USCAA Basketball National Championships: Day One Recaps
#7 Berkeley College (NJ) 91, #10 Penn State Fayette 88 (OT)
In the last game of the night, seventh-seeded Berkeley College-New Jersey defeated tenth-seeded and host of the 2014 USCAA National Basketball Championship Tournament, Penn State Fayette, in overtime by a score of 91-88.
Overtime between the two teams came down to free throws as Berkeley College converted more than the Roaring Lions down the stretch. The Knights connected on 3 of 6 free throws whereas the Lions went 0 for 2 and committed a costly turnover. Despite missing their free throws at the end overtime, the Lions still had an opportunity to force a second overtime as junior guard, Derek Jones, was able to get a good look from beyond the arc that hit the front rim to end the game.
Leading the way for Berkeley College-New Jersey was William Morton who scored 24 points while shooting 8 of 14 from the floor. Keeping Penn State Fayette in the game was junior guard Matt Mckenna, who poured in 27 points on 7 of 15 shooting while going 12-15 from the free throw line.
Berkeley College-New Jersey advances to the second round to face #2 Penn State York in the Main Arena on Thursday at 2:00 PM. Penn State Fayette moves onto the consolation bracket to face Berkeley College-New York at 1:15 PM on Thursday at Maltho.
#8 Penn State Beaver 76, #9 Berkeley College (NY) 68
Eighth-seeded Penn State Beaver defeated ninth-seeded Berkeley College of New York, 76-68, to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2014 National Basketball Championship Tournament.
With the matchup closely contested for the entire game, Penn State Beaver was able to pull away in the final minutes of the contest by hitting their free throws. Free throws were a huge difference in the game as Penn State Beaver connected on 28 of 36 (78%) free throws while Berkeley College (NY) only connected on 10 of 19 (53%) from the charity stripe.
USCAA 1st Team All-American, Rob Agurs, paced the Lions with 26 points and five rebounds. Agurs set new records for free throws attempted and made by going 16-22. The broken records were previously owned by David Winns of Penn State Fayette. Also chipping in for the Lions was senior forward Chris Weathers, as he scored 12 of the first 14 points for the Lions to finish with 25 points. Leading the way for the Knights of Berkeley College (NY) was sophomore guard Keenan Langston, and senior guard Jovan Bovell, with 14 and 13 points respectively.
The Lions will now face the number one overall seed in Men’s Division II, Central Maine Community College Thursday at 5:30pm at Maltho gymnasium.
#2 Rochester College 63 - #7 The Apprentice School 72
In one of several upsets on the first day of the USCAA Basketball National Championships, the defending Men’s Division I National Champions, Rochester College, fell to The Apprentice School, 72-63.
The Rochester College Warriors led 30-19 with two minutes remaining in the first half before The Apprentice School Builders went on an 8-0 run to close the half and bring the game to within three. The Builders would finally take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish with just less than 10 minutes left in the second half. Apprentice was paced by Johnnie Ferebee with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Also chipping in for the Builders was Lance Darden with 14 points and Jamal Curry with 10 points and 6 rebounds. Stavros Schizas led the Warriors with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
The Apprentice School Builders will advance to take on #6 Tennessee Temple University on Thursday at 10:00 PM in the Main Arena in the Men’s Division I semifinals. Rochester College will face off against Victory University at 10:00 AM in Main Arena consolation action against Victory University.
#4 Washington Adventist University 67 - #5 Robert Morris University-Springfield 58
Fourth-seeded, Washington Adventist University defeats fifth-seeded, Robert Morris University-Springfield by a score of 67-58 to advance to the second round of the 2014 USCAA National Basketball Championship Tournament.
Washington Adventist was able to jump out to an 11 to 2 lead over the RMU Eagles within the first 5 minutes of play and take control of the game as they would never trail for the entirety of the game. Despite shooting nearly 50% from the floor and controlling the glass, the Shock could never comfortably rid themselves of the Eagles who were able to force 16 turnovers but could manage only 7 points for their efforts.
Senior forward, Anthony Berry, paced the Shock as he recorded a double-double with 18 points (8-14fg) and 11 rebounds. Also leading the Shock was freshmen guard and USCAA 2nd Team All-American, Eric Lindsey, with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Junior forward, Will Brooks, led the way for the Eagles with 18 points and 8 rebounds.
Washington Adventist University will now move on to play the number one overall seed of the tournament, Daemen College on Thursday at 8:00pm in the Main Arena.
#3 Victory University 70 - #6 Tennessee Temple University 73
In the first overtime game of the 2014 USCAA Basketball National Championships, Tennessee Temple University used a late second-half comeback and an 8-0 run in overtime to upset #3 Victory University, 73-70.
Down 53-43 with 11 minutes remaining in the second half, Tennessee Temple’s Elliot Johnson scored five straight points to spearhead an 11-0 run that gave the Crusaders their first lead in the game. Johnson would then add eight of Tennessee Temple’s 12 points in overtime to finish with 31 points (10-24) and 10 rebounds. Travaris Clarke chipped in 12 points for the Crusaders. Victory University was paced by Mike Davis with 19 points and Marcus Guy who added 15 points.
Tennessee Temple University will move on to face the winner of #2 Rochester College versus #7 The Apprentice School at 10:00 PM in the Main Arena on Thursday. Victory University will move to the consolation bracket where they will face the loser of that game.
#1 Daemen College 95 - #8 Concordia College Alabama 82
The number one overall seed in the 2014 USCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, Daemen College, moves onto the second round after defeating the eighth-seeded Hornets of Concordia College-Alabama, 95-82.
The first half featured back and forth action between the two teams which included three lead changes and ending with the Hornets leading at half by a score of 40-38. The Wildcats would then start the second half on a 22-4 run to take control of the ball game. The Hornets would make several runs to close the gap but could not overcome the hot shooting of Daemen College as the Wildcats converted on nearly 60% of their shots.
Leading the way for the Wildcats with a record breaking performance was junior big man and USCAA 1st Team All-American, Gerald Beverly, who recorded a double-double with a USCAA National Basketball Championship Tournament single game scoring record of 40 points and 11 rebounds. Also chipping in for the Wildcats was USCAA 2nd Team All-American, Casey Sheehan, with 26 points and 6 rebounds. Tavin Cummings and Frederick Turner led Concordia College-Alabama with 19 points each.
Daemen College now moves onto the second round of the 2014 USCAA National Basketball Tournament to face the winner of the #4 Washington Adventist University and #5 Robert Morris University-Springfield match-up Thursday at 8:00pm in the Main Arena.
#2 Ave Maria University 91 - #7 St. Joseph’s College-Brooklyn 61
In the final first-round matchup in the Women’s Division I bracket, the second-seeded Ave Maria University Gyrenes defeated the seventh-seeded St. Joseph’s College-Brooklyn Lady Bears 91-61.
Despite the Lady Bears shooting 49% on the game (63.6% in the first half), the Lady Gyrenes dominated the game from the opening tip. Ave Maria outrebounded the Lady Bears 47-29, with 24 offensive rebounds leading to 23 second chance points. Ave Maria also capitalized on turnovers, forcing 16, resulting in 26 points.
USCAA 1st Team All-American Annie Artise led the Lady Gyrenes with 15 points and seven rebounds. Cassie Krieger, Erin Murphy, Lauren Peters, and USCAA Honorable Mention All-American Tamica Mora finished in double figures for Ave Maria. Megan Moran led the Lady Bears with 18 points (8-13) with Samantha Retas tallied 13 rebounds.
St. Joseph’s College-Brooklyn will face #6 University of Maine-Fort Kent at 8:00 AM in the Main Arena on Thursday. Ave Maria University advances to play #3 Robert Morris University-Springfield in the semifinals at 1:00 PM in the Main Arena on Friday.
#4 The Apprentice School 74, #5 Rochester College 59
Fourth-seeded The Apprentice School of Newport News, Virginia defeated fifth-seeded Rochester College by a score of 74-59.
The Apprentice School used a 16-0 run early in the first half to take a 29-20 lead going into halftime. The Builders continued their aggressive ball pressure in the second half as the Lady Warriors would go on to commit 26 turnovers for the game which turned into 22 points for the Builders.
Keeping the Lady Warriors in the game was senior forward, Megan Heiden, who scored 24 points on 50% shooting (7-14) while bringing in 9 rebounds. Leading the way for the Builders was junior guard, Shanae Hilliard who poured in 20 points. Also helping the Builders to victory was senior forward, Courtney Collins, who added 20 points and hauled in 6 rebounds.
The Apprentice School will play number eight seed, Concordia College-Alabama, Friday at 11:00 in the Main Arena in the semifinals. Rochester College will move to the consolation portion of the 2014 USCAA National Basketball Championship Tournament to face Iowa Wesleyan College on Thursday at 9:15 AM in the Maltho gymnasium.
#3 RMU Springfield 84 - #6 University of Maine-Fort Kent 64
In Women’s Division I tournament action, the third-seeded Robert Morris University-Springfield Lady Eagles defeated the University of Maine-Fort Kent Lady Bengals 84-64.
Led by 1st Team All-American, Cassandra Baker, the Lady Eagles jumped out to a 16-0 lead and never looked back. Baker finished the game with 23 points (10-18 shooting), 14 rebounds, and five assists. Tamara Abu Tayeh added 15 points. The Lady Eagles shot nearly 47% from the field in the victory. University of Maine-Fort Kent was paced by Samantha Carapellucci (13 points) and Alexis Warne (13 points, 9 rebounds).
Robert Morris University-Springfield will advance to face the winner of #2 Ave Maria University versus #7 St. Joseph’s College Brooklyn at 1:00 PM on Friday in the Main Arena. University of Maine-Fort Kent will face the loser of that game in consolation action on Thursday at 8:00am.
#1 Iowa Wesleyan 56 - #8 Concordia College Alabama 71
In the first matchup of the 2014 USCAA National Basketball Championship Tournament, the number eight seeded Concordia College Alabama Lady Hornets upset the number one overall team in Women's Division I Basketball, Iowa Wesleyan College, by a score of 71-56.
The Lady Hornets used their speed, quickness, and pressure defense to bother Iowa Wesleyan throughout the game. Concordia's ability to score 22 points off of 18 Iowa Wesleyan turnovers proved to be a big difference in the game.
Leading the way for the Lady Hornets was USCAA 1st Team All-American, Tykeria Johnson, who had a game high 28 points on 10-15 shooting from the floor. Johnson started the game scoring the first 11 points for the Lady Hornets. Leading the way for Iowa Wesleyan was another USCAA 1st Team All-American in Karla Vietinghoff who scored 19 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.
The Lady Hornets will now move on to the second round to face the winner of the 4/5 matchup between The Apprentice School and Rochester College at 11:00am on Friday in the Main Arena.