LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball teams finished out the regular season this week in preparation for the conference tournament February 27-March 1.
Texas Lutheran University took down Southwestern University to earn a share of the regular season title and take the top seed for the tournament, while Centenary College earned their share last week. Southwestern fell to TLU, but defeated non-conference opponent UC-Santa Cruz Saturday afternoon.
The University of Dallas defeated Austin College to secure a fourth-seed, while Colorado College did not play this week, but will enter the tournament in the fifth spot.
Schreiner University fell to Trinity University on the road, but will enter the tournament in the sixth and final spot.
Austin College
The ‘Roos finished out the season this weekend
against Dallas on the road before hosting UC-Santa Cruz Sunday
afternoon. Friday night, Cedric Hudson led the scoring attack,
posting 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, followed by Brian Baehl with
12. Austin Freet led the team with four rebounds in the game, while
Alvin Michael posted a game-high three blocks. The ‘Roos shot
.429 from the floor, but could couldn’t stop a hot-shooting
Crusaders’ team, who shot .509 from the field, .636 from
distance and .900 from the charity stripe. Sunday, the ‘Roos
hosted UCSC, defeating the Banana Slugs 68-58. Kevin Graham
dominated from long-range, making 7-of-8 three-pointers, while
posting 26 points. Graham also grabbed three rebounds, a steal and
dished out four assists. Alvin Michael was the only other
double-digit scorer, adding 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Harry
Hampden-Smith led the team with eight rebounds in the game,
followed by seven from Aaron Anwary and six from Michael. AC shot
.543 from the floor and held a 43-31 rebounding advantage, but
committed 26 turnovers in the game that led to 19 points for
UCSC.
Centenary College
The Gents completed conference play last weekend, but
traveled to McMurry University for a non-conference battle this
week. The Gents pulled out a last second win after Travion
Kirkendoll made a layup with one second remaining on the clock to
win the game 86-85. Kirkendoll led five Centenary players in
double-digit scoring with 21 points. James Sapp posted 16, while
Kendall Demouchet and Brandon Campbell came off the bench for 13
and 12 points, respectively. Caden Cheramie rounded out the top
scorers with 10 points in the game. The Gents connected on .518
from the field on the night, including a .462 clip from behind the
arc.
Colorado College
The CC Tigers did not compete this week.
University of Dallas
The Crusaders played host to Arlington Baptist this week
before taking on Austin College in the final regular season games.
Four players notched double-digit scoring in the matchup with ABC,
as Dallas took down the Patriots 107-93. Aaron Wyatt led with 18
points followed by Anthony Johnson and Tom Kaiser with 12 apiece
and Michael Hampson with 10. This 107 point total is the first
century-mark for the Crusaders in 15 years. UD shot .567 from the
field and .579 from distance, connecting on 11 three-pointers.
Victor Garate went 3-of-3 from long-range, while Hampson went
3-of-4 from behind the arc. In their final matchup of conference
play, the Crusaders took on Austin College, fighting for the number
four seed in the tournament. The Crusaders ended up with an 83-66
win at home. Kaiser came off the bench to lead the team with 18
point, followed by 14 from Kym Malone, 11 from Blaine Blackburn and
10 from Lorenzo Gonzalez. The Crusaders shot over 50% from the
field and from three-point range for the second game in a row. This
marks the sixth game in a row that UD has shot over .400 from
distance. Wyatt led the team with eight rebounds, while Malone
dished out a game-high five assists and three steals. This win
secured the fourth seed for the Crusaders.
Schreiner University
The Mountaineers fell at Trinity this weekend 70-66 in
their final regular season game. Wes Miller led the Schreiner
offense with 14 points, while Jared Thompson and Dustin Bercutt
followed with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Hollis Robinson
posted a game-high seven rebounds and three blocks for the
Mountaineers. Despite shooting .500 from the field, .429 from
behind the arc and .870 from the charity stripe, SU committed 15
turnovers in the game, while only forcing four by the Tigers. The
Mountaineers will enter the upcoming SCAC tournament in the sixth
seed.
Southwestern University
The Pirates headed to Seguin this weekend to take on
Texas Lutheran in their final regular season SCAC game. After
leading by three at halftime, the Pirates couldn’t hold off
the Bulldogs and they fell 75-63. Adrian Johnson led the team with
14 points while dishing out a game high eight assists. Zach
Whitlock came in right behind him with 13 points, while Travis
Kurtz rounded out the top scorers with 11. The Pirates shot .411
from the field and .409 from behind the arc. The following day, SU
hosted UC-Santa Cruz, defeating the Banana Slugs 74-56. Blake Scott
led the team with 15 points and nine rebounds in the game. Chris
Lee posted a 13 point effort as the team’s only other
double-digit scorer. The SU defense held UCSC to just four three
pointers and an outside shooting percentage of .167. The Pirates
will continue their season at the SCAC tournament as the No.3
seed.
Texas Lutheran University
The Bulldogs continued their remarkable season with a win
over Southwestern this weekend, earning the top seed in the
upcoming SCAC tournament, and a share of the regular season title.
After trailing by three points at halftime, the TLU offense went on
a 25-13 run to begin the second half, taking a 57-48 lead with 7:29
remaining in the game. Despite efforts by the Pirates to come back,
it was all TLU as the Bulldogs went on to win 75-63. Jordan
Kouremetis led the team with 15 points in the game, while Donte
McGee posted his ninth double-double of the year with 14 points and
12 rebounds. Zach Behr rounded out the top scorers with 11 points.
The Bulldogs held a 47-32 rebounding advantage and forced 14
turnovers by the Pirates that led to 13 points. With this win, the
Bulldogs earned the top seed in the SCAC tournament.
Trinity University
The Tigers finished out their season with a win over
Schreiner this weekend, taking down the Mountaineers 70-66. Matt
Selling led the team with 23 points in the game, while A.J. Pulliam
and Matt Jones posted 18 and 14, respectively. Jones and Pulliam
each grabbed a team-leading five rebounds, while Jimmy Clark dished
out a game-high five assists. Khambrel Roach tied a Schreiner
player for with three blocks, the most among all players. Trinity
committed just four turnovers in the game, but forced 15 by the
Mountaineers, which led to 16 points. The teams faced 13 ties and
13 lead changes throughout the game.