tie for 2nd place, one game behind North Alabama. In Conference V, UC-San Diego and Western Illinois are in a 3-way tie for 2nd place, one game behind Eastern Illinois. Terry Morillo, head coach of Western Illinois said, “All 5 of us coaches are obviously intent on having our teams do their best, but we really want to finish high up in the standings so we can all get promoted to the next higher conference next season.”)

[PointGuard]

Game Results—Jan 29-Feb 4

Conference V

Western Illinois (12-6, 6-1)—74, UC-San Diego (12-6, 5-2)—51 (The lead changed hand 6 times early but then the Leathernecks, with their home crowd cheering them on, took control and pulled away to crush the Tritons. SF James Johnson dropped in 19 points.)

Western Illinois (13-6, 7-1)—63, North Florida—50 (The Golden Lions got an early lead and were on top 23-17 at halftime. Both teams got their offenses going in the 2nd half, but Western Illinois lead expanded throughout the half. SG Marcelo Barker finished with 13 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 steals. PF Craig Grant also scored 13 points.)

Western Illinois (12-6, 6-1)—74, UC-San Diego (12-6, 5-2)—51 (“We just didn’t get the job done tonight. You’re not going to win when you hit just 36% of our FG’s and 14% of our 3’s and get outrebound us 38-24,” commented Coach Ken Yamoto. PF Jack Robinson and reserve C Joe Roland both scored 10 points.)

UC-San Diego (13-6, 6-2)—79, Alabama State—62 (The first half was highly contested with 13 lead changes and UC-San Diego hanging onto a narrow 35-34 lead at the break. But the Tritons poured it on in the 2nd half to win decisively. SG Chris Williams dropped in 16 points.)

Conference U

MD-Eastern Shore (12-6, 5-2)—73, Tennessee-Martin—68 (OT) (MD-Eastern Shore trailed the Skyhawks most of the game, but the Hawks tied the game just before the end of regulation time. The lead shifted between the two teams for 4 minutes in the OT, but the Hawks scored 5 points to none by the Skyhawks. C Dwayne Bullett scored 17 points and SF Jibran Hale had 14 points, 3 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 4 steals.)

MD-Eastern Shore (13-6, 6-2)—77, Jackson State—74 (The Hawks were ahead 35-25 at the half and held onto a narrower lead throughout the 2nd half. Jackson State made a big run late in the game, but MD-Eastern Shore was able to hang on for a nice road victory. SF Jibran Hale and reserve G Marcos Santini both scored 14 points.)

Conference T

Alcorn State (13-5, 6-1)—54, Citadel—48 (“I need to thank Coach Spencer at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. They must have wore out the Bulldogs’ last week so we were able to shut down their offense that had been so awesome against the Golden Lions,” said Coach Ramon Montez. C Gabriel Atwood scored 13 and pulled down 9 boards.)

Alcorn State (14-5, 7-1)—86, Texas Southern—76 (The lead went back and forth (24 lead changes and 16 ties) throughout the first half and for the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half. But then the Braves asserted themselves and drove to a successful conclusion. Alcorn State hit an amazing 61% of their shots. SG Caleb Sanden scored 17, C Gabriel Atwood had 16 points and 8 boards, and PF Will Friel had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 6 steals.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (13-6, 4-3)—80, Bellarmine—62 (This was Arkansas-Pine Bluff the entire way. Total domination. SF Dan Jefferson scored 17 points. SG Kwame Mickens had a double-double, scoring 10 points and getting 10 assists.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (14-6, 5-3)—67, Omaha—62 (This was a tightly contested game with good defense by both teams and team stats that were as close as the score. C Chris Betts poured in 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.)

Awards: Jibran Hale of MD-Eastern Shore was named the Conference U Freshman Player of the Week.

Significant Injuries: MD-Eastern Shore’s Lataryl Brown’s sprained wrist still hasn’t healed and isn’t expected to for another week-and-half.

Comments: Another big week for these teams with 9 victories and just 1 loss. Alcorn State is now alone in first place in Conference T, 2 games ahead of 5 teams including Arkansas-Pine Bluff. MD-Eastern Shore is in a 3-way tie for 1st place in Conference U. Western Illinois is now tied for 1st place in Conference V with UC-San Diego alone in 3rd place, a single game behind the two leaders.

“All 5 coaches began at the same time with independent teams competing to move up into Division I and thence up the promotion ladder. Ken (Yamamoto) and Terry (Morillo) turned out to be saddled with the toughest challenges. Their two initial teams, Dixie State and Tarleton State, are simply dogs. They were unable to make those 2 teams into winners, and after 3 seasons they wisely moved on to other teams. Their 2 initial teams have continued to be losers. It was no different this season…those two combined to win just 9 and lose 21 games against Division I opponents. Hell, it’s been 5 years and Dixie State has a 26-49 record against Division I teams. And…Tarleton State has an ignominious 15-60 record against Division I competition. Ken and Terry have subsequently built their new teams into winners. So good for them,” said Coach Ramon Montez.

Top Scorers for each team: Gregg Green is averaging 15.9 ppg for UC-San Diego; Jibran Hale is averaging 11.8 ppg for MD-Eastern Shore; Gabriel Atwood is averaging 13.1 ppg for Alcorn State; Marcelo Barker is averaging 15.1 ppg for Western Illinois; and Dan Jefferson is averaging 16.8 ppg for Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

[PointGuard]

Game Results—Feb 5-11

Conference V

Longwood—64, Western Illinois (13-7, 7-2)—62 (Western Illinois was playing catchup almost the entire way. And they very nearly tied the game at the end with a missed 10 footer as time ran out. “This was a strange game. We hit 50% of our shots, the Lancers hit 59% of theirs…but both teams scored in the low 60’s. But even though the teams shot well, the defenses were tough with 16 turnovers by them and 19 by us,” said Coach Morrillo. C Jamar Curtis had 15 points and 7 boards.)

Western Illinois (14-7, 8-2)—75, Mississippi Valley—56 (The Delta Devils outplayed Western Illinois for the first 16 minutes, but the Leathernecks came back to lead 34-31 at the break and then drew away in the 2nd half. Western Illinois held a 50% to 42% shooting advantage, dominated the boards 32-16, and had 8 fewer turnovers. PG Martin Dixon came off the bench to score 14 and SG Marcelo Barker had 13 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.)

UC-San Diego (14-7, 7-2)—76, Houston Baptist—72 (The teams were within a few points of each other for the first 28 minutes. The Tritons then edged ahead and their lead grew to 10. But Houston Baptist made a late run that put a scare into UC-San Diego. “I can’t say we played good tonight, but it was nice to our guys take over late in the 2nd half and then hold on to get a road victory,” said Coach Yamoto. SF Gregg Green scored 20 points.)

UC-San Diego (15-6, 8-2)—85, SIU Edwardsville-65 (The Tritons trailed 40-37 at the half. But the 2nd half was all UC-San Diego as they steadily pulled away from the Cougars. PF Jack Robinson scored 17 points, C Shannon Van Hook had a double-double (14 points, 10 boards), and C Joe Roland scored 16 points during his 10 minutes on the court.)

Conference U

MD-Eastern Shore (14-6, 7-2)—76, Kennesaw State-42 (This game was in doubt for just 3 minutes and then the Hawks flew circles around the Owls. MD-Eastern Shore outshot Kennesaw State 50% to 27% and destroyed the Owls on the glass 45-19. SF Jibran Hale dropped in 17 points and had 7 rebounds.)

Massachusetts-Lowell-73, MD-Eastern Shore (14-7, 7-3)—66 (MD-Eastern Shore led 33-30 at the break. But the Hawks couldn’t overcome the refs in the 2nd half. Mass-Lowell got to the line 18 more times and score 16 more points on foul shots. A frustrated Coach McMillan sighed while saying, “Playing on the road is difficult enough when you’re only having to play against 5 guys.” SF Jibran Hale was high point man with 16 points.)

Conference T

Alcorn State (15-5, 8-1)—63, Omaha—53 (In a defensive battle, the Braves held the advantage throughout. “It wasn’t pretty, but anytime you can win on the road, it’s great,” said Coach Montez. C Gabriel Atwood had a double-double, scoring 12 and pulling down 13 boards.)

Alcorn State (16-5, 9-1)—68, Charleston Southern—55 (The lead shifted often in the first 12 minutes but then Alcorn State spurted ahead and never looked back. “Pretty good for only getting to the foul line 4 times the entire game,” said Coach Montez. PG Caleb Sanden poured in 24 points.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (15-6, 6-3)—70, Charleston Southern—62 (“We did what we needed to do, particularly defensively. It was really touch-and-go through much of the 2nd half, but they guys put things together in the final 8 minutes,” said Coach Spencer. “I was on pins and needles with 4 of our starters having 4 fouls apiece late in the game.” SF Dan Jefferson had a rare game of coming in off the bench, but showed why he normally starts by scoring 19 points.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (16-6, 7-3)—87, Sacred Heart—66 (The Golden Lions offense clicked the entire 40 minutes enroute as they smashed the Pioneers. C Chris Betts dropped in 22 points.)

Awards: none

Significant Injuries: none

Comments: Alcorn State held onto a 2-game lead in Conference T over Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Southern. MD-Eastern Shore is in a 4-way battle for 1st place in Conference U. Western Illinois and UC-San Diego are tied with Eastern Illinois for 1st place in Conference V. In Conference U there are 7 teams within one game of each other for the top spot. “All 5 of us have our teams up there fighting for the lead in our respective conferences and also in the battle to earn promotions. We all just gotta keep our team focused on beating our very next opponent. A loss might not only knock out of the conference championship fray but also could drop us low enough to miss out on being promoted. It’s one game at a time, baby,” said Coach Dontell Spencer of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.