Men's and Women's Day 1 Recap
Men's Division I
Bluefield State 85, Paul Quinn College 80
The #1 seed in the Men’s Division I bracket, Paul Quinn suffered a first-round upset to #8 Bluefield State in a back and forth battle. Five players scored in double figures for the Tigers, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Malik Tidwell’s 19 and Kaine McColley’s 17 points for the Big Blue. Tidwell and McColley both iced the game with free throws to send Bluefield State to the semifinals.
Salem - 59; Bryant & Stratton (Syracuse) - 45
4 Salem handled #5 B&S Syracuse in the final men’s matchup of the day from Virginia State University. It was a one-point game at halftime, but Salem outscored B&S Syracuse 35-22 in the second, pulling away at the end. The Tigers were sparked by Stan Smith who caught fire from long range, sinking five threes on 10 attempts and finishing with 19 points. Riley Heatherington also added a double double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Salem goes on to face #8 Bluefield State on Wednesday, March 15 at 12 p.m. with a trip to the Men’s Division I finals on the line.
Bryant & Stratton Buffalo-73 ; Atlantis University-64
The #2 seeded Bobcats of Bryant & Stratton - Buffalo started the game out slowly due to the physicality of #7 seed Atlantis but picked up the tenacity of their play behind Sam Dorissaint’s offensive arsenal. He led his team with 20 points and an efficient 8-9 from the free throw line including two late free throws under 50 seconds to put Buffalo up by 6 points. Bryant & Stratton went on to defeat Atlantis University 74 to 63. They will face the winner of The Apprentice School vs Mississippi University for Women at Virginia State University at 10AM on March 14th.
Apprentice School-73 ; Mississippi University for Women-67
3 seed The Apprentice School defeated Mississippi University for Women 73-67 led by Shawn Eley and Adrian Wall who both notched 14 points. Both teams played a physically defensive game, but ultimately The Apprentice School earned the right to face Bryant & Stratton - Buffalo March 15th at 10:00AM at Virginia State University.
Men's Division II
#9 Penn State Greater Allegheny - 68; #8 Southern Maine - CC 55
PSU Greater Allegheny advanced to the second round of the tournament with a dominant second half performance against Southern Maine CC. Greater Allegheny’s leading scorer was sophomore guard Jeremiah Miller with 20 points and sophomore forward Bryce Phillips contributed with a 12-point and 11-rebound double-double. Southern Maine was led by sophomore guard Jack Pyzynski’s 17-point game. Greater Allegheny will play #1 seed Penn State Wilkes-Barre in the second round Tuesday, March 14 at 6 p.m. Southern Maine will play a consolation game Tuesday, March 14 at 8 a.m.
#10 Greater Bay CC – 79; #7 Villa Maria – 67
Greater Bay advanced to the second round of the tournament with a second half comeback against Villa Maria. Greater Bay’s leading scorer was freshman guard Kingsley Breen with 27 points and sophomore forward Theodore Wolfe contributed a 16-point and 13-rebound double-double. Villa Maria was led by senior guard Rhalon Bragg’s 21-point game. Greater Bay will play the #2 seed Penn State Mount Alto in the second round Tuesday, March 14 at 6 p.m. Villa Maria will play a consolation game Tuesday, March 14 at 8 a.m. against Southern Maine CC.
Women's Division I
Bluefield State- 113 ; Carlow- 62
The #2 seed Bluefield State Big Blues never trailed in its quarter final match against #7 seed Carlow as they advanced to the semifinals with a 113-62 win. Essence Cowan led the way for the Big Blues with 22 points as she hit six of her seven shots from beyond the arc. Aerihna Afoa also pitched in with 21 points off the bench. Bluefield State’s impressive win started out early with a massive 15-0 run to open up the game which lasted for a majority of the first quarter.
D’Youville- 75 ; The Apprentice School- 48
The #3 seed D’Youville Saints started out hot and never looked back as they cruised past the #6 seed Apprentice Builders 75-48. Brianne Moxley paced both teams in scoring, putting up a 20-point night in the Saints victory. Moxley was one of three double-digit scorers for the Saints in the victory. Jada Bryant and Amaya Ray each had 13 points for the Builders leading the team. D’Youville will now advance to the USCAA Women’s Division 1 Semifinals against #2 seed Bluefield.
Salem University- 97 ; Bryant & Stratton Albany- 50
#4 Salem stormed out to a strong start against #5 Bryant & Stratton - Albany to build up a lead behind four players with double figures in points in order to advance 97-50. They face #1 Bryant & Stratton - Buffalo at 8PM on March 14th at Virginia State University.
Women's Division II
Penn State Beaver-74 ; Christendom College-69
#8 Penn State Beaver advance to the next round of the USCAA National Basketball Championships behind Alison Boykin’s 30 points in a tight thriller vs #9 Christendom college. After a hard fought contest, #8 Penn State defeated #9 Christendom College, 74-69.
University of Maine Augusta-94 ; Central Penn- 84
#7 University of Maine Augusta survives a thrilling double overtime matchup against #10 Central Penn in the first round. Led by Alysin Alley 32 points UMA won by a score of 94 to 84 and advance tomoroow to play #2 UC Clermont a 2:00 pm at Richard Bland college.