MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[TigerFan_1973]

Some folks on the NCAC pickem board were taking OWU in this game, but I was just worried that the Tigers might not have the killer instinct to put it away.

Now, OWU blocks a Hemenway shot.

Wow.

TF_73

[TigerFan_1973]

I guess we are rooting for different teams, huh, ScotsFans?

TF_1973

[ScotsFan]

I guess we are rooting for different teams, huh, ScotsFans?

TF_1973

Ya Think???

[TigerFan_1973]

Oh my golly, down 20 again.

Billy Bowen got his nose STEPPED ON!  That sounds painful.  Apparently, there was no harm, because there was no foul. 

[TigerFan_1973]

I guess we are rooting for different teams, huh, ScotsFans?
TF_1973

Ya Think???

I believe Wooster has a date with these guys on Saturday.  That could be interesting. 

My golly, another 3 for OWU puts them up 21.

[TigerFan_1973]

The Bishops played a great game.

That tightens the standings up a little bit.

[WoosterFAN]

OWU website reports: BISHOPS 70, Wittenberg 48...So far my picks on the NCAC pick 'em page are coming true.  Can OWU pull off the double??

Now, will OWU have enough left on SAT for SCOTS that are coming in for a revenge game?  I say again REVENGE GAME!!  Remember last FEB.  Also SCOTS starters began rest with about 6:00 left in the game...Shoot, looks like OWU might have done the same.

[woosterbooster]

Obviously, I'm happy with the result at OWU, but considering that the Scots have a date with these guys Saturday afternoon, I don't think any gloating is in order.  OWU is obviously still very dangerous, especially at home.  The trick for Wooster is to make sure that they win the league, get to host the tournament, and somehow manage to make sure that Witt and OWU finish two/three in the standings (in any order) so one of them can knock the other off.

That's a nice doubleheader down there on Saturday.  The Wittenberg women against OWU at 1 PM, followed by the Wooster-OWU men's game at 3.

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  Wooster 111  Hiram 57

Wooster emptied the bench with over 8 minutes remaining as they totally dominated this game.  14 players saw playing time for the Scots tonight.

Wooster was led tonight by James Cooper with 21 points, Devin Fulk with 14 points, Marty Bidwell with 12 points, Jake Johnson with 11 points, Tim Vandervaart with 10 points and Brandon Johnson with 10 points.

Hiram was led by Michael McDevitt with 15 points and Brandon Pool with 11 points.

Wooster is now 14-2, 7-0 NCAC    Big game at Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday!

GO SCOTS!!

[WooMix]

Congratulations to the Bishops for the big win over the Tigers.  This victory certainly makes the NCAC very interesting and exciting.  Will OWU make it a double upset?  Only time will tell.  The upcoming game on Saturday is a must listen.

[wally_wabash]

Earlham 57
Wabash 73

Zimmer went nuts with 35 points and 9 rebounds.  Nice to be back in the win column.  Wabash is on the road at Kenyon on Saturday. 

[wooscotsfan]

All the 1/17 NCAC Final Scores:

Allegheny 93  Oberlin 68
Kenyon 73  Denison 70
Wabash 73  Earlham 57
Ohio Wesleyan 70  Wittenberg 48
Wooster 111 Hiram 57

[wooscotsfan]

NCAC Standings thru 1/17 Results:

Wooster 7-0 (14-2)
Wittenberg 5-2 (13-3)
Ohio Wesleyan 5-2 (11-5)
Allegheny 3-4 (7-8)
Kenyon 3-4 (7-9)
Earlham 3-4 (5-11)
Hiram 3-4 (4-12)
Wabash 2-5 (5-11)
Denison 2-5 (3-12)
Oberlin 2-5 (3-13)

[David Collinge]

Final from Gambier:
Kenyon 73
Denison 70

I'll say this: Kenyon games are well worth the price of admission, and not just to enjoy that fabulous gym.  This one was another close, exciting, pretty well-played game, that came down to a three-ball from Shea McMahon that clanged off the rim to prevent overtime.  Kenyon had this one well in hand for most of the second half, but wilted in the last minute or so and let Dension up from a 14-point hole to almost tie it.  Denison was aided by some sloppy passing and inaccurate free throw shooting by Kenyon and one unbelieveably terrible call from the refs (DU guard absolutely rode his man out of bounds on a KC inbounds play with about :10 left; no foul, turnover.) 

The difference in the game from my viewpoint is that Kenyon has shooters (Arce, Jolson, Knapke, Haddox) and Denison has none (Luther hit some big threes down the stretch, and Ward and Eberst will hit a shot every so often, given enough chances).  That means that Kenyon has a chance to score whenever they have the ball, whereas Denison generally only scores if they can get the ball into Hodgkinson.  In the first half, they were successful in doing that (Hodg. had 19 first half points) and trailed by just two.  In the second, Kenyon denied the entry pass, and spent most of the half with leads of 8-14 points. 

Dan Hodgkinson had an absolutely beautiful game.  He was money in the paint (11/14, 25 pts.), grabbed six boards, recorded three blocks, absolutely shut down Kenyon's leading scorer, Bryan Yelvington (5 points, all from the line and all of them when Hodg. had been shifted over to guard Knapke), and was whistled for just two fouls.  It's too bad that the rest of the team couldn't do much of anything else.  Hodgkinson was 11/14, freshman Chris Luther, whose long-range shooting kept DU in it down the stretch, hit 5/6 for 17 pts., and the rest of the stiffs combined to shoot 12/35 (34.3%) for just 28 pts.

At the other end, with Yelvington reduced to a non-factor, Kenyon got a real balanced team effort with four players in double figures (Jolson 14 on 5/10 shooting, Knapke 13 on 6/10, Haddox 12 on 5/9, Klinger 11 on 5/7) plus nine points on three huge threes from Jim Arce.  Rebounds (KC +1), turnovers (KC +1), and assists (DU +2) were even.  It was a very good way to spend a frosty Wednesday evening, especially after having to sit through one of the worst halves of basketball I've ever seen (Wooster women didn't make a field goal until 6:08 remained in the 1st half--ick).

Box score

[woosterbooster]

I'll say this: Kenyon games are well worth the price of admission, and not just to enjoy that fabulous gym.

Um, aren't Kenyon games free?

Wooster women didn't make a field goal until 6:08 remained in the 1st half--ick.

Yikes!  I considered making that trip (among several choices that I passed up) and now I'm glad that I didn't.