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[PointGuard]

Transfers FROM and TO the 5 Teams:

UC-San Diego: PF Stephen Leith was unhappy with Coach Yamoto since he played little as a freshman, was unlikely to win a starting role, and wanted solid minutes so he transferred. Coach Yamoto released PG Lance Rhodes who redshirted in his first year at UC-San Diego and then last season played in all games but only averaged 4.3 mpg. Rhodes wanted solid minutes but wouldn’t have gotten them on the Tritons. Therefore there were 2 scholarships to fill with the need for a good scoring guard and good rebounding big man.

Coach Ken Yamoto’s comments after the transfer period: “We had plenty of money in our recruiting budget so I maximized my contacts with transfer players. One of the two I initially made offers to eventually accepted. I made a series of offers to two interior players who we were close to signing but ultimately missed out on. I then made an offer to third interior player and he accepted. So we filled both available scholarships. The first player who accepted is SG Devante Botts. He’s a 6’4” sophomore who as a freshman played for James Madison, averaging 15.5 ppg, 2.3 apg, and 4.4 rpg and was named the Conference N Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-Conference 1st Team. He’s a very sound player on both ends of the court but is known to have a bit of an attitude. Since we were weak at the guard positions, he will be a big asset as our starting SG this season. The second player transferring to us is 6’9” sophomore PF Camara McWilliams who played very little for Eastern Washington as a freshman. But he’s significantly improved on his skills and is a solid player who I believe will score and rebound well for us. He’s likely to start at either C or PF this season. So a good haul and both transfer players will fill big holes on our roster and greatly improve our team.”

MD-Eastern Shore: No one transferring. No available scholarships to fill. Coach Mike McMillan said, “I would have loved to pick up a talented transfer player. But we’re relatively strong at all 5 positions with good depth, so I preferred to maintain team cohesiveness rather than to cut a player to try to make a bit on an upgrade.”

Alcorn State: C Rick Kraft, PG Jameel Miller, and PF Anthony Hanganu, all of whom were sophomore and wanted a new start somewhere else, transferred away from the Braves. All 3 played little as freshmen. Alcorn State has 3 scholarships to fill and needs 2 SG’s and a big man.

Coach Ramon Montez’s comments after the transfer period: “I’m extremely happy with how we did. We lassoed 3 very good players, 2 guards and an interior players…just what the doctor ordered. The first player to transfer to us was 6’3’ sophomore SG Andy Carney. He started last season for Denver where he averaged 13.9 ppg, 2.5 apg, and 4.0 rpg and shot very well from all over the court and at the free throw line. He was named to the All-Conference 1st Team for Conference Q. The second guard we landed was 6’2” senior Dan Hodge who played 3 seasons for Monmouth. As a freshman he averaged 7.6 ppg coming off the bench then started all games as a sophomore and averaged 13.3 ppg. But after being relegated to the bench as a junior and averaging 6.0 ppg, he wanted to again start. Like Carney, he's a high percentage shooter from all over the court and at the line. We missed out on a couple big men, but then signed 6’6” PF Rob Daniels who started all games at Sacred Heart last season as a freshman. He averaged 8.9 ppg and 5.8 rpg and should be a good rebounder and shot blocker for us. My expectation is that both Carney and Hodge will be starters and Daniels will compete for a starting position.”

Western Illinois: PF Charles Jones, PG Martin Dixon, and PG Jonathan Bailey, all juniors, wanted to play their natural positions and felt there was too much competition so they left. All 3 players have been reserves as freshmen and sophomores and most likely would have again subbed this season. The Leathernecks have 3 unfilled scholarships and want to get a guard, a big man, and the best player available regardless of position.

Coach Terry Morillo had this to say after the transfer sessions concluded: “We struck gold early. After contacting the guys we wanted, we the made offers and all 3 accepted. I think our big catch was 6’6” Ty Wilfork who played SF for Valparaiso as a freshman and averaged 15.0 ppg, 3.1 apg, and 3.3 rpg. The guy has the tools to play any position for us, but I believe he’s mostly like to start at one of the guard positions, maybe even PG. He shoots well from outside (and scored 38 points in one game last season) and is a good passer. We also picked up 6’1” sophomore SG Tevis Tahid. He averaged 7.1 ppg, 1.4 apg, and 3.6 rpg as a starter last season for Montana State. I believe he will do even better for us. And we also got an excellent interior player in 6’6” sophomore PF Idris Bass who came off the bench for Alabama State as a freshman and averaged 5.4 ppg and 2.4 rpg. He had a chip on his shoulder last season since he wanted to start. He’s a strong enough rebounder and scorer that he’ll be competing for a starting role for us and hopefully we can keep him happy.”

Arkansas-Pine Bluff: SF Randy Kickert and C Delvon Palmer both wanted a chance to play their natural positions so departed. Kickert played little laswt season as a freshman but had a good chance of starting at PF this season, but no chance of starting at SF. Palmer was a starter as a freshman but came in off the bench in his sophomore season and was likely to do the same this season. Coach Spencer then cut sophomore PG Erik Taylor who didn’t play as a freshman and was unlikely to play much this season. Since the Golden Lions also didn’t fill their last remaining available scholarship through recruiting last season, they have 4 scholarships to fill and would like to get 3 guards and a big men.

Coach Dontell Spencer’s comments regarding incoming transfers: “We landed 4 transfer players. While I was shooting for higher quality players, I’m pretty happy with the 4 we got. We picked up 2 players pretty early but the final 2 took us a while to get. 6’2” Albert Taylor was a starter at SG for Cal State Northridge. He’s not yet developed the overall skills that will likely make him a starter as a sophomore for us, but since he scored 14.7 ppg and had 3.1 apg and 3.1 rpg last season, he could come into games to light a fire for us this year. Our next signing was C Trent Harris, a 6’10” sophomore who comes to us after subbing for Niagara last season and averaging 2.5 ppg and 1.6 rpg. But he’s developing quickly and may challenge for a starting role before you upcoming season concludes. Our third transfer player is guard Jerome King, a 6’4” junior who broke his leg last season but was able to start 14 games during which he averaged 11.2 ppg, 2.7 apg, and 3.5 rpg. He has a good chance of starting for us at PG. The final transfer player coming our way is C Lou McFall, a 6’9” sophomore. Playing for Oklahoma State last season, he came in off the bench to average 4.7 ppg and 2.3 rpg before he tore his ACL. He’s not expected to fully recover for another 5-6 months. So he could be ready to provide depth inside for us as we go into conference play, although we may redshirt him to allow him to not only fully recover, but also gain familiarity with our sets and save a year of eligibility.”

[PointGuard]

Recruiting Needs

[NOTE: The AI will continue to handle all recruiting throughout the year for all 5 teams.]

Alcorn State: 2 scholarships to fill; Need guard, SF, and best available.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff: 4 scholarships to fill; Need 2 SF’s, a PG, and a big man.

MD-Eastern Shore: 4 scholarships to fill; Need PG, SG and 2 best other players regardless of position.

UC-San Diego: 1 scholarship to fill; Get the best player possible.

Western Illinois: 3 scholarships to fill; Need PG, big man, and best available player.

[PointGuard]

Summer/Fall Recruiting Results

UC-San Diego filled its single available scholarship with he #1384th ranked recruit, a 6-8 SF. $19,990 remains in the recruiting budget.

MD-Eastern Shore filled just one of its 4 available scholarships when the 589th ranked recruit, a 6-4 SF. $9,232 remains in the recruiting budget.

Alcorn State filled both available scholarships with the 606th ranked recruit, a 6-7 SF and the 1318th ranked recruit, a 6-6 SF. Only $100 remains in the recruiting budget.

Western Illinois filled 2 of 3 available scholarships…the 1698th ranked recruit, a 6-2 PG and the 1347th ranked a recruit, a 6-6 SG. $13,280 remains in the recruiting budget.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff filled 1 of 4 available scholarships with the 902nd ranked recruit, a 6-5 PG. Just $435 remains in the recruiting budget.

Overall, a rather poor showing.

[PointGuard]

Initial Starting Lineups for the 5 Teams (Class and PPG/Last Season in parentheses):

Alcorn State Braves: PG Dan Hodge (SR, 6.0 ppg); SG Andy Carney (SO, 13.9 ppg); SF Harold Hein (SR, 5.1 ppg); PF Jared Kraft (JR, 6.9 ppg); C B.J. Jefferson (JR, 2.8 ppg). The Braves are picked to finish 3rd in Conference R.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions: PG Jerome King (JR, 11.2 ppg); SG Bill Thorton (JR, 14.4 ppg); SF Dan Jefferson (SR,13.9 ppg); PF Andrew Richardson (SR, 1.4 ppg); C Chris Botts (SR, 16.7 ppg). The Golden Lions are picked to finish in 1st place in Conference R.

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks: PG Lataryl Brown (SR, 7.4 ppg); SG Carl Hancock (SO, 10.5 ppg); SF Winston Morant (JR, 2.6 ppg); PF Jim Taflinger (JR, 2.6 ppg); C Georgie Johnson (JR, 5.5 ppg); The Hawks are picked to finish 2nd in Conference T.

UC-San Diego Tritons: PG Calvin Handerson (SO, 3.8 ppg); SG Devante Botts (SO, 15.5 ppg); SF Jared Keating (JR, 4.1 ppg); PF Brad Sanders (JR, 11.5 ppg); C Camara McWilliams (SO, 0.0 ppg). The Tritons are picked to finish 4th in Conference U.

Western Illinois Leathernecks: PG Ty Wilfork (SO, 15.0 ppg); SG Tevis Tahid (SO, 7.1 ppg); SF James Johnson (JR, 12.2 ppg); PF Orvo Haapajarvi (SO, 4.9 ppg); C Craig Grant (SR, 11.9 ppg). The Leathernecks are picked to finish on top of Conference T).

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of 11/13/37 to 11/19/37:

Conference R

Texas State—62, Alcorn State (0-1)—53 (Alcorn State had a great start to go ahead by 14 and lead 29-24 at the end of the first half. But the Braves offense was flat In the 2nd half which allowed Texas State to overtake them and then stretch the lead at the end of the game. SG Andy Carney tossed in 19 points.)

Alcorn State (1-1)—83, Bradley—72 (Bradley opened strong and led by as much as 12 points with about 10 minutes to go in the first half. The Braves came back to take a 34-33 lead to the locker room. Alcorn State the put on an offensive show that left Bradley in the dust in the 2nd half. The entire starting 5 scored in double figures with C Mikko Stallings pouring in 21 points. PG Caswell Cook finished with 14 points and 8 assists, SF Harold Hein and PF Jared Craft each scored 12 points and pulled down 7 rebounds and SG Andy Carney scored 11 points.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-0)—81, William & Mary—69 (The Golden Lions kept opening a decent lead and then being reeled back in by the Tribe. But Arkansas-Pine Bluff gradually pulled away in the final 9 minutes to win with ease. SF Dan Jefferson won scoring honors with 21 points. PG Albert Taylor and SG Bill Thorton both scored 17 points and C Chris Betts scored 10 and pulled down 9 boards.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-0)—90, Princeton—74 (The first 6 minutes were close with multiple lead changes, but then the Golden Lions took control to score an easy win in their 2nd road game this season. Arkansas-Pine Bluff hit 56% of their FG’s, 63% of their 3’s, and held a 39-22 rebounding advantage. SG Bill Thorton scored 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, C Chris Betts had 16 points and 7 boards, and SF Dan Jefferson finished with 14 points and 6 rebounds.)

Conference T

Baylor—66, Maryland-Eastern Shore (0-1)—42 (A unique game in which both teams scored exactly the same number of points in both halves…33 by the Bears and 21 by the Hawks. PG Lamarr Ramage with 11 points was the only member of the Hawks to score in double figures.)

Sacramento State—76, Maryland-Eastern Shore (0-2)—69 (In their 2nd road game of the season, the Hawks took an 8 point lead midway through the first half but their lead had slipped to 35-33 at the break. MD-Eastern Shore held onto a small lead until their were 9 minutes left in the game. The Hornets then slowly pulled away. C Geordie Johnson and SG Lataryl Brown both scored 13 and PF Jeff Taflinger put in 10 points.)

Butler—68, Western Illinois (0-1)—63 (Even though the Leathernecks were a distinct underdog playing on the Bulldogs home court, Western Illinois kept nipping at Butlers’ heels throughout the entire game. “Butler’s huge home crowd made it tough, but I was proud of how our guys tuned out the noise and taunts,” said Coach Terry Morillo. “We played great defense, but the Bulldogs beat us on the boards and the refs put Butler on the foul line 22 more times than we got there. Having an opponent score 19 more points on free throws makes it darned tough to win.” Topping the scoring for the Leathernecks were C Craig Grant with 13 points and SF James Johnson with 12.)

Hofstra—81, Western Illinois (0-2)—74 (The Leathernecks held a 40-31 halftime advantage. But the Pride kicked their offense into high gear in the 2nd half and overtook Western Illinois with 7 minutes to go in the game. The Leathernecks again got out-rebounded but played well otherwise. C Craig Grant had 18 points, SF James Johnson hit for 15 points, and PF Orvo Haapajarvi scored 10.)

Conference U

UC-San Diego (1-0)—72, Central Florida—63 (Both teams had a tough time getting untracked in the first half and exchanged the lead the entire first 20 minutes with the Tritons holding a slim 30-28 lead going into the 2nd half. But UC-San Diego took control early in the 2nd half, built a 15 point lead and then hung on to record a nice road win. The Tritons hit 52% of their FG’s, 44% of their 3’s, but turned the ball over 19 times. PG Matt Holcomb dropped in 20 points, C Camara McWilliams had 14 points and 8 rebounds, PF Brad Sanders scored 11 while pulling down 8 boards, and SF Jared Keating added 10 points.)

UC-San Diego (2-0)—77, Air Force—67 [OT] (A second straight away game and another small lead (30-25) by the Tritons at the end of the first half. Air Force came on strong in the late portion of the 2nd half and hit an 18 footer with 2 seconds on the clock to send the game to overtime tied at 59-59. But UC-San Diego caught fire in the OT and ran away from the Falcons. The Tritons’ defense limited the Falcons’ shooting to just 32%. PG Matt Holcomb again led the team, scoring 18 points. PF Brad Sanders had a double-double (14 points and 12 rebounds). C Camara McWilliams hit for 13 points and grabbed 9 boards.)

Significant Injuries: None

Awards: None

Comments: Too many road games for all the teams, but UC-San Diego and Arkansas-Pine Bluff overcame their opponents’ fans to both score 2 victories. Western Illinois’ coach Terry Morillo had to talk with incoming transfer PF Idris Bass who had complained to others about Orvo Haapajarvi being favored and starting rather than him. Idris came to the Leathernecks with a reputation about having a poor attitude and causing problems. Morillo hopes that quickly addressing any issues will correct this.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of 11/20/37 to 11/26/37:

Conference R

Northern Colorado—81, Alcorn State (1-2)—75 (8 lead changes gave proof to how close the first half was. Alcorn State held a 2 point lead at the break but fell behind early in the 2nd half and could never regain their footing…or the lead. C Mikko Stallings scored 15 and pulled down 7 boards, PG Caswell Cook tossed in 13 points, and SF Harold Hein hit for 10 points.)

Eastern Kentucky--85, Alcorn State (1-3)—71 (The Braves out-scored the Colonels 65-54 from the field but the refs sent hometown Eastern Kentucky to the line 43 times while Alcorn State only got 15 free throw attempts. “The refs whistles apparently only worked on one end of the court tonight,” said Coach Ramon Montez. C Mikko Stallings dropped in 29 points and SG Andy Carney had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-0)—83, Oakland—60 (The Golden Lions played a sharp game, hitting 49% of their shots and making just 6 turnovers and exhibiting solid defense. C Chris Betts finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds, PG Albert Taylor scored 14 points, and SF Dan Jefferson tossed in 13 points.)

Louisiana State—74, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-1)—53 (The Golden Lions were simply outclassed in this game. By the end of the first half they trailed 37-16. C Chris Betts scored 14 and SG Bill Thorton had 10 points. After the game Trent Harris lit into Chris Betts accusing him of costing the team the game. Coach Spencer met with Harris who at first argued vehemently but then relented and said he’d do better in the future, thus barely avoiding a suspension.)

Conference T

Maryland-Eastern Shore (1-2)—51, New Orleans—47 (The Hawks got off to a great start and were up by 9 after 6 minutes of play. But they let the Privateers get back into the game in the latter stages of the first half and trailed 17-16 at the break. The game remained extremely close throughout the 2nd half but a 37-28 advantage on the boards allowed MD-Eastern Shore to eke out a road victory. SF Winston Morant and SG Lataryl Brown scored 18 and 17 points, respectively.)

Maryland-Eastern Shore (2-2)—62, Oregon State—56 (MD-Eastern Shore broke out in front and led by 12 with 7 minutes remaining in the first half. Oregon State went on a late run to cut the halftime margin to 29-25. There were 5 lead changes in the first 6 minutes of the 2nd half but then the Hawks pulled in front and held the lead the rest of the way and post another road win. PF Jim Taflinger had 13 points and 8 rebounds and SF Winston Morant scored 10.)

UC-Irvine—72, Western Illinois (0-3)—41 (Outshot 47% to 28%, 0 for 19 from beyond the arc, just 15 of 28 on FT’s, out-rebounded 38-29, 19 turnovers. Positives? NOTHING! The starting lineup was totally non-competitive with the Anteaters. None of the Leathernecks scored in double figures.)

Southern Methodist--74, Western Illinois (0-4)—60 (Another disastrous game. The Leathernecks were never in it and trailed 44-25 after the first half. C Craig Grant scored 14 and had 9 rebounds. PG Ty Wilfork scored 12. One wonders why Coach Morillo isn’t playing Idris Bass at PF…maybe his complaint has merit.)

Conference U

UC-San Diego (3-0)—75, Mississippi Valley—67 (There were 7 lead changes in the first half but the Tritons scored the last 8 points of the first half to lead 39-31. UC-San Diego dominated the Delta Devils in the 2nd half and won with ease. PG Matt Holcomb poured in 30 points and SG Devante Botts and C Camara McWilliams both scored 12 points with McWilliams also hauling down 10 rebounds.)
UC-San Diego (4-0)—67, Saint Francis (NY)—52 (While the first 10 minutes were close, the Tritons were in control the rest of the way and surged to a big win on the road primarily by forcing the Terriers to turn the ball over 27 times. PF Brad Sanders scored 16, PG Matt Holcomb hit for 15, and SG Devante Botts added 13.)

Significant Injuries: UC-San Diego’s Jeremiah Mason suffered a bruised abdominal which is likely to keep him out of games for 2 weeks. Jared Kraft of Alcorn State twisted his ankle which is expected to make him miss the next 3-4 games.

Awards: PG Matt Holcomb of UC-San Diego was named the Conference U Player of the Week.

Comments: Maryland-Eastern Shore scored two big road wins and UC-San Diego remained unbeaten behind the leadership of PG Matt Holcomb. But Western Illinois lost 2 more games and has yet to win, but 4 of their next 5 games are at home so there’s at least some hope.

[PointGuard]

Game Results:

November 27-December 3, 2036:

Conference S:

Alcorn State (4-1)—64, Portland—55 (“We played great defensively and managed to hit 50% of our shots,” said Coach Ramon Montez. “PF Jared Kraft was monster on the glass today with 14 rebounds, out-muscling everyone.” C Bernie Graham led the scoring with 19 points while SG Caleb Sanden hit for 14 and PG Todd Young scored 10.)

Texas State—83, Alcorn State (4-2)—77 (There were 24 lead changes and 17 ties in this game. Hometown Texas State pulled it out in the final minutes. SG Caleb Sanden poured in 31 points, C Bernie Graham had 10 points and 8 boards, and reserve guard Teremun Harris added 10 points.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-2)—77, Texas Arlington—70 (While the Golden Lions led most of the way, the Mavericks overtook them midway through the 2nd half and held onto a small lead for about 6 minutes. Arkansas-Pine Bluff rallied to regain the lead and held on to grasp the road win. SG Bill Thorton tossed in 20 points and had 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and a block. C Chris Betts also had a big game with 19 points and 8 boards and SF Dan Jefferson put in 15 points.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (4-2)—91, Missouri State—78 (The lead shifted back and forth for about 5 minutes but the Golden Lions then began to pull away and led by a 50-38 score at the break. Missouri State closed the gap to 4 points a few times in the 2nd half, but Arkansas-Pine Bluff gamely held them off for another road victory. C Chris Betts had 23 points, SG Bill Thorton scored 22, SF Dan Jefferson contributed 17 points, 8 boards, 6 assists and a steal and a block, and PG William Huggins scored 11 to go along with 8 assists.)

Conference T:

MD-Eastern Shore (5-0)— 66, Central Connecticut—60 (The Hawks took the hostile crowd out of the game early by establishing a 15 point lead in the first half. The Blue Devils cut their deficit to 35-28 at the break and then put a scare into the Hawks by taking a small lead with 6 minutes to go. MD-Eaxtern Shore regained the momentum to finish strongly. 20 turnovers by the Blue Devils were the difference in this game. PF Dwayne Bullett had 13 points and C Terrance Minor had 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks.)

MD-Eastern Shore (6-0)—75, Pepperdine—72 (The Hawks scored an upset victory on the road after 13 lead changes and 8 ties. MD-Eastern Shore outscored the Waves 8-4 in the final 3 minutes to gain the win. Topping their scoring was C Terrance Minor with 17 points, SF Tony Rueter had 13 points, PG Lataryl Brown also had 13 points but also dished out 9 assists, and PF Dwayne Bullett scored 12 points.)

Conference U:

UC-San Diego (3-2)—74, Chattanooga—70 (Both teams had points in the game where they took double digit leads and it looked like they might pull away but that was never to be the case. At the half, UC-San Diego led by a single point and the game was in double the final 12 minutes even though the Tritons led most of the way by a few points. UC-San Diego won the game by controlling the boards, 43-26. PG Dalonte Keams had a huge game with 17 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds. SG Chris Williams also contributed 17 points and PF Jack Robinson had 14 points and 9 boards. Although SF Brad Sanders uncharacteristically had but 2 points, he grabbed 7 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, and had 4 steals and 3 blocks. Ken Yamoto, the Tritons head coach, said, “That was a tough game. The Mocs’ crowd was cherring them on but we showed determination and fight all the way.”)

UC-San Diego (4-2)—87, Canisius—78 (There were 10 lead changes in the first half but the Tritons rallied late to take a 51-42 lead to the locker room. They held a double digit lead almost the entire way in the 2nd half and were never seriously challenged. PF Jack Robinson dropped in 25 points, while SF Jeremiah Mason came in off the bench to score 20, C Michael Woodward chimed in with 13 points and 9 boards, and PG Dalonte Keams had 9 points, 13 assists, 3 rebounds, and 5 steals.)

Western Illinois (3-2)—70, Northwestern State—53 (The Leathernecks scored first and never trailed in this game by playing stellar defense. Northwestern State was only able to hit 39% of their shots, made 18 turnovers and pull down just 24 turnovers (compared to 36 by Western Illinois). The Leathernecks’ lead grew from 5 at the half to as much as 22 in the 2nd half. Leading the way offensively was SG Marcelo Barker with 20 points while C Craig Grant had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.)

Western Illinois (4-2)—73, Mercer—53 (This game was all-Western Illinois. They led by as much as 30 points to put up a W on the road. SG Marcelo Barker scored 25 points followed by SF James Johnson and PG Tom Daniels who scored 12 apiece, and C Craig Grant who had another double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.)

Significant Injuries: PG Lataryl Brown of MD-Eastern Shore is nursing a sore hip that could possibly limit him for a couple games.

Awards: None. But in two games apiece Western Illinois’ Marcelo Barker and Alcorn State’s Caleb Sanden both scored 45 points, Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Chris Betts and Bill Thorton both scored 42, UC-San Diego’s Dalonte Keams had 24 assists, and Western Illinois’ Craig Grant has 25 rebounds.

Comments: All the teams other than Alcorn State went 2-0 this week with MD-Eastern Shore rolling to 6 straight wins to open their season. The Hawks had to struggle for their two narrow road victories though. The other 4 teams each now have 4-2 records. Arkansas-Pine Bluff had two solid victories on the road.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of 12/4/37 to 12/10/37:

Conference R

Alcorn State (3-4)—87, American—64 (The Braves led by 6 at the half, but blew the game open early in the 2nd half and continued to pull away until the final buzzer sounded. SG Andy Carney scored 17, C Mikko Stallings added 14, and PG Caswell Cook had 11 points and 7 assists.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (5-2)—94, North Texas—77 (Arkansas-Pine Bluff took no prisoners as they demolished the Mean Green in every aspect of the game. The Golden Lions silenced North Texas’ home crowd by hitting 62% of their shots. C Chris Betts had 26 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. SG Bill Thorton hit for 18 points plus had 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. SF Dan Jefferson scored 14, reserve C Trent Harris poured in 12 points in just 8 minutes on the court, and PG Albert Taylor had 11 points and 7 assists.)

Conference T

Maryland-Eastern Shore (3-4)—76, Abilene Christian—51 (The Hawks quickly established their dominance and pounded the Wildcats all the way up to the end of the game. Both SF Winston Morant and reserve C Jim Taflinger scored 14 and grabbed 7 boards apiece. SG Latyral Brown and PG Lamarr Ramage scored 12 and 10 points, respectively and C Geordie Johnson had 9 points and 9 rebounds.)

Western Illinois (3-4)—81, La Salle—65 (The Leathernecks played as if they were home, hitting 58% of their shots and finishing +16 in rebounding. That produced an easy win led by C Craig Grant’s 16 points, 14 each from PF Orvo Haapajarvi and PG Trent Cougar, and reserve forward Zac Johnson’s 11 points and 7 rebounds.)

Conference U

Loyola (MD)—68, UC-San Diego (5-2)—67 (28 lead changes and 7 ties, then the game came down to the final possession. After the Tritons had gone ahead by a single point on a 3 by Devante Botts, Loyola (MD) brought the ball up court, worked the ball around trying to get free for a final shot and put up a shot that went in and out…but C Andre Reeves, who had been UC-San Diego’s nemesis all night, got around two Tritons and tipped the ball in for his 20th point and 12th rebound. That ended the Tritons effort to post a road win. SF Jared Keating dropped in 19 points, SG Devante Botts had 14 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Reserves Matt Holcomb and Michael Faulkner both scored 10 points.)

Significant Injuries: Alcorn State’s Dan Hodge will be slowed for nearly 2 weeks due to a strained hamstring.

Awards: C Chris Betts of Arkansas-Pine Bluff was named the Conference R Player of the Week.

Comments: Had UC-San Diego not lost in the final seconds, all 5 teams would have been undefeated this week. The Tritons’ coach Ken Yamoto said, “That game aged me by several years. I really thought we had it when we hit the 3 to put us ahead and then when the Greyhounds’ shot missed. We were so close to capturing the rebound, but Reeves just got his hand in there and did a great job of redirecting the ball.”

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of 12/11/37 to 12/17/37:

Conference R

Alcorn State (4-4)—85, Central Arkansas—74 (Alcorn State led the entire way and was ahead 58-35 at the half. They then coasted to an easy win. C Mikko Stallings led their scoring with 19 points. PG Andy Carney had 18 points and 8 assists. Reserve guard Caswell Cook hit all 5 FGA’s, all 4 3PA’s and all 3 FTA”s to score 17 points in his 16 minutes on the court. PF Jared Kraft scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (6-2)—82, St. Mary’s—55 (The Golden Lions quickly asserted their dominance and ran away to thrash the Gaels. Four starters scored in double figured led by C Chris Betts 23 points with SG Bill Thorton hit for 16, PG Albert Taylor tossed in 13, and SF Dan Jefferson had 11 points and 7 rebounds.)

Conference T

Maryland-Eastern Shore (4-4)—81, Elon—57 (The Hawks jumped out to a lead and expanded upon it throughout the entire game. C Geordie Johnson hit for 21 points plus had 7 boards. SF Winston Morant scored 16 and PF Jim Taflinger and SG Lataryl Brown both scored 14 with Brown also racking up 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals.)

Mount St. Mary's—74, Western Illinois (3-5)—59 (The Leathernecks got blown out at home. They fell behind immediately and never were in the game as they were outplayed in every aspect of the game. SF James Johnson scored 19 and SG Trent Cougar chipped in 17 but no one else scored more than 6 points.)

Conference U

UC-San Diego (6-2)—89, Merrimack—77 (The lead switched back and forth 9 times in the first half with the Tritons on top 41-40 when the buzzer sounded. But UC-San Diego pulled away in the 2nd half and led by as much as 17 points. PG Matt Holcomb scored 22 points plus dished out 9 assists. SG DeVante Botts had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. PF Brad Sanders scored 13 and SF Jared Keating added 10.)

Significant Injuries: None

Awards: Trent Cougar was named the Conference T Freshman Player of the Week.

Comments: Four of the 5 teams won with UC-San Diego and Arkansas-Pine Bluff improving their records to 6-2.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of 12/18/37 to 12/24/37:

Conference R

Richmond—74, Alcorn State (4-5)—73 (OT) (The margin in this game was razor thin the entire way with 25 lead changes and 14 ties. The Braves held a slim 37-34 halftime lead, but then lead shifted throughout the 2nd half. Down by 2 on the last possession in regulation, C Mikko Stalling tipped in the ball to send the game to overtime. It looked like the Braves would pull off an exciting road win when they had a one point lead and possession with 12 seconds remaining. But an errant pass with 7 seconds remaining allowed the Spiders a final opportunity and they won the game by making a contested 14 foot jumper with one second to go. SG Dan Hodge scored 23 and had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block. C Mikko Stallings finished with 12 points and 7 boards and SF Harold Hein hit for 10 points.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7-2)—78, Loyola Marymount—69 (After leading early in the game, Arkansas-Pine Bluff fell behind 42-35 at the half. They rallied 5 minutes into the 2nd half to capture the lead and pull away. Leading the way was SG Bill Thorton with 22 points. PG Albert Taylor scored 19 and had 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals. SF Dan Jefferson had 15 points and 6 boards.)

Conference T

Mercer—61, Maryland-Eastern Shore (4-5)—58 (The Hawks shot poorly and lost at home in a game that was close most of the way. PG Lamarr Ramage hit for 13 points and SG Lataryl Brown scored 10. But the Bears’ C Bret Wheat tossed in 23 points.)

Western Illinois (4-5)—77, Green Bay—72 (There were 19 lead changes and 10 ties in this game with both teams shooting about the same, but Green Bay holding a 41-27 rebounding advantage and Western Illinois holding a 26-17 turnover advantage. The Leathernecks held onto a very small lead in the final 10 minutes of the game and won it with 5 players scoring in double figures. PG Ty Wilfork scored 18, SG Trent Cougar put in 15 points, SF James Johnson scored 13, reserve forward Joe Bergmann scored 12 while playing just 11 minutes, and C Craig Grant adding 10 points.)

Conference U

Old Dominion—72, UC-San Diego (6-3)—66 (The first half belonged to UC-San Diego, but Old Dominion turned the tables in the 2nd half. The Tritons outshot the Monarchs (50% to 42%) and held a 35-19 rebounding advantage. But UC-San Diego ran themselves out of the game by making 27 turnovers. Devante Botts poured in 23 points and PG Matt Holcomb added 15 points.)

Significant Injuries: None

Awards: None

Comments: All 5 games were close this week, but 3 of the 5 teams were on the short end of the final score. Ramon Montez, head coach of the Alcorn State Braves, said, “That one-point OT loss is on me. I told our guys to make quick passes to run the clock out and try to avoid the intentional foul that would have let Richmond get a chance for a final shot. But rushing produced a bad pass. Had we just let them foul, we would have likely been ahead by 3, and Richmond would have had to throw up a 3 attempt instead of being able to get off the little jumper that beat us.”