GREENWOOD, Ind. - Parody continues to build around the Midwest Region with the Great Midwest Athletic Conference men’s and women’s basketball programs idle from league competition until the turn of the new calendar year.
Student-athletes from around the G-MAC continued to battle it out for their respective schools while preparing and taking academic finals right before the Christmas layover.
Congratulations to the deserving G-MAC Athletes of the Week from Trevecca with Byron Sanford and for the third time this year from Cedarville, Raegan Ryan.
The men’s and women’s indoor track and field schedule was also quiet around the league this past week with no competition scheduled.
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Surfacing on the radar are several G-MAC schools that rank in the top 30 nationally in at least one team statistical category including Alderson Broaddus (20th in assist-to-turnover ratio), Cedarville (20th in three-point field goals per game), Central State (30th in steals per game) and Davis & Elkins (26th in field goal percentage/29th in free-throw percentage).
The G-MAC possesses two of the nation’s top ringleaders in the steals category. Central State’s Masceo Harmon is third among all players in Division II in steals per game with a 3.4 average and he entered this week second overall in total steals with 34.
Sanford, close behind Harmon in the national rankings at 12th in steals, orchestrated another masterful week running the point for the Trojans while averaging 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.0 steals.
He posted 32 points in a tough loss against Missouri S&T and Trevecca (5-7, 2-0 G-MAC) handed the McKendree Bearcats their first loss of the season. The dynamic Sanford was just one point, one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double on Saturday.
Both games were on the road and Sam Harris is just one win away from a career milestone of 500 victories as a head coach. Following a road setback on Monday against Saint Joseph’s, TU will get another chance on Friday against Kentucky State.
Kentucky Wesleyan (8-3, 2-0 G-MAC) has now won four straight after handling Illinois-Springfield on Sunday and toppling in-state opponent Kentucky State last night by a 20-point margin. C.J. Blackwell’s 41-point game currently stands as the third-highest scoring effort this season around Division II.
During the Salem International-hosted Joe Manchin Classic, the Tigers (1-8, 0-2 G-MAC) put an end to an 0-7 start this year with a win against Bluefield State. Alex Webb was 13-of-23 from the field and sank seven triples to lead the way with 35 points, the G-MAC’s second-highest single-game scoring output this year.
Cedarville (3-8, 0-0 G-MAC) and Central State (6-5, 0-0 G-MAC) remain the only two schools to make their conference debut. The Yellow Jackets salvaged a split last week against Mount Vernon Nazarene and pulling out a thrilling win last night at home against Maryville.
The Marauders capped off a four-game homestand with a win against Ohio Mid-Western and dropped a contest on the road at McKendree.
Ohio Valley (0-8, 0-2 G-MAC) gave a strong Southern Indiana team all it could handle in a one-point defeat and also battled No. 7 Bellarmine on neutral ground in Kentucky. The Fighting Scots had a big game vs. USI from Robert Smelser as he finished 11-of-15 with 28 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
Smelser is seventh in the G-MAC in both scoring and rebounding, second in field-goal percentage and the current conference leader in blocks (1.7 bpg).
Alderson Broaddus (6-3, 1-0 G-MAC) and Davis & Elkins (3-5, 0-1 G-MAC) had the entire weekend off.
Men's Basketball:
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
A pair of notable winning streaks continue to grow and remain active for both Cedarville (9-1, 1-0 G-MAC) and Kentucky Wesleyan (5-4, 2-0 G-MAC). The Lady Jackets have won seven straight and the Panthers are now winners of five consecutive games.
The latest exploits of Cedarville guard Raegan Ryan helped the Lady Jackets get past Urbana in overtime. Ryan set a new conference single-game scoring record with 43 points, including a game-tying three that sent the game past regulation. She continues to light up the scoreboard and is now averaging 21.4 points per game.
In CU’s lone game of the week, forward Kayla Linkous also posted big-time numbers by making all six shots from the field, including three three-point buckets, and four makes at the free-throw line. She finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.
KWC rolled past Oakland City at home as Haley Cook led all scorers with 14 and Erin Dorn chipped in 11. The Panthers haven’t been beaten since Nov. 22 and Jordanne Gambill has led the team in scoring for three of the five games in the current win streak.
Running into a buzzsaw was Trevecca (4-6, 2-0 G-MAC) after the Trojans found the going get tough against No. 2 Lewis. The undefeated Flyers (9-0) shot over 50 percent in each half and despite three Trevecca players in double-digits, shot just over 32 percent on the game.
After toppling Central State in overtime, Ursuline (2-8, 1-1 G-MAC) beat Northwestern (Ohio) with three scoring in double figures, including a double-double by Emma Ricketts. The Arrows suffered a heartbreaking one-point loss to Rio Grand shortly after despite five in double figures and a double-double from Camryn Hill.
Alderson Broaddus (2-6, 0-1 G-MAC) was on the short end of a six-point decision against Bowie State last Wednesday at home. The Battlers had won two of their past three prior to that game.
At the Salem International-hosted Joe Manchin Classic, the Tigers (0-12, 0-2 G-MAC) dropped games against Virginia State and Bluefield State. Samantha Aikens combined for 33 points in both contests for SIU.
Central State (2-5, 0-1 G-MAC) and Davis & Elkins (5-2, 1-0 G-MAC) did not compete in the past seven-day span.
Women's Basketball:
Composite Schedule |
Overall Statistics |
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Standings
MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
No Events until after the New Year
WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
No Events until after the New Year