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[PointGuard]

Summary of Games During the Week of December 11-17, 2038

Conference J

#24 ranked Temple Owls—78, Georgia State Panthers (4-4)—61 (Temple had this one all the way. By the end of the first half, the Panthers trailed 38-20. Temple’s SG Austin Harman poured in 32 points and had 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Georgia State was led by C Marshall Sanders with 13 points and 8 boards. PF Josh Shelton added 10 points. “We got schooled by a very good team,” said Coach Spencer.)

Conference P

SE Louisiana Lions (4-4)—77, #16 ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack—70 (The Lions travelled to Raleigh, NC and used a devastating defense to take the lead from the get go and take down the ranked Wolfpack. SE Louisiana led 43-21 at the half and then bent but didn’t buckle in the 2nd half. They outshot NC State 55% to 41%. PF Jon Sales and SG Jimmy Smith each scored 16 points with Sales also recording 9 rebounds. SF Morris Few scored 12 and C Jason Nee had 10 points and 9 boards. Coach Ramon Montez said, “I don’t think I’ve ever had a team play defense as well as we did in the first half. We couldn’t sustain it in the 2nd half, but I’m really proud of how my guys beat a very talented Wolfpack team.”

Conference S

Murray State Racers—59, MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (5-3)—57 (The Hawks trailed the entire game, and by as much as 13 points. But they made a late run and just ran out of time in their effort to overtake the Racers. C Jim Taflinger had 16 points and 7 rebounds and SF Winston Morant scored 13 and pulled down 8 boards. “We did a good job on the boards (+14), but turnovers (23) killed us,” said Coach Mike McMillan.)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (7-1)—60, Fordham Rams—40 (There were 6 lead changes in the first half and the Leathernecks held just a slim 25-23 halftime advantage. But they buried the Rams in the 2nd half. They held Fordham’s shooting to just 26% and were +10 on the glass. Scoring in double figures were: SF Ty Wilfork—11, PG Mohamed Ammons—10, and reserve forward James Johnson—10.)

Conference T

UC San Diego Tritons (6-2)—79, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers—69 (This game was very close throughout the entire first half but the Tritons were saddled with a 33-30 halftime deficit. Then the two teams continued to exchange the lead during the first 12 minutes of the 2nd half. But after 16 lead changes and 9 ties, UC San Diego finally got on top when both of the Chanticleers’ starting guards fouled out. The Tritons then gradually pulled away to achieve a nice road victory. SF Jeremiah Mason and SG DeVante Botts both scored 14 points, reserve C Jameel Wells put in 13 points, and starting C Tommy Jordan scored 10 even though he fouled out after playing just 12 minutes.)

Injuries: C Ernest Lloyd has a strained abdominal and is expected to be sidelined 10 days.

Awards: None.

Comments: One win (by SE Louisiana) and one loss (by Georgia St.) against ranked teams this week. Western Illinois and UC San Diego continued to roll.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games During the Week of December 18-24, 2038

Conference J

Xavier Musketeers—61, Georgia State Panthers (4-5)—59 (The lead wavered back and forth between the two teams, but Xavier got a small lead in the last few minutes and Georgia State’s final shot to tie was just off the mark. Team stats were as close as the final score except that the Musketeers got to the line 8 more times where they scored 5 more points than the Panthers. PF Josh Shelton had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards. SF David Selby scored 11 and picked off 7 rebounds. PG Terrell Hunter also scored 11 points and SG Clint Strohm scored 10 points.)

Conference P

SE Louisiana Lions (5-4)—68, San Diego Toreros—61 (The Lions simply destroyed the Toreros in the first half to come away with a 38-19 halftime advantage. They then cruised to an easy win even though San Diego scored 16 more points at the charity line. SG Jimmy Smith had 13 points, 5 rebound, 3 assists and 3 steals.)

Conference S

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (6-3)—76, Cal State Northridge Matadors—72 (The Hawks seemed to have this game sewed up in the first half during which they opened a 19 point lead and went to the locker room ahead 44-37. But the Matadors made a game of it in the 2nd half. After 19 lead changes and 11 ties, the Hawks scored the final 4 points to pull out a win. SF Winston Morant scored 20 and C Jim Taflinger hit for 13.)

North Carolina State Wolfpack—60, Western Illinois Leathernecks (7-2)—57 (After falling out of the top 25 due to their loss to Georgia State last week, NC State held onto a small lead throughout the first half and then widened it to 13 early in the 2nd half. But the Leathernecks stormed back and with 6 minutes to go took a small lead. But the Wolfpack edged back into the lead in the final 3 minutes to get past Western Illinois. PG Mohamed Ammons tossed in 18 points and reserve forward James Johnson scored 11.)

Conference T

UC San Diego Tritons (7-2)—69, Long Beach State 49er’s—53 (UC San Diego powered their way to a 36-24 halftime lead and never let the 49er’s make a significant threat in the 2nd half. C Jameel Wells had 16 points and 7 boards, SG DeVante Botts scored 12, and reserve forward Camara McWilliams added 10. “Our offense and rebounding left a lot to be desired, but defensively we did the job by holding the 49er’s shooting to 35% and forcing 20 turnovers,” said Coach Yamoto.)

Injuries: None.

Awards: None.

Comments: Two “close but no cigar” results with Georgia State nearly pulling off a 2nd straight upset and Western Illinois barely being edged by No. Carolina St. Western Illinois, MD-Eastern Shore, and UC San Diego have allowed the 8th, 9th, and 13th fewest points per game by their opponents. Each has allowed less than 60 ppg.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games During the Week of December 25-31, 2038

Conference J

Georgia State Panthers (5-5)—91, Mississippi Valley Delta Devils—58 (Following 5 lead changes in the first 3 minutes, the Panthers blew Mississippi Valley away, leading 49-23 at the half and going ahead by as much as 52 points in the 2nd half. PG Terrell Hunter had 20 points and 11 assists. C Ernest Lloyd scored 14 and grabbed 8 rebounds. SF David Selby tossed in 12 points and reserve forward Aaron Samuels scored 11 points.)

Conference P

Washington State Cougars—69, SE Louisiana Lions (5-5)—57 (There were razor thin margins for the first 35 minutes with 18 lead changes and 12 ties, but the visiting Cougars then clamped down defensively to draw away. PG Jimmy Smith scored 17, SG Will Collins dropped in 12 points, and C Jason Nee added 10 points.)

Conference S

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (7-3)—54, Weber State Wildcats—49 (The lead shifted back and forth throughout the entire first half and for 13 minutes of the 2nd half. The Hawks then edged ahead and held on to gain a nice road victory. PG Ivoree Spence had 13 points and PF Luke Feeley and SF Winston Morant each scored 10 points. Feeley also had 8 rebounds.)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (8-2)—75, Dixie State Trailblazers—61 (Dixie State controlled the game for the first 12 minutes but Western Illinois came back to wrest the lead away and take a 37-34 advantage to the locker room. They then held onto a very small lead for the first 12 minutes of the 2nd half and then left the Trailblazers in the dust. SF Ty Wilfork pumped in 17 points.)

Conference T

UC San Diego Tritons (8-2)—92, Jacksonville State Gamecocks—81 (The Tritons offense was on fire the entire game to give UC San Diego a very solid win. SF Jeremiah Mason and SG DeVante Botts both scored 17 points, PF Brad Sanders had 14 points and 10 boards, reserve C Tommy Jordan scored 13 points and picked off 7 rebounds, and PG Calvin Henderson had 10 points and 11 assists.)

Injuries: Trent Cougar of Western Illinois suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of this season.

Awards: Georgia State’s PG Terrell Hunter was named the Conference J Freshman Player of the Week.

Comments: Three teams (Western Illinois, UC San Diego and MD-Eastern Shore) continued to sport good records while the other two (Georgia State and SE Louisiana) are at the .500 level. Coach Ken Yamoto said, "Mike, Terry and I are trying to claw our way up the ranks so it's imperative that our teams do well. Ramon and Dontell have taken head coaching jobs this year at new programs in much higher level confeences and thus still have to develop their new teams into consistent winners."

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games During the Week of January 1-7, 2039

Conference J

Georgia State Panthers (6-5)—82, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets—54 (Tremendous win over an ACC team from Conference D. The Panthers used a withering defense in the first half that limited Georgia Tech to just 19 points. Then Georgia State shifted to a sizzling offense that scored 53 points in the 2nd half and totally buried the Yellow Jackets. The Panthers outshot the Yellow Jackets 54% to 35%, held a 41-25 rebounding advantage and a 15-10 turnover advantage. PG Terrell Hunter scored 19 and dished out 8 assists, C Marshall Sanders had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and SG Clint Strohm scored 13 points.)

Georgia State Panthers (7-5)—75, Saint Paul Tomcats—66 (There were 6 lead changes in the first 4 minutes, but then the Panthers gained control and steadily drew away from Saint Paul to lead 46-32 at the half. Georgia State hung onto a solid lead in the 2nd half and never was threatened even though the Tomcats cut into the lead in the final 3 minutes of the game. SF David Selby pumped in 20 points and reserve forward Aaron Samuels scored 10 points.)

Conference P

SE Louisiana Lions (6-5)—75, Coppin State Eagles—65 (The Eagles never led in this contest and trailed SE Louisiana 34-30 at the half. But with 6 minutes to go in the game, they tied the game. That caught the Lions attention and they streaked to a solid win. PG Jimmy Smith scored 21 points and had 5 assists. PF Jon Sales poured in 17 points plus grabbed 9 rebounds. SG Will Collins had 15 points and 5 assists.)

Conference S

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (8-3)—75, Boise State Broncos—58 (The Hawks led throughout most of the first half and were ahead 37-32 at the break. But Boise State came back to take a small lead 5 minutes into the 2nd half. MD-Eastern Shore fought back and pulled away to hold a double digit lead the last 8 minutes of the game. SG Carl Hancock scored 15, SF Winston Morant hit for 14 plus has 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, and C Jim Taflinger had 11 points, 6 boards, and 5 assists. “Great effort by our guys, particularly their solid defense the entire game,” said coach McMillan. “Beating the favored Broncos on the road was a nice tune up for us as we proceed now into conference play.”)

Ohio Bobcats—63, Western Illinois Leathernecks (8-3)—48 (The game was tightly contested in the first half with Ohio coming away with a 28-27 lead. But the Leathernecks began weakly in the 2nd half and never recovered as the Bobcats’ defense was too strong. PF Orvo Haapajarvi was the only player on Western Illinois to score in double figures and he had just 10 points.

Conference T

UC San Diego Tritons (9-2)—86, Evansville Purple Aces—75 (The first half was close with UC San Diego escaping with a slim 43-37 lead. But the Tritons took Evansville’s home crowd out of the game by holding the Purple Aces scoreless for 4 minutes and opening a 14 point lead early in the 2nd half. UC San Diego held advantages in shooting, rebounding and turnovers enroute to a slick road win. SF Jeremiah Mason scored 21 points, C Jameel Wells hit for 20 points, SG DeVante Botts was perfect from the field and scored 15 points, reserve C Tommy Jordan scored 10 points in 7 minutes on the court, and PG Calvin Henderson had 8 points and 12 assists.)

Injuries: None.

Awards: None.

Comments: Georgia State and MD-Eastern Shore both now have 3-game win streaks going. Pre-conference play has concluded. The teams begin conference play this coming week.

[PointGuard]

Stats at the conclusion of pre-conference play:

Georgia State: Record: 7-5, NET Ranking: 93. Averaging 71.4 ppg with opponents averaging 66.5 ppg. Leading scorers: SF David Selby—11.9 ppg; PG Terrell Hunter—10.3 ppg. Top rebounders: PF Josh Shelton—8.1 rpg; C Marshall Sanders—5.9 rpg; Tops in assists: PG Terrell Hunter—6.8 apg.

Southeast Louisiana: Record: 6-5, NET Ranking: 170. Averaging 65.6 ppg and opponents averaging 65.9 ppg. Leading scorers: PG Jimmy Smith—12.8 ppg; SG Will Collins—9.6 ppg. Top rebounders: PF Jon Sales—7.1 rpg; C Jason Nee—5.8 rpg; Tops in assists: PG Jimmy Smith—3.4 apg.

Maryland Eastern Shore: Record: 8-3, NET Ranking: 92. Averaging 66.8 ppg and opponents averaging 58.6 ppg. Leading scorers: C Jim Taflingers—13.3 ppg; SF Winston Morant—12.4 ppg; SG Carl Hancock—11.7 ppg. Leading rebounders: PF Luke Feeley—6.8 rpg; C Jim Taflinger—6.7 rpg; Tops in assists: PG Ivoree Spence—4.6 apg.

Western Illinois: Record: 8-3, NET Ranking: 85. Averaging 66.8 ppg and opponents averaging 59.2 ppg. Leading scorers: PF Orvo Haapajarvi—9.7 ppg; SF Ty Wilfork—8.9 ppg. Leading rebounders: C Joe Bergmann—6.4 rpg; SF Ty Wilfork—4.5 rpg. Tops in assists: PG Jerry Gilmore—3.3 apg.

UC San Diego: Record: 9-2, NET Ranking: 53. Averaging 75.1 ppg and opponents averaging 63.2 ppg. Leading scorers: SG DeVante Botts—14.5 ppg; C Jameel Wells—13.3 ppg; SF Jeremiah Mason—13.0 ppg. Leading rebounders: PF Brad Sanders—7.4 rpg; SF Jeremiah Mason—5.4 rpg. Tops in assists: PG Calvin Henderson—6.6 apg.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games During the Week of January 8-14, 2039

Conference J

Georgia State Panthers (8-5, 1-0)—67, Indiana State Sycamores—52 (The Panthers took the lead early and then never gave it up. Their defense held Indiana State’s shooting to just 28%. SF David Selby had 18 points and 7 rebounds, C Marshall Sanders had a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards, and PG Terrell Hunter scored 9 and had 8 assists.)

Towson Tigers—81, Georgia State Panthers (8-6, 1-1)—74 [OT] (Georgia State led for nearly the entire game and by as much as 15 points. With 6 minutes left they were still on top by 9 points, but then Towson went on a run and hit a final basket with 4 seconds left that tied the game and sent it to overtime. In the overtime period, the Panthers just ran out of gas, scoring just 2 points. Towson’s SG Livan Wilkins pumped in 27 points. For Geogia State, SF David Selby scored 16 and had 8 boards, reserve C Aaron Samuels scored 14 and grabbed 12 rebounds, C Marshall Sanders who fouled out after playing just 13 minutes scored 12 points, and PF Josh Shelton had 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.)

Conference P

SE Louisiana Lions (7-5, 1-0)—84, Robert Morris Colonels—57 (This game quickly became a laugher with the Lions eventually leading by 23 at the half and by as much as 32 points in the 2nd half. Coach Montez played the entire bench. SG Jimmy Smith had 23 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and PF Jon Sales scored 20 and pulled down 6 boards.)

SE Louisiana Lions (8-5, 2-0)—76, Cal Poly Mustangs—58 (Neither team could gain much of an advantage in the first half and the hometown Mustangs came away with a 33-31 halftime advantage. But 3 minutes into the second half SE Louisiana grabbed the lead and rapidly built their lead to 24 points before playing their entire bench. PG Jimmy Smith scored 17, SG Will Collins had 16 points and 4 steals, and PF Jon Sales had 10 points and 7 rebounds.)

Conference S

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (9-3, 1-0)—71, North Carolina A&T Aggies—52 (After 5 minutes of play the Hawks had no problem handling the hometown Aggies, out-rebounding them 46-25. SG Carl Hancock knocked down 13 points, PG Ivoree Spence scored 11, both SF Winston Morant and PF Luke Feeley scored 10 with Morant also picking off 7 rebounds, and C Jim Taflinger had 9 points and 9 boards.)

San Jose State Spartans—79, MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (9-4, 1-1)—71 (Neither team was ahead by more than 4 points in the first half and there was a 40-40 tie at the break. But San Jose State edged ahead early in the 2nd half and then held on to send the Hawks home with a defeat. All 5 starters for the Hawks scored in double figures: SF Winston Morant—16, PF Luke Feeley—12, C Jim Taflinger—11, and PG Ivoree Spence and SG Carl Hancock—10 points apiece. Morant and Feeley also both grabbed 9 rebounds.)

Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens—70, Western Illinois Leathernecks (8-4, 0-1)—65 (Western Illinois trailed for most of the game but made it close at the end. SF Ty Wilfork scored 19 and had 8 rebounds, C Joe Bergmann had 12 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 4 steals and a block, and SG Bill Shin added 10 points.)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (9-4, 1-1)—73, Purdue Fort Wayne Mastadons—42 (This was a slaughter from beginning to end. SG Bill Shin had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, SF Ty Wilfork scored 11 and had 7 assists, 3 assists and 3 steals, and reserve guard Jerry Gilmore scored 11.)

Conference T

UC San Diego Tritons (10-2, 1-0)—87, Navy Midshipmen—77 (The Tritons led by as much as 8 points in the first half but Navy got within 2 points at the end of the half and took a 2 point lead early in the 2nd half. UC San Diego then steadily pulled away to win with relative ease. SG DeVante Botts carried the Tritons by scoring 26 points and recording 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. C Jameel Wells and SF Jeremiah Mason both scored 12 and PF Brad Sanders had 11 points and 6 boards.)

UC San Diego Tritons (11-2, 2-0)—92, Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks—64 (UC San Diego lead the entire game. By the midpoint of the 1st half, there was little doubt who would win. The Tritons hit 63% of their shots from the field. Reserve C Tommy Jordan scored 21 points and had 5 rebounds and 4 assists. PF Brad Sanders and SF Jeremiah Mason both scored 15 and C Jameel Well added 10 points.)

Injuries: PG Mike Boxler of Georgia State suffered a concussion that will limit his play for 10 days.

Awards: UC San Diego’s SG DeVante Botts was named the Conference T Player of the Week.

Comments: Strong starts by both UC San Diego and Southeast Louisiana. But the other 3 teams all won at home and lost on the road.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games During the Week of January 15-21, 2039

Conference J

Georgia State Panthers (9-6, 2-1)—67, Green Bay Phoenix—50 (The Panthers rolled to an easy victory at home. They out-rebounded the Phoenix 39-29 and held a small advantage is shooting from the field and turnovers. PG Terrell Hunter scored 20 and had 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and a block. SF David Selby had 16 points and 6 boards. SG Mike Boxler scored 11 points.)

Georgia State Panthers (10-6, 3-1)—71, Little Rock Trojans—67 (Georgia State got off to a quick start at Little Rock and led by as much as 13 points midway through the first half. But the Trojans rallied to cut the lead to just 1 point at the break. There were 13 lead changes in the 2nd half and the Panthers had to outscore Little Rock 7-3 in the final 2 minutes to achieve the victory. PG Terrell Hunter scored 17 points and C Marshall Sanders had 10 points and 10 rebounds.)

Conference P

SE Louisiana Lions (9-5, 3-0)—86, UC Riverside Highlanders—76 (Throughout the first half and the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half, this game was extremely close. But SE Louisiana’s offense caught fire at that point and they quickly built a double digit lead that they held until the final buzzer sounded. SG Jimmy Smith scored 15 and had 7 rebounds, C Jason Nee had 14 points and 7 rebounds, reserve forward Shawnelle Allen also scored 14, and PF Jon Sales and reserve C Darius Lawson both scored 10.)

SE Louisiana Lions (10-5, 4-0)—67, Northern Arizona Lumberjacks—54 (The Lions nursed a small lead throughout the first half and then gradually pulled away in the 2nd half. SE Louisiana’s defense forced their opponent for the 2nd straight game to make over 20 turnovers. PF Jon Sales scored 20 plus pulled down 7 rebounds and C Jason Nee had 12 points.)

Conference S

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (10-4, 2-1)—70, Wagner Seahawks—50 (The two teams exchanged the lead for the first 9 minutes but then MD-Eastern Shore pulled away to take a 34-24 halftime lead. 4 minutes into the 2nd half, the Hawks went on a 15-0 run that put them ahead by 26 points and gave Coach McMillan a chance to play his entire bench. Wagner made 27 turnovers in the game. C Jim Taflinger had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. SG Carl Hancock added 10 points.)

Appalachian State Mountaineers—60, MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (10-5, 2-2)—52 (The Hawks led by 8 points midway through the first half but fell behind 31-24 at the break. The Mountaineers expanded their lead to 16 points in the 2nd half, but MD-Eastern Shore rallied to get within 2 points with 3 minutes to go, but their 8 minute run tired them out and they could only score a single point from thereon. Reserve guard Rick Miller scored 17 points and PF Luke Feeley had 9 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks.)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (10-4, 2-1)—72, Appalachian State Mountaineers—50 (The Leathernecks spurted to a large lead immediately and were never challenged. Western Illinois’ defense kept the Mountaineers’ shooting at just 29% from the field. SF Ty Wilfork scored 12 and pulled down 9 boards, C Joe Bergmann had 11 points and 7 rebounds, PG Mohamed Ammons also scored 11, and PF Orvo Haapajarvi had 10 points and 7 boards.)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (11-4, 3-1)—83, North Carolina A&T Aggies—62 (After 11 minutes with 13 lead changes, Western Illinois asserted their dominance and opened a 42-35 halftime advantage. The Leathernecks owned the 2nd half to win with ease. The Aggies SG David Robisch scored 30 points but the rest of the team had a tough time scoring. SF Ty Wilfork scored 21 points and pulled down 11 boards for Western Illinois and other teammates in double figures were PG Mohamed Ammons with 18 points and SG Bill Shin with 12 points as well as 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks.)

Conference T

North Alabama Lions—81, UC San Diego Tritons (11-3, 2-1)—67 (After 10 lead changes, North Alabama finished the first half with a 43-40 lead. The Tritons offense was flat throughout the 2nd half. PF Brad Sanders had 15 points and 6 rebounds and PF Jeremiah Mason added 12 points.)

Prairie View Panthers—87, UC San Diego Tritons (11-4, 2-2)—76 (The teams exchanged the lead 10 times in the first half, but UC San Diego went on a late run to lead 44-35 at the half. Prairie View slowly chipped away at the lead and went ahead with 4 minutes remaining that then slammed the door shut. SG DeVante Botts scored 26 points, SF Jeremiah Mason scored 14, and PF Brad Sanders added 10.)

Injuries: Georgia State’s PG Terrell Hunter is experiencing back spasms and while he’s expected to play, his playing time is likely to be limited for about 2 weeks.

Awards: PG Terrell Hunter of Georgia State was named the Conference J Freshman of the Week.

Comments: UC San Diego found it impossible to win on the road and dropped into the middle of the Conference T standings. But Georgia State 2 victories moved them into a tie for 2nd place in Conference J. SE Louisiana stayed unbeaten and resides in a 3-way tie with Kansas City and South Alabama for 1st place in Conference P. Western Illinois is tied for 3rd place in Conference S with MD-Eastern Shore tied for 7th place.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games During the Week of January 22-28, 2039

Conference J

Georgia State Panthers (11-6, 4-1)—83, Chattanooga Mocs—72 (It took 10 lead changes in the first 30 minutes of play before Georgia State could move away from Chattanooga and spurt to a 19 point advantage before settling for an 11 point win. SG Mike Boxler scored 21, SF David Selby had 14 points and 8 rebounds, and both C Marshall Sanders and PF Josh Shelton scored 10 with Shelton also grabbing 11 rebounds. Chattanooga’s SG Andy Allen scored 26 points.)

Georgia State Panthers (12-6, 5-1)—77, Holy Cross Crusaders—76 (There were 22 lead changes and 12 ties with neither team leading by more than 6 points in this game. Holy Cross led 46-44 at the half. Holy Cross hit a shot at the buzzer that the refs had to review and rule that it was 2 rather than a 3. That kept the Crusaders from tying the game. Reserve guard James Jupiter hit for 13 points, PF David Selby scored 12, and C Marshall Sanders, SG Clint Strohm, and reserve C Ernest Lloyd scored 10 points apiece with Sanders grabbing 8 boards.)

Conference P

SE Louisiana Lions (11-5, 5-0)—85, NC Asheville Bulldogs—69 (The first half was a complete barn-burner with 14 lead changes. SE Louisiana went to the locker room with a 46-42 margin and then blitzed the Bulldogs in the 2nd half, leading by as much as 20 points. The Lions hit 53% of their FG’s and were +18 in rebounding. All 5 starters scored in double figures: PG Jimmy Smith hit for 18 points and had 9 assists 5 boards, and 3 steals, SG Will Collins had 17 points plus 6 rebounds and 4 assists, C Jason Nee scored 16, PF Jon Sales had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, SF Morris Few added 10 points.)

SE Louisiana Lions (12-5, 6-0)—60, Northern Illinois Huskies—49 (SE Louisiana trailed the Huskies all the way until there were 12 minutes left in the game. Then after a few lead changes, the Lions went on a 15-2 run that put the game away. The only member of the Lions to score in double figures was SG Jimmy Smith with 11 points. “Our guys played some devastating defense in the 2nd half. That dropped the Huskies shooting for the entire game to just 34% and forced a total of 19 turnovers,” said Coach Montez.)

Conference S

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (11-5, 3-2)—67, Western Illinois Leathernecks—63 (The Hawks looked to have the game wrapped up in the 1st half as they led by as much as 19 and finished the half ahead 38-24. They held onto a solid double digit lead for the first 7 minutes of the 2nd half. But then Western Illinois shut down the Hawks’ offense and cut the lead to just 2 points with 4 minutes remaining. MD-Eastern Shore then gamely held on to eke out the win at home. SG Carl Hancock poured in 23 points.)

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (12-5, 4-2)—74, Purdue Fort Wayne Mastadons—65 (MD-Eastern Shore began strongly but then the Mastadons came back to take a 31-29 halftime lead. The score stayed very close during the 2nd half until the Hawks got hot in the final 3 minutes. The Mastadons hit 61% of their shots from the field and were +4 in rebounding, but the Hawks had a 21-8 turnover advantage that was the difference in the game. SF Winston Morant scored 20, SG Carl Hancock dropped in 17 points, PG Ivoree Spence had 12 points and 11 assists, and PF Luke Feeley added 11 points.)

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks—67, Western Illinois Leathernecks (11-5, 3-2)—63 (“We were totally out-played in the first half, but I was really impressed by how the guys fought back throughout the 2nd half. Great game. I’m looking forward to hosting the Hawks later this season when we hopefully turn the outcome around,” said Coach Morillo.)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (12-5, 4-2)—88, Wagner Seahawks—69 (The Leathernecks trailed for 4 minutes but then went on a big run that led them to a 42-25 halftime lead. The Seahawks were never able to mount a serious challenge in the 2nd half as Western Illinois’ offense continued to sizzle. C Joe Bergmann had 22 points and 9 rebounds. SF Ty Wilfork scored 12 and reserve C David Perry added 10.)

Conference T

UC San Diego Tritons (12-4, 3-2)—84, New Orleans Privateers—64 (After 12 lead changes in the first half, the Tritons went on a late run that gave them a 43-38 halftime advantage. UC San Diego then steadily increased their lead throughout the 2nd half by applying a staunch defense. Scoring in double figures were: PG Calvin Henderson—14, SG DeVante Botts—13, C Jameel Wells, SF Jeremiah Mason and reserve C Tommy Jordan—12 points each, PF Brad Sanders—10.)

Nichols State Colonels—76, UC San Diego Tritons (12-5, 3-3)—63 (Yet another road defeat for the Tritons. Nichols State held a double digit lead for most of the game, although the Tritons cut it to 4 with 4 minutes left but couldn’t sustain their effort. Reserve guard Al Levasseur scored 15, SF Jeremiah Mason hit for 13, C Jameel Wells scored 12, and SG DeVaunte Botts added 11.)

Injuries: Georgia State’s SF Gerald Payne has a strained hamstring and may miss the team’s next 2-3 games.

Awards: None.

Comments: 7 straight wins for the Southeast Louisiana Lions! And all 7 of those victories have been by at last 10 points. UC San Diego’s Coach Ken Yamoto said, “We really need to get a handle on our recent inability to win on the road.” Western Illinois and MD-Eastern Shore are now tied with 2 other teams for 3rd place in Conference S. Georgia State moved into a 3-way tie for 1st place in Conference J. And Southeast Louisiana is tied with Kansas City for 1st in Conference P.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games During the Week of January 29-February 4, 2039

Conference J

Georgia State Panthers (13-6, 6-1)—86, Furman Paladins—69 (The Panthers weren’t able to shake the Paladins. Following 8 lead changes, though, Georgia State pulled away in the final 6 minutes of the 1st half to lead 52-43 at the break. The Panthers controlled the 2nd half and won with ease as they hit over 50% of their FG’s and 3’s. PG Terrell Hunter scored 23 and had 5 assists. PF David Selby and reserve guard Mike Boxler both scored 12 points.)

Montana Grizzlies-77, Georgia State Panthers (13-7, 6-2)—63 (Montana scored first and never trailed. At halftime the Panthers trailed by 17 and fell behind by as much as 22 points in the 2nd half. PF David Selby scored 14 points and SG Clint Strohm had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.)

Conference P

SE Louisiana Lions (13-5, 7-0)—84, South Alabama Jaguars—61 (After a few minutes of back-and-forth, the Lions steadily pulled away and led 48-37 at the half. In the 2nd half, SE Louisiana continually expanded their lead to stomp the Jaguars. PF Jon Sales had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block. PG Jimmy Smith scored 16 points and C Jason Nee and SG Will Collins both scored 10 with Nee also pulling down 10 boards.)

SE Louisiana Lions (14-5, 8-0)—83, Abilene Christian Wildcats—61 (This game was pretty much a replay of the Lions previous game. SE Louisiana led by 18 at the break and increased their lead to as much as 30 in the 2nd half to blow away the Wildcats. PG Jimmy Smith scored 20, C Jason Nee had 18 points and 6 rebounds, SF Morris Few dropped in 15 points, and C Fred Morant had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

Conference S

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (13-5, 5-2)—71, Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens—53 (The score was close for the first 8 minutes with 5 lead changes. But then the Hawks defense put them on top 36-25 at halftime. After leading by as much as 25 points in the 2nd half, MD-Eastern Shore coasted to a solid victory. C Jim Taflinger and SF Winston Morant both scored 18 points and Morant also had 9 rebounds.)

Eastern Illinois Panthers—64, MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (13-6, 5-3)—60 (Eastern Illinois pulled ahead by 9 points after just 5 minutes of play, but the Hawks battle back to make the final 6 minutes of the half a series of lead changes and with the Panthers holding a slim 29-28 halftime advantage. MD-Eastern Shore exchanged the lead with the Panthers continually in the first 6 minutes of the 2nd half. But the Panthers then held a very small lead the last 14 minutes. SF Winston Morant had 17 points and 8 boards. C Jim Taflinger scored 12 and PF Luke Feeley added 10. “We shot better (48% to 43%) and held a 31-22 rebounding advantage, but Eastern Illinois got to the foul line 14 more times where they scored 8 more points than us and that was the ball game,” said Coach Mike McMillan.)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (13-5, 5-2)—76, San Jose State Spartans—59 (Following 6 early lead changes, the Leathernecks took the lead 6 minutes into the game and never looked back, leading by 11 at the half and as much as 24 in the 2nd half. Western Illinois came away with an impressive road win. PG Mohamed Ammons and SG Bill Shin both scored 16 points, C Joe Bergmann scored 12 and grabbed 10 rebounds, reserve guard Jerry Gilmore also hit for 12 points, and SF Ty Wilfork had 10 points and 8 boards.)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (14-5, 6-2)—77, Charleston Southern Buccaneers—55 (After trailing by 7 points early in this road game, the Leathernecks pulled ahead with 11 minutes remaining in the first half and took a 43-28 lead to the locker room. They then gradually added to their advantage throughout the 2nd half. Western Illinois hit 51% of their shots to just 32% by the Buccaneers and were +20 in rebounding. Reserve forward James Johnson scored 12 points, SF Ty Wilfork had a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds), C Joe Bergman scored 10 and had 7 boards, and PG Mohamed Ammons hit for 9 points and had 10 assists.)

Conference T

UC San Diego Tritons (13-5, 4-3)—58, Grambling Tigers—50 (The game was close the entire way. The Tritons led 26-22 at the conclusion of a defensive battle in the first half. After 8 minutes of lead changes in the 2nd half, UC San Diego pulled ahead and held onto a small lead the remainder of the game. SG DeVaunte Botts topped the scoring with 17 points to go along with 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and a block. PG Calvin Henderson added 11 points.)

UC San Diego Tritons (14-5, 5-3)—92, Seattle Redhawks—72 (Seattle led by 9 points early in the first half, but the Tritons came back to fashion a 46-41 halftime advantage. But UC San Diego came out in the 2nd half to stomp the Redhawks. SF Jeremiah Mason scored 22 and had 6 rebounds. SG DeVaunte Botts popped in 18 points. PF Brad Sanders and C Jameel Wells both scored 11 with Sanders also getting 9 rebounds.)

Injuries: SF David Selby of Georgia State strained his knee and it’s expected to take 10 days to recover. SE Louisiana has 2 reserve big men nursing injuries…Fred Morant has a strained calf that will limit him for a week and Adam Booker has a sore back and is day-to-day. Western Illinois’ PF Orvo Haapajarvi has a sore back which could limit him in the Leathernecks upcoming game.

Awards: None.

Comments: Southeast Louisiana now has a 9-game win streak and is atop the Conference P standings with a 2 game lead. Georgia State is tied with 2 other teams for 1st place in Conference J. Western Illinois is in a 4-way tie for 1st place in Conference S and MD-Eastern Shore is just 1 game back. UC San Diego is a game behind 3 teams that are tied for the lead in Conference T.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games During the Week of February 5-11, 2039

Conference J

Georgia State Panthers (14-7, 7-2)—77, Saint Mary’s Gaels—60 (Saint Mary’s led by as much as 10 points during the first 8 minutes of the game, but Georgia State came back to take a 34-28 lead to the locker room. The Panthers then poured it on in the 2nd half to lead by as much as 24 points before settling for an easy home victory. SG Clint Strohm scored 16 points, SF Gerald Payne had 12 points and 8 rebounds, and PF David Selby and C Marshall Sanders both scored 11 points.)

Rider Broncs—78, Georgia State Panthers (14-8, 7-3)—71 (The Broncs rode roughshod over the Panthers in the first half, leading by as much as 15 points. But by the end of the half the Panthers had cut the lead to 45-41. Georgia State continued their comeback in the 2nd half and pulled ahead by 5 points with 13 minutes left to play. But the Panthers fell behind again with 5 minutes remaining and were unable to make a final comeback. PG Terrell Hunter scored 12 and reserve guard Mike Boxler added 10 points.)

Conference P

SE Louisiana Lions (15-5, 9-0)—62, Northwestern State Demons—53 (The road was a problem for the Lions for just 4 minutes after which they rapidly pulled away and opened a 40-26 halftime advantage. After moving out to a 21 point lead in the 2nd half, their offense went flat but their defense prevented the Demons from being able to eliminate their lead. PF Jon Sales scored 15 points, PG Jimmy Smith hit for 12 points, and reserve guard Thomas Matthews scored 11 points in 13 minutes of court time.)

SE Louisiana Lions (16-5, 10-0)—72, Lamar Cardinals—46 (The Cardinals jumped out to a 5 point lead, but the Lions quickly erased that and stormed to a 36-21 lead at the break. SE Louisiana continued to dominate throughout the 2nd half to stomp Lamar. SG Will Collins had 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. PG Jimmy Smith scored 11 points plus had 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Reserved guard Thomas Matthews again played well with 12 points in his 15 minutes of playing time.)

Conference S

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (14-6, 6-3)—68, Cornell Big Red—41 (This game quickly turned into a laugher as the Hawks blew out Cornell in the first half to the tune of 32-15. The lead grew to as much as 31 points in the 2nd half. SF Winston Morant had 16 points and 6 rebounds, C Jim Taflinger scored 15 and pulled down 7 boards, and SG Carl Hancock scored 12.)

Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs—74, MD-Eastern Shore Hawks (14-7, 6-4)—58 (The Hawks kept up with the Runnin’ Bulldogs in the first half and trailed at the break by just a 32-28 score. But Gardner-Webb ran away in the 2nd half and lead by as much as 26 points. C Jim Taflinger scored 17 points and grabbed 7 boards, SF Winston Morant had 15 points and 8 boards, and PG Ivoree Spence added 13 points.)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (15-5, 7-2)—72, Jackson State Tigers—58 (There were 8 lead changes and 5 ties in the first half, but the Leathernecks came out of it with a 29-26 lead. They then gradually expanded their lead in the 2nd half to win going-away and overcome the Tigers’ PF Cedrick Mills who poured in 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Leading the scoring for Western Illinois was SF Ty Wilfork who had 24 points plus 8 rebounds. C Joe Bergmann scored 15 and PG Mohamed Ammons chipped in 12 points.)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (16-5, 8-2)—82, Jacksonville Dolphins—64 (After a first half during which neither team could gain control and Jacksonville led 42-40 at halftime, the Leathernecks grabbed a lead 3 minutes in the 2nd half and maintained a small advantage for the next 13 minutes. But Western Illinois left the Dolphins dead in the water in the final 4 minutes, even though Jacksonville’s SG Lawrence London had 24 points and 7 rebounds. SG Mohamed Ammons and PF Orvo Haapajarvi each scored 16 points for the Leathernecks and C Joe Bergmann added 10 points.)

Conference T

UC San Diego Tritons (15-5, 6-3)—76, Morgan State Bears—69 (The Bears kept things close in the first half as their fans cheered them on. But UC San Diego managed to eke out a 36-35 halftime lead. The Tritons struck first and often in the 2nd half and opened a 17 point lead with 8 minutes to play. Morgan State, led by SG Michel Christian’s 23 points, then came back to narrow the gap. UC San Diego’s C Jameel Wells scored 21 points plus had 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals while SG DeVante Botts had a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards.)

UC San Diego Tritons (16-5, 7-3)—80, UC Davis Aggies—65 (The Tritons returned home and took the lead for good 7 minutes into this contest. By the end of the half UC San Diego was up 45-23. They then coasted to easily whip the Aggies. C Jameel Wells had 17 points and 8 boards, PF Brad Sanders scored 13, SF Jeremiah Mason had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and SG DeVante Botts hit for 11 points.)

Injuries: SG Carl Hancock of MD-Eastern Shore sprained a knee that is expected to limit his action for a week-and-a-half. Western Illinois’ Mohamed Ammons is nursing a sore calf that will reduce his playtime for the Leathernecks’ next game. PF Jason Nee of SE Louisiana is hampered with leg pain but should be back to full strength by the middle of the coming week. Georgia State’s PF Aaron Samuels injured his shoulder but is expected to recover within the next 3 days.

Awards: None.

Comments: Southeast Louisiana continued their unbeaten ways in Conference P and holds a 3 game lead over 2 teams that are tied for 2nd place. Western Illinois is tied for the lead with South Carolina Upstate in Conference S. Georgia State is tied with Colgate and Bradley for 1st place in Conference J.