Lady Lancers Fall In First Round
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Josh Neuhart-
California Baptist made better than 50 percent of its shots in each half en route to the 18-point win over the hosts at the Orthopaedic Capital Center.
CBU’s Simone Holmes made 10 of 12 from the floor for a game-high 22 points and added five steals, while Jasmine Beverly recorded 18 points and nine rebounds.
Grace was sluggish through the midway point of the first half and trailed 33-20 with under five minutes to play, but the Lady Lancers jumpstarted themselves to end the half on a 13-3 charge. CBU held a slight 36-33 advantage at the break.
Grace kept the score close through the first five minutes of the second half until CBU went on an 18-2 run. The Lady Lancers were unable to get closer than 15 points the remainder of the contest.
California Baptist held a 37-27 advantage in rebounding, with 12 offensive boards to its credit, and made 52 percent of its field goals to offset a 13-of-26 performance from the free throw line.
Allison Kauffman recorded 13 points and six rebounds to lead Grace, while Juaneice Jackson tallied 10 points and Jayla Starks added seven points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
California Baptist advanced to the semifinals of the eight-team women’s tournament and will play No. 6 Oklahoma Christian tonight at 8:45 p.m. while Grace was scheduled to take on No. 3 Cedarville today at 1:45 p.m. in the consolation bracket.
SOUTHERN NAZARENE 79, SHORTER 49
The fourth-seeded Southern Nazarene women's basketball team blew past No. 5 Shorter in the first game of the 2013 NCCAA National Championships by the score of 79-49.
Four players reached double-digit scoring for the Crimson Storm, led by 17 points and 19 rebounds from Aminata Fall.
Southern Nazarene overwhelmed Shorter in the first half, claiming a 37-22 lead at the break.
Fall (9 points, 13 rebounds) and Annie Kassongo (13 points) led the way for the Crimson Storm in the opening period. Shorter struggled to find their shot, making 8-of-35 in the first half and 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Shorter created momentum for their side by scoring the first six points of the second half, however, trimming Southern Nazarene’s lead to 37-28.
But the Crimson Storm unleashed a 15-2 run over the next 6:45 to seize a 20-point cushion over Shorter. Their lead expanded up to as much as 38 points as Southern Nazarene made five 3-pointers and 11-of-12 from the free throw line in the second half.
Annie Kassongo earned scoring honors from the Crimson Storm with 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting.
Lindsey Crawford paced Shorter with 12 points and 10 boards, and Karisma Boykin chipped in 11 points.
Southern Nazarene advanced to the national semifinals today at 7 p.m. against top-seeded Union. Shorter was scheduled to play Roberts Wesleyan at noon today.
OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN 78, CEDARVILLE 74
No. 6 Oklahoma Christian’s women’s basketball team pulled out a narrow 78-74 win over Cedarville University in the opening round of the NCCAA National Championships.
The Eagles’ thrilling upset of the No. 3 Yellow Jackets saw Oklahoma Christian erase a 13-point deficit in the second half.
Raegan Ryan was lethal for the Yellow Jackets in the opening half, draining 6-of-7 from the floor and making all four of her 3-point attempts for 18 points.
Ryan’s effort, along with holding Oklahoma Christian to 31 percent shooting, allowed Cedarville to take a 40-30 lead into halftime.
But the Eagles struck back with a fury in the second half as they made 57 percent of their shots, including 4-of-8 on 3-pointers.
Oklahoma Christian especially did their damage at the free throw line where they sank 20-of-26 after halftime. Cedarville, on the other hand, made 2-of-4 free throws in the second half.
The score did not tilt more than four points in either team’s favor for the final 7:53. Taylor Vander Plas scored a bucket in the paint for Cedarville to cut their deficit to one at 75-74 with 17 seconds remaining.
But OCU’s Logan McKee made a free throw to double the team’s lead before achieving the defensive play of the game with a block on Cedarville’s potential game-tying shot. The Eagles then sank two free throws to ice the victory.
Sydney Hill erupted for 22 of her game-high 24 points after halftime to lead the Eagles, and Roz Hamilton recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.
Cedarville’s Ryan finished with 23 points with five 3-pointers, and Kayla Jenerette recorded 18 points.
Oklahoma Christian will play in the NCCAA semifinals today at 8:45 p.m. against the winner of No. 2 seed California Baptist. Cedarville was scheduled to play Grace at 1:45 p.m. today.
ROBERTS WESLEYAN 81, UNION UNIVERSITY 75
Eighth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan nearly pulled off the upset of the tournament but fell 81-75 in overtime to No. 1 Union University.
The Redhawks tied the game in the final second of regulation, but top-seeded Union pulled away in overtime to advance to today’s NCCAA semifinals. The Lady Bulldogs will face No. 4 Southern Nazarene at 7 p.m. for a shot at the NCCAA national championship.
Union controlled action in the early stages of the game, taking a 13-2 lead after the tipoff. Roberts Wesleyan missed its first 10 field goal attempts. The Redhawks’ first basket of the game came with 12:43 remaining in the first half on a 3-pointer from Marissa Bunce.
The Lady Bulldogs held a double-digit lead into the second half and possessed a 60-48 lead with 7:18 to play. But Roberts Wesleyan battled back with a 14-0 run to take its first lead of the game on another 3-pointer from Bunce with 3:34 to play.
Union showed composure to take a late 67-64 advantage with 17 seconds to play, but Sarah Alwardt sent the game into overtime with an impressive individual effort.
Alwardt was fouled with three seconds left and proceeded to hit the first shot and, trailing by two points, missed the second shot intentionally. She then snagged the deflected rebound and drove left for the game-tying layup with seven-tenths of a second to play. Union was unable to get a shot off to send the game to overtime.
The overtime period was even until back-to-back 3-pointers from Union put the Lady Bulldogs ahead for good. Union sank six free throws in the final 1:19 to clinch the win.
Union’s Amy Philamlee made all 10 of her free throw attempts for 21 points and nine assists. Amber Rechis also drilled six 3-pointers for 18 points.
Brittany Williams led all players with 31 points and made 5 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc for the Redhawks, and Marissa Sell pounded out 28 points and 12 rebounds in the post.
Roberts Wesleyan was scheduled to face Shorter in the consolation bracket at noon today.
MEN’S CAPSULES
SHORTER 101, MID-AMERICA CHRISTIAN 89
Shorter’s men’s basketball team put on an offensive showcase in its opening game of the NCCAA National Championships with a 101-89 win over No. 4 Mid-America Christian.
The Hawks placed all five starters in double-digit scoring, shot over 50 percent from the field in each half and tallied at least 50 points in both halves.
Anthony Banks was a force on both ends of the court for Shorter with 33 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocked shots and 4 assists. Walter Hill also drilled five 3-pointers for 26 points for Shorter.
Shorter seized early control of the contest with a 25-6 run and never looked back. Mid-America trailed 50-32 at the halftime break.
The Evangels did their best to slice into Shorter’s lead in the second half with 57 points as a team after halftime, but their effort wasn’t enough to erase the Hawk’s halftime edge.
The Evangels used back-to-back 3-pointers from Camilo Valencia and Charlier Shorter to bring themselves back to 87-74 with 4:07 to play. But Shorter made enough offensive plays down the stretch to cruise to their double-digit victory.
Charlie Shorter scored 31 points on five 3-pointers to lead Mid-America’s offense, and Reggie Davis flirted with a triple-double by tallying 9 points, 11 boards and 7 assists.
Shorter will square off with Fresno Pacific in the semifinals on today at 3:30 p.m., while the Evangels were scheduled to tipoff at 8:30 a.m. today against Roberts Wesleyan in the consolation bracket.
OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN 83, SPRING ARBOR 59
Oklahoma Christian men’s coach Dan Hays reached a personal milestone with his 700th career coaching victory in the team’s 83-59 win over Spring Arbor in the first round of the NCCAA National Championships.
The Eagles blew open a 34-31 halftime advantage by outscoring the Cougars by 21 points after halftime.
An explosive first half from Spring Arbor’s Rob Hogans allowed the Cougars to lead for nearly the entire period. A late 14-4 spurt from the Eagles, however, lifted the team to a three-point halftime lead.
Five minutes into the second half, Oklahoma Christian made their move. The Eagles scored 17 unanswered points over a four-minute stretch to claim a 59-44 lead with 11:15 to play. Spring Arbor did not come closer than 12 points of the Eagles’ lead after that juncture.
Will Reinke tied for team scoring honors with 17 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots, and Nick Tate came off the bench to add 17 points.
The Cougars’ Hogans was the team’s primary offensive weapon with 26 points, including a 4-of-7 effort from the 3-point line.
Spring Arbor committed 17 turnovers, 11 of which came after halftime. Oklahoma Christian, on the other hand, made 19 of 33 from the floor in the second half.
The Eagles advanced to the semifinals today at 5:15 p.m. against the Cedarville. Spring Arbor was scheduled to play Tennessee Temple at 10:15 a.m. in the consolation bracket.
FRESNO PACIFIC 113, ROBERTS WESLEYAN 101
No. 1 Fresno Pacific and No. 8 Roberts Wesleyan teamed up for the most action-packed game of the first day of the NCCAA National Championships as Fresno Pacific won 113-101.
Fresno’s John Taylor scored 50 points to highlight the Sunbirds’ effort as they locked up a spot in today’s NCCAA semifinals.
Taylor scored early and often for the Sunbirds, tallying 29 first-half points on 10-of-14 shooting.
Roberts Wesleyan jumped out to an early 15-9 lead over the top-ranked Sunbirds, but Fresno charged back in front with a 14-2 run.
The Sunbirds maintained their lead through the first 15 minutes of the second half. The Redhawks refused to back down from the No. 1 seed, however, and retook the lead at 91-90 on a 3-pointer from Mike Stone with less than five minutes remaining.
Fresno Pacific earned the victory down the stretch by scoring 15 of the game’s next 18 points, coasting to their double-digit win.
Five players reached double figures for the victors, including Taylor, Malcolm Griffin, Rickey Vick, Matt Samuels and Antonio Credit. Taylor made 16 of 23 from the floor and 14 of 18 from the foul line for his 50-point outburst.
Stone paced Roberts Wesleyan with 31 points and made 3-pointers, while Tyrel Dixon added 28 points and four assists.
Fresno Pacific will face off against No. 5 Shorter today at 3:30 p.m. in the NCCAA semifinals, while Roberts Wesleyan was scheduled to play Mid-America Christian today at 8:30 a.m.
CEDARVILLE 87, TENNESSEE TEMPLE 58
Cedarville men’s basketball team made short work of No. 7 Tennessee Temple by the score of 87-58 in the first round of the NCCAA National Championships.
The Yellow Jackets shot 57 percent from the floor, including a 63-percent performance in the second half, to advance to today’s national semifinals against No. 3 Oklahoma Christian at 5:15 p.m.
Austin Foote, who led all players with 24 points, got Cedarville off to a fast start as the Yellow Jackets erupted for 12 straight points after the tipoff in less than two minutes. Foote scored eight of Cedarville’s first 12 points.
Tennessee Temple trailed by double figures for most of the contest. Foote’s 17 first-half points paced the Yellow Jackets to a 39-26 halftime cushion.
The Crusaders did their best to cut into Cedarville’s lead. After a pair of consecutive 3-pointers from Tennessee Temple, the Crusaders found themselves trailing by 10 points with 11 minutes remaining.
But within four minutes of the Crusaders’ run, Cedarville had ballooned its margin to 20 points to end any further threat of a comeback.
Foote hit 10 of 13 from the floor for 24 points. Jason Cuffee stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, six assists, four steals, three rebounds and no turnovers, and Daniel Hickman produced 13 points off the bench for Cedarville.
The Crusaders were highlighted offensively with 13 points from Elliot Johnson and 11 points from Hampton Mack.
Tennessee Temple was scheduled take on No. 6 Spring Arbor today at 10:15 a.m. in the consolation bracket.[[In-content Ad]]
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California Baptist made better than 50 percent of its shots in each half en route to the 18-point win over the hosts at the Orthopaedic Capital Center.
CBU’s Simone Holmes made 10 of 12 from the floor for a game-high 22 points and added five steals, while Jasmine Beverly recorded 18 points and nine rebounds.
Grace was sluggish through the midway point of the first half and trailed 33-20 with under five minutes to play, but the Lady Lancers jumpstarted themselves to end the half on a 13-3 charge. CBU held a slight 36-33 advantage at the break.
Grace kept the score close through the first five minutes of the second half until CBU went on an 18-2 run. The Lady Lancers were unable to get closer than 15 points the remainder of the contest.
California Baptist held a 37-27 advantage in rebounding, with 12 offensive boards to its credit, and made 52 percent of its field goals to offset a 13-of-26 performance from the free throw line.
Allison Kauffman recorded 13 points and six rebounds to lead Grace, while Juaneice Jackson tallied 10 points and Jayla Starks added seven points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
California Baptist advanced to the semifinals of the eight-team women’s tournament and will play No. 6 Oklahoma Christian tonight at 8:45 p.m. while Grace was scheduled to take on No. 3 Cedarville today at 1:45 p.m. in the consolation bracket.
SOUTHERN NAZARENE 79, SHORTER 49
The fourth-seeded Southern Nazarene women's basketball team blew past No. 5 Shorter in the first game of the 2013 NCCAA National Championships by the score of 79-49.
Four players reached double-digit scoring for the Crimson Storm, led by 17 points and 19 rebounds from Aminata Fall.
Southern Nazarene overwhelmed Shorter in the first half, claiming a 37-22 lead at the break.
Fall (9 points, 13 rebounds) and Annie Kassongo (13 points) led the way for the Crimson Storm in the opening period. Shorter struggled to find their shot, making 8-of-35 in the first half and 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Shorter created momentum for their side by scoring the first six points of the second half, however, trimming Southern Nazarene’s lead to 37-28.
But the Crimson Storm unleashed a 15-2 run over the next 6:45 to seize a 20-point cushion over Shorter. Their lead expanded up to as much as 38 points as Southern Nazarene made five 3-pointers and 11-of-12 from the free throw line in the second half.
Annie Kassongo earned scoring honors from the Crimson Storm with 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting.
Lindsey Crawford paced Shorter with 12 points and 10 boards, and Karisma Boykin chipped in 11 points.
Southern Nazarene advanced to the national semifinals today at 7 p.m. against top-seeded Union. Shorter was scheduled to play Roberts Wesleyan at noon today.
OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN 78, CEDARVILLE 74
No. 6 Oklahoma Christian’s women’s basketball team pulled out a narrow 78-74 win over Cedarville University in the opening round of the NCCAA National Championships.
The Eagles’ thrilling upset of the No. 3 Yellow Jackets saw Oklahoma Christian erase a 13-point deficit in the second half.
Raegan Ryan was lethal for the Yellow Jackets in the opening half, draining 6-of-7 from the floor and making all four of her 3-point attempts for 18 points.
Ryan’s effort, along with holding Oklahoma Christian to 31 percent shooting, allowed Cedarville to take a 40-30 lead into halftime.
But the Eagles struck back with a fury in the second half as they made 57 percent of their shots, including 4-of-8 on 3-pointers.
Oklahoma Christian especially did their damage at the free throw line where they sank 20-of-26 after halftime. Cedarville, on the other hand, made 2-of-4 free throws in the second half.
The score did not tilt more than four points in either team’s favor for the final 7:53. Taylor Vander Plas scored a bucket in the paint for Cedarville to cut their deficit to one at 75-74 with 17 seconds remaining.
But OCU’s Logan McKee made a free throw to double the team’s lead before achieving the defensive play of the game with a block on Cedarville’s potential game-tying shot. The Eagles then sank two free throws to ice the victory.
Sydney Hill erupted for 22 of her game-high 24 points after halftime to lead the Eagles, and Roz Hamilton recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.
Cedarville’s Ryan finished with 23 points with five 3-pointers, and Kayla Jenerette recorded 18 points.
Oklahoma Christian will play in the NCCAA semifinals today at 8:45 p.m. against the winner of No. 2 seed California Baptist. Cedarville was scheduled to play Grace at 1:45 p.m. today.
ROBERTS WESLEYAN 81, UNION UNIVERSITY 75
Eighth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan nearly pulled off the upset of the tournament but fell 81-75 in overtime to No. 1 Union University.
The Redhawks tied the game in the final second of regulation, but top-seeded Union pulled away in overtime to advance to today’s NCCAA semifinals. The Lady Bulldogs will face No. 4 Southern Nazarene at 7 p.m. for a shot at the NCCAA national championship.
Union controlled action in the early stages of the game, taking a 13-2 lead after the tipoff. Roberts Wesleyan missed its first 10 field goal attempts. The Redhawks’ first basket of the game came with 12:43 remaining in the first half on a 3-pointer from Marissa Bunce.
The Lady Bulldogs held a double-digit lead into the second half and possessed a 60-48 lead with 7:18 to play. But Roberts Wesleyan battled back with a 14-0 run to take its first lead of the game on another 3-pointer from Bunce with 3:34 to play.
Union showed composure to take a late 67-64 advantage with 17 seconds to play, but Sarah Alwardt sent the game into overtime with an impressive individual effort.
Alwardt was fouled with three seconds left and proceeded to hit the first shot and, trailing by two points, missed the second shot intentionally. She then snagged the deflected rebound and drove left for the game-tying layup with seven-tenths of a second to play. Union was unable to get a shot off to send the game to overtime.
The overtime period was even until back-to-back 3-pointers from Union put the Lady Bulldogs ahead for good. Union sank six free throws in the final 1:19 to clinch the win.
Union’s Amy Philamlee made all 10 of her free throw attempts for 21 points and nine assists. Amber Rechis also drilled six 3-pointers for 18 points.
Brittany Williams led all players with 31 points and made 5 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc for the Redhawks, and Marissa Sell pounded out 28 points and 12 rebounds in the post.
Roberts Wesleyan was scheduled to face Shorter in the consolation bracket at noon today.
MEN’S CAPSULES
SHORTER 101, MID-AMERICA CHRISTIAN 89
Shorter’s men’s basketball team put on an offensive showcase in its opening game of the NCCAA National Championships with a 101-89 win over No. 4 Mid-America Christian.
The Hawks placed all five starters in double-digit scoring, shot over 50 percent from the field in each half and tallied at least 50 points in both halves.
Anthony Banks was a force on both ends of the court for Shorter with 33 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocked shots and 4 assists. Walter Hill also drilled five 3-pointers for 26 points for Shorter.
Shorter seized early control of the contest with a 25-6 run and never looked back. Mid-America trailed 50-32 at the halftime break.
The Evangels did their best to slice into Shorter’s lead in the second half with 57 points as a team after halftime, but their effort wasn’t enough to erase the Hawk’s halftime edge.
The Evangels used back-to-back 3-pointers from Camilo Valencia and Charlier Shorter to bring themselves back to 87-74 with 4:07 to play. But Shorter made enough offensive plays down the stretch to cruise to their double-digit victory.
Charlie Shorter scored 31 points on five 3-pointers to lead Mid-America’s offense, and Reggie Davis flirted with a triple-double by tallying 9 points, 11 boards and 7 assists.
Shorter will square off with Fresno Pacific in the semifinals on today at 3:30 p.m., while the Evangels were scheduled to tipoff at 8:30 a.m. today against Roberts Wesleyan in the consolation bracket.
OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN 83, SPRING ARBOR 59
Oklahoma Christian men’s coach Dan Hays reached a personal milestone with his 700th career coaching victory in the team’s 83-59 win over Spring Arbor in the first round of the NCCAA National Championships.
The Eagles blew open a 34-31 halftime advantage by outscoring the Cougars by 21 points after halftime.
An explosive first half from Spring Arbor’s Rob Hogans allowed the Cougars to lead for nearly the entire period. A late 14-4 spurt from the Eagles, however, lifted the team to a three-point halftime lead.
Five minutes into the second half, Oklahoma Christian made their move. The Eagles scored 17 unanswered points over a four-minute stretch to claim a 59-44 lead with 11:15 to play. Spring Arbor did not come closer than 12 points of the Eagles’ lead after that juncture.
Will Reinke tied for team scoring honors with 17 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots, and Nick Tate came off the bench to add 17 points.
The Cougars’ Hogans was the team’s primary offensive weapon with 26 points, including a 4-of-7 effort from the 3-point line.
Spring Arbor committed 17 turnovers, 11 of which came after halftime. Oklahoma Christian, on the other hand, made 19 of 33 from the floor in the second half.
The Eagles advanced to the semifinals today at 5:15 p.m. against the Cedarville. Spring Arbor was scheduled to play Tennessee Temple at 10:15 a.m. in the consolation bracket.
FRESNO PACIFIC 113, ROBERTS WESLEYAN 101
No. 1 Fresno Pacific and No. 8 Roberts Wesleyan teamed up for the most action-packed game of the first day of the NCCAA National Championships as Fresno Pacific won 113-101.
Fresno’s John Taylor scored 50 points to highlight the Sunbirds’ effort as they locked up a spot in today’s NCCAA semifinals.
Taylor scored early and often for the Sunbirds, tallying 29 first-half points on 10-of-14 shooting.
Roberts Wesleyan jumped out to an early 15-9 lead over the top-ranked Sunbirds, but Fresno charged back in front with a 14-2 run.
The Sunbirds maintained their lead through the first 15 minutes of the second half. The Redhawks refused to back down from the No. 1 seed, however, and retook the lead at 91-90 on a 3-pointer from Mike Stone with less than five minutes remaining.
Fresno Pacific earned the victory down the stretch by scoring 15 of the game’s next 18 points, coasting to their double-digit win.
Five players reached double figures for the victors, including Taylor, Malcolm Griffin, Rickey Vick, Matt Samuels and Antonio Credit. Taylor made 16 of 23 from the floor and 14 of 18 from the foul line for his 50-point outburst.
Stone paced Roberts Wesleyan with 31 points and made 3-pointers, while Tyrel Dixon added 28 points and four assists.
Fresno Pacific will face off against No. 5 Shorter today at 3:30 p.m. in the NCCAA semifinals, while Roberts Wesleyan was scheduled to play Mid-America Christian today at 8:30 a.m.
CEDARVILLE 87, TENNESSEE TEMPLE 58
Cedarville men’s basketball team made short work of No. 7 Tennessee Temple by the score of 87-58 in the first round of the NCCAA National Championships.
The Yellow Jackets shot 57 percent from the floor, including a 63-percent performance in the second half, to advance to today’s national semifinals against No. 3 Oklahoma Christian at 5:15 p.m.
Austin Foote, who led all players with 24 points, got Cedarville off to a fast start as the Yellow Jackets erupted for 12 straight points after the tipoff in less than two minutes. Foote scored eight of Cedarville’s first 12 points.
Tennessee Temple trailed by double figures for most of the contest. Foote’s 17 first-half points paced the Yellow Jackets to a 39-26 halftime cushion.
The Crusaders did their best to cut into Cedarville’s lead. After a pair of consecutive 3-pointers from Tennessee Temple, the Crusaders found themselves trailing by 10 points with 11 minutes remaining.
But within four minutes of the Crusaders’ run, Cedarville had ballooned its margin to 20 points to end any further threat of a comeback.
Foote hit 10 of 13 from the floor for 24 points. Jason Cuffee stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, six assists, four steals, three rebounds and no turnovers, and Daniel Hickman produced 13 points off the bench for Cedarville.
The Crusaders were highlighted offensively with 13 points from Elliot Johnson and 11 points from Hampton Mack.
Tennessee Temple was scheduled take on No. 6 Spring Arbor today at 10:15 a.m. in the consolation bracket.[[In-content Ad]]
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