Day Two: Recaps from the USCAA Basketball National Championships

This page will be updated throughout the day with recaps of all games from day two of the 2016 USCAA Basketball National Championships. 

FINAL SCORE: #8 The Apprentice School Builders 81, #4 Silver Lake College Lakers 74

RECORDS: The Apprentice School (13-11); Silver Lake (20-7)

LOCATION: Penn State Fayette Maltho Gymnasium, Uniontown, PA

IN BRIEF: The Apprentice School defeated Silver Lake College in the consolation bracket of the USCAA Women’s Division I Tournament Thursday morning.  The Builders were led by Ylexzis Traeger, who put up a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

ON THE COURT

• The Apprentice School stormed out to an early 11-2 lead to start the game.
• Silver Lake then scored nine straight to tie the game at the 2:38 mark.
• At the end of the first quarter, The Builders had a 19-15 lead.
• Apprentice extended their lead to as many as 8 late in the second quarter, but a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Silver Lakes’ Kaela Cheesman made the score 37-32 at half.
• Silver Lake rallied to tie the game at 42-42 at the 7:01 mark, and then took their first lead on their next possession with a Danelle Buck layup to make it 44-42.
• The game was back-and-forth for the next few possessions before Apprentice made a run to gain a 12-point advantage at 64-52 with 1:47 left to go in the third period.
• Silver Lake closed that gap to 64-56 at the end of the third quarter.
• The Lakers were able to come within 4 points of the Builders with a Jordan Barbeau jumper at 2:14, but The Apprentice School pulled away in the end, winning the game 81-74.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• The Apprentice School’s Ylexzis Traeger led all scorers with 22 points, while also adding 10 rebounds for the Builders.  Kenya Wilkerson and Courtney White were also in double figures for Apprentice, scoring 19 and 17 points, respectively.
• Silver Lake had a balanced scoring attack, with 10 players recording points.  The Lakers were led by Kaela Cheesman’s 14  points, while Amanda Kudick had 12 points, and Danelle Buck had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
• The Builders were able to take advantage of Laker miscues throughout the game, scoring 29 points off 19 Silver Lake turnovers.

NEXT UP

The Apprentice School closes their season with a 13-11 record, while Silver Lake fell to 20-7 on the year.

FINAL SCORE: #4 Florida National University Conquistadors 104, #8 The Apprentice School Builders 88

RECORDS: Florida National 18-11; Apprentice 12-12

LOCATION: Penn State Fayette Maltho Gymnasium, Uniontown, PA

IN BRIEF: The Florida National University Conquistadors set a new USCAA Men’s Division I record for team three-pointers in a game as they relied heavily on the long-ball to earn a 104-88 consolation game victory over The Apprentice School Thursday. 

ON THE COURT

• The Apprentice School jumped out to an early 7-3 lead, but a pair of Florida National three pointers allowed the Conquistadors to go up 9-7. 
• Apprentice built a 13-point lead by the 11:18 mark at 30-17, but FNU quickly stormed back, taking a 33-32 lead with 7:53 left in the half.
• Yves Goedschalk converted an and-one for FNU to extend the Conquistador lead to 36-32, but a pair of Willie Bass layups helped the Builders to retake the lead 38-36.
• From there, FNU went on a 14-2 run to go up 50-39 with a Regan O’Rourke three pointer with 2:45 left in the half.
• The Builders made put up an 8-2 run of their own to cut their halftime deficit to five at 52-47.
• The Conquistadors stormed out of the halftime locker room to take a 65-51 lead at the 17:33 mark, including three 3-pointers from Breejae Flonnoy.
• FNU extended their lead to 19 points (78-59) with 13:10 to go in the game off a John Hogan three pointer.
• The Builders then strung together 8 straight points to cut their deficit to 11 78-67 at the 10:51 mark, but would not be able to get any closer.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• FNU’s 18 three-pointers eclipsed the previous Division record of 13, previously held by the 2015 Conquistadors against Iowa Wesleyan and the 2014 Victory University squad against Rochester College.
• The Conquistadors were led in scoring by Yves Goedschalk, who recorded 22 points, while Quantavis Hall (20), John Hogan (15), and Regan O’Rourke (14) were also in double figures.  Additionally, Breejae Flonnoy recorded 20 points on the game, all of which were scored in the second half, including 6 three-pointers.  O’Rourke also distributed the ball well, collecting 10 assists for the game. 
• The Builders were paced by Michael Gainey and Jay Melendez, who both recorded double-doubles with 18 points, in addition to 11 and 12 rebounds, respectively.

NEXT UP

With the victory, Florida National improved to 18-11 on the year, while The Apprentice School ended the year with an even 12-12 record.

FINAL SCORE: #6 SUNY Canton Roos 70, #7 Berea College Mountaineers 55

RECORDS: SUNY Canton 19-4, Berea 16-9

LOCATION: Penn State Fayette Main Arena, Uniontown, PA

IN BRIEF: The SUNY Canton Roos defeated the Berea College Mountaineers 70-55 in the men’s division II consolation match.

ON THE COURT

• Sam Annorh, Khalil Bratton, and Romario Fletcher took control of the first half by scoring 26 of the Roos 34 points in the first half. Fletcher was one rebound away from a double-double during the contest.
• Fletcher extended SUNY Canton’s lead to 10 with under eight minutes to play after forcing a steal and following with a dunk.
• Berea only scored five points in the final five minutes of the game as the Roos extended their lead and closed out the game.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• The Mountaineers First-Team All-American, Richard Parker, led all players with 14 points at halftime. He finished with 20 points, three assists, and was perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe. Honorable Mention All-American, Corey Wise, added 13 points of his own, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out four assists.
• The Roos had four players in double figure scoring with Khalil Bratton having a team-high 16 points. As a team they shot 43% from the floor.

NEXT UP

Berea College finishes the season with a record of 16-10 and will return both Parker and Wise next year. SUNY Canton finishes the season at 20-4 and leaves the tournament with a 1-1 record on the week. 

FINAL SCORE: #3 Berea College 74, #7 Carlow University 50

RECORDS: Berea College 14-12, Carlow University 14-13;

LOCATION: Penn State Fayette Main Arena, Uniontown, PA

IN BRIEF: The Berea College Mountaineers shot 46% from behind the arc has they defeated the Carlow University Celtics 74-50

ON THE COURT

• Berea led at the end of the first quarter 20-5 with freshmen, Bethanie Williams making 11 of her team’s last 14 points including consecutive three pointers.
• Carlow was able to close the gap to just five points halfway through the second quarter thanks to some hot shooting. The Mountaineers appeared to pull away in the closing minutes of the quarter but Natalie Alexander sank a shot from behind the arc to cut the lead down to six before halftime.
• The third quarter saw Berea step up their defense and force tough shots from the Celtics. Berea opened up a 22 point lead by the close of the third quarter, en route to the win.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• Bethanie Williams, of Berea, came off the bench and scored a game-high 19 points in 26 minutes of play. Adrianna Williams, Kiley Barnard, and Jaime Roberts all chipped in with double-digits points.
• Zacchea Small was dominate inside pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds and getting three steals.
• The Celtics shot 85% from the free throw line and were led by Bria Rathway who was 3-3 from the line and finished with a team-high 12 points.

Berea finished 14-12 on the year but their first-team All-American, Adriana Williams will return next year. Carlow finishes the year 14-16 and will only be graduating one senior, second team All-American Lynzi Mueller. 

FINAL SCORE: #10 Central Maine Community College Mustangs 91, #9 University of Maine Presque Isle Owls 73

RECORDS: Central Maine (22-10); Maine Presque Isle (13-13)

LOCATION: Penn State Fayette Maltho Gymnasium, Uniontown, PA

IN BRIEF: In the consolation bracket of the Men’s Division I USCAA Tournament, Central Maine Community College jumped out to an early 9-0 lead in the game’s opening minutes and never looked back, defeating Maine Presque Isle by a score of 91-73.

ON THE COURT

• The Central Maine Mustangs jumped out to an early 9-0 lead at the 17:50 mark of the game, which included four baskets by four different players.
• Maine Presque Isle then put up seven straight to make it 9-7 at the 15:23 mark.
• The Owls would keep within two possessions of the Mustangs until a Jordan White layup put Central Maine up 22-15 with 9:43 to go in the half.
• The Mustangs would extend their lead to as much as 17 points near the end of the half, leading 43-26 with 1:00 to go. 
• Central Maine ended up taking a 45-30 lead into the halftime locker room, with Rob Skinner leading the Mustangs in the first half with 11 points.
• The Owls got within 11 of Central Maine at the 18:28 mark of the second half following a pair of made free throws by Kevin Collins.  However, the Mustangs would extend their lead to 19 with 15:30 left to play, 57-38.
• From there, Maine Presque Isle battled back, reeling off 11 straight points to make it 57-49 with 12:49 to play.
• Maine Presque Isle would keep the game in the single digits until the 6:48 mark, when a pair of Carrington Miller free throws would put the Mustangs up by double digits for good.
• Central Maine would pull away in the waning minutes and win by a score of 91-73.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• CMCC’s Pietro Badalassi recorded a double-double, tallying game highs in both points (23) and rebounds (14).  Carrington Miller was also in double digit points, scoring 21, as was Rob Skinner with 16 points.
• Cahse Vicaire and Kevin Collins each scored 15 points for the Owls, while Derek Healy added 10 points.
• Central Maine was a perfect 9 for 9 from the charity stripe for the game.
• The Mustangs outrebounded the Owls 52-34, and dished out 25 assists on 37 made baskets.

NEXT UP

Central Maine Community College finished the season with a 22-10 record, while Maine Presque Isle fell to 13-13.

FINAL SCORE: #4 Warren Wilson College Owls 82, #5 University of Maine Machias Clippers 65

RECORDS: Warren Wilson (18-13); Maine Machias (14-11)

LOCATION: Penn State Fayette Maltho Gymnasium, Uniontown, PA

IN BRIEF: After a tight first half, Warren Wilson College pulled away from University of Maine Machias for an 82-68 win in the quarterfinals of the USCAA Men’s Division II Tournament.  The Owls used a balanced scoring attack in the win, with four players scoring in double figures, including Steve Horton, Jr. and Devin Davis, who scored 16 points each.

ON THE COURT

• Warren Wilson and Maine Machias played an extremely tight back-and-forth quarterfinal contest.
• Only once in the first half did either team have more than a two possession lead, and that was when the Clippers went up 14-7 on a three-pointer by Brandon Blakely.
• Although the game was tight in the first half, Maine Machias maintained a slim lead until the 9:19 mark when Warren Wilson’s Devin Davis converted an and-one to tie the game at 22 apiece.
• The Owls took the lead with 7:39 to go in the half, going up 29-25 with a three-pointer by Tyler Triplett.
• The Clippers then went on a 7-1 run, regaining the lead at 32-30 with 3:19 to go.
• Warren Wilson went on to score the last four points of the half to take a 35-34 lead into the locker room – a lead that they would never relinquish.
• In all, the first half saw three ties and six lead changes.
• The Owls pushed their lead to six early in the second half when Steve Horton, Jr., converted an and-one at the 18:32 mark to make the score 42-36.
• The closest Maine Machias would come was with 17:42 to go in the game when a layup by Dexter Moore made it 42-41.
• It remained a two-possession game until a Timmy Johnson three-pointer game the Owls a 51-43 advantage with 15:19 to go. 
• Warren Wilson took their first double digit lead at 10:55 with a Jaquann Lockhart layup to make it 58-48.
• The Owls’ largest lead would come with 8:41 to go, a 65-50 advantage following an and-one conversion by Horton, Jr.
• The Clippers were able to make it a two-possession game on three different occasions in the last five minutes, but Warren Wilson scored the last eight points of the game to seal the victory.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• Steve Horton, Jr. and Devin Davis had eerily similar lines for Warren Wilson, as each scored 16 points on 6 for 9 shooting and pulled down 6 rebounds.  Additionally, Justin Gonyea and Tyler Triplett each chipped in 10 points for the Owls.
• Clipper Ben Teer led all scorers with 24 points, while teammate Ivory Sneed, Jr., had a game-high 10 rebounds.  Jorge Milo and Brandon Blakely each scored 12 points.

NEXT UP

#4 Warren Wilson advances to face the winner between #1 Berkeley College NY and #8 St. Joseph’s College VT Friday at 5:00 p.m. in Main Arena.  Maine Machias will face the loser of that game at Noon Friday in Maltho Gymnasium in a consolation contest.

FINAL SCORE: #3 Penn State Mont Alto 80, #6 Johnson & Wales University (NC) 82

RECORDS: Penn State Mont Alto 22-5; Johnson & Wales University (NC) 14-12

LOCATION: Penn State Fayette Main Arena, Uniontown, PA

IN BRIEF: In a double overtime thriller the Johnson & Wales University (NC) Wildcats defeated the Penn State Mont Alto 82-80. There were 15 lead changes in what has been closest game of the tournament.

ON THE COURT

• Penn State Mont Alto jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the opening two minutes of the first half.
• Nick Crawford led all players with 13 points at the end of the first half. He was 6-8 from the floor and had three steals.
• The Wildcats came out of the locker room to start the second half and turned a 36-24 halftime deficit into a lead three minutes into the second half. Moments later, Mykel Barber of Penn State Mont Alto, answered with a three pointer to retake the lead 39-38.
• Each team traded baskets for the remainder of the second half with neither team able to take control of the game. At the end of regulation the score was tied 65-65.
• In the first overtime Mont Alto took the early lead, but Barber scored four straight points to give the Wildcats back the lead. With 19 seconds remaining in the overtime period Nick Crawford nailed a jump shot to tie the game at 73-73 and force a second overtime.
• In the second overtime Johnson & Wales took an early 75-73 lead on a Rickey Porter jumper. Mont Alto regained the 78-77 lead when Jalen Smith nailed another three pointer. Crawford scored what would prove to be the winning bucket with under five seconds to play, giving the Wildcats an 81-80 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• Crawford finished with a game high 28 points. He was one assist away from a triple double with nine assists and ten rebounds. Johnson & Wales had five players with double digit points including Michael Cuthbertson who finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.  
• Barber led PSU Mont Alto with 22 points in 26 minutes of action and shot 60% from behind the arc. Jerome Evans pulled down 16 rebounds and contributed 13 points.
• Johnson and Wales scored 27 points off of Mont Alto’s 26 turnovers in 50 minutes of play.

NEXT UP

Johnson & Wales University (NC) will advance and play Central Penn College tomorrow at 3:00 pm in Main Arena as both teams fight for a spot in the Men’s Division II National Championship game. Penn State Mont Alto will play Penn State Fayette on Friday at 10:00 am EST in a consolation match.

FINAL SCORE:#1 Berkeley College NY Knights 88, #8 St. Joseph’s College VT Fighting Saints 69

RECORDS: Berkeley College NY (22-1); St. Joseph’s VT (20-10)

LOCATION: Penn State Fayette Maltho Gymnasium, Uniontown, PA

IN BRIEF: The top-seeded Berkeley NY Knights defeated #8 St. Joseph’s VT Thursday 88-69 to advance to the semifinals of the USCAA Division II Championship.  Johnnie Green led the Knights with 17 points and 12 rebounds as the team pulled away in the second half.  St. Joseph’s Antonio Gordon led all scorers with 18 points in the losing effort.

ON THE COURT

• Berkeley NY jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead to start the game, and went on to establish a 16-6 lead at the 15:35 mark of the first half.
• St. Joseph’s then went on a run of its own to tie the game at 21 with 8:05 to play in the half.
• Then, the Knights took their first lead of the game 27-23 thanks to a four-point play by Joshua McAfee, who was fouled on a made three and converted the and-one attempt at the 6:06 mark.
• Berkeley regained the lead 31-29 on a Stephon Jennings layup with 3:13 to go in the half.
• St. Joseph’s then hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 31 with 3:10 remaining in the half, which would prove to be final tie of the contest.
• Over the final three minutes, the Knights went on an 11-4 run to take a 42-35 lead into the half-time break.
• Berkeley established a 10-point lead at the 17:20 mark of the second half with a Johnnie Green layup, and the Knights would maintain a double digit lead for the remainder of the contest.
• The Berkeley lead would grow to 24 on three different occasions in the second half.
• In the end, the Berkeley would go on to claim an 88-69 victory over St. Joseph’s.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• Four Berkeley Knights were in double figures, led by Johnnie Green’s 17, while Massiah Merrit and Stephon Jennings each had 16 points, and Tasheen Carrow recorded 10 points.
• Green and Jennings also recorded double digit rebounding efforts with 12 boards apiece.
• St. Joseph’s Antonio Gordon led all scorers with 18 points on 6 of 12 shooting.  Kareem Brown was the only other Fighting Saint to score double figures, finishing with 14 points.
• St. Joseph’s distributed the ball well, recording 24 assists on their 33 made baskets.
• All 11 Knights who saw action Thursday evening got into the scoring column.

NEXT UP

Berkeley NY advances to face Warren Wilson College in the semi-finals Friday at 5:00 p.m. in Main Arena.  St. Joseph’s will face Maine Machias at Noon Friday in Maltho Gymnasium in a consolation contest.