LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Austin College opened the season 1-0, defeating Howard Payne, while the University of Dallas started the new campaign in the Nation's Capital 1-1. Trinity went to the West Coast and brought home a win to start the year 1-2.
AROUND THE SCAC
The Austin College men's basketball team kicked the season off with an offensive explosion in a 104-92 win over Howard Payne on Saturday night, as the 'Roos hit 17-of-40 three pointers and handed out 30 assists as a team while 13 players scored in the victory. Ransom Okpala led the way with 19 points and added nine rebounds, and freshman Brian Baehl scored 16 and handed out seven assists. Jeremy Swisher added 13 points, while Jordan Hancock scored 11 and also dished out seven assists. Cody Meyers also finished in double figures with 10 points. For the game, the 'Roos shot 50.7% from the field as a team.
Centenary was idle this weekend, but tips off their season on Tuesday when they take on LSU-Shreveport. Tip off is set from the Gold Dome for 7:30 PM.
Colorado College tips off the season against the University of Puget Sound on Friday, Nov. 22, and Whitworth University on Saturday, Nov, 23, in Spokane, Wash. CC returns four starters and 14 letter winners from the 2012-13 squad that finished the season with 16-11 overall record. The Tigers are led by a pair of first-team all-conference selections, senior point guard Ryan Milne and junior forward Chris Lesnansky. Milne led the league in assists (4.6), 3-point field goals (2.1) and minutes played (35.3) per game. He also finished fifth in scoring (14.4) and was seventh in steals (1.1). Lesnansky earned all-SCAC honors for the first time after finishing the regular season ranked among the conference leaders in several statistical categories. He was fourth in scoring (15.4), rebounding (7.0) and field-goal percentage (.487), as well as eighth in free-throw percentage (.678) and minutes played (28.8). Lesnansky, the 2012 SCAC Newcomer of the Year, set single-season highs with 386 points and 176 rebounds last season.
The Dallas men's basketball team (1-1) opened their 2013-14 season over the weekend at Marymount University's Pablo Coto Tip-Off Tournament in Arlington, Va. On Saturday, the Crusaders prevailed 71-69 over Lebanon Valley College (Penn.). In Sunday's championship game, head coach Jarred Samples' squad was bested 61-53 by Marymount. Junior forward Aaron Wyatt was named to the All-Tournament Team, as he averaged 13.5 points and 11.5 rebounds. This week, Dallas will host their Tip-Off Classic at the Maher Athletic Center -- St. Joseph's College-N.Y. (Friday, 8 p.m.); University of the Ozarks-Ark. (Saturday, 3 p.m.).
Schreiner went 0-2 this week with losses to Pacific Lutheran on Friday, 76-75, and Puget Sound, 68-65, on Saturday in the Doug McArthur Classic in Tacoma, Wash. Schreiner will continue this week with their home opener against last year's National Runner Up and Head Coach Jimmy Smith's alma mater, Mary Hardin-Baylor, on Wedneday. They follow that up with a trip to Abilene to take on Hardin-Simmons on Saturday.
Southwestern opened the season at the University of Texas Dallas on Saturday afternoon. Southwestern started well but hit a cold spell offensively to fall behind by 16 points after halftime. The Pirates put together a run and pulled within seven points but weren't able to pull any closer as they fell 72-59. Southwestern shot 48.8% from the floor but just 14.3% from long range while the Comets went 49% from the field and 33.3% from three point distance. SU lost the rebounding battle 35-23 but committed one fewer turnover. Kocher led the Pirates with 16 points while Myers added in 10 as did Jake Schifani off the bench. SU opens the season 0-1 and remain on the road to face Hardin-Simmons University on Monday at 7pm.
The Texas Lutheran hoops team was idle on the first weekend, but open things up at home on Wednesday as they welcome in new conference-foe Southwestern in a non-conference battle. Tip off is set for 7:30 PM.
Trinity opened its season with a 1-2 record at the Doug McArthur Classic over the weekend, finishing with a 77-56 win over hosting University of Puget Sound on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers opened with a 53-71 loss to 12th-ranked Whitworth, followed by a 49-67 defeat at the hands of Pacific Lutheran. Since 2010-11, Trinity is now 0-3 against Whitworth – including a loss in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs in 2011-12. The Tigers had not previously played Pacific Lutheran or Puget Sound in the SCAC era (since 1991-92). Trinity will be back on the road this weekend at the Hoopsville National Invitational. The Tigers face Keystone College at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 7:00 p.m. matchup against Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday night. Both times are Eastern.
To view the entire SCAC Hoops Daily for week one, click here.
