| For Brandon Housely and the
Thomas More men's basketball team, the Presidents' Athletic
Conference schedule is a battle. Thomas More athletics photo |
Five points was all that separated Thomas More’s men’s basketball team from a Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament last season.
The Saints lost 58-53 to Bethany in the conference tournament championship game, and while they have moved forward, turning in another stellar season, they haven’t forgotten the pain of that loss.
It is a constant reminder of what could have been last season, a reminder of how important it is to stay focused on the task at hand rather than look ahead at what could result from their success.
“We’re not caught up looking at what we have accomplished or worrying about what games are ahead,” senior point guard Ryan Hamm said. “To come up short last year has given us a lot of motivation. We know what it takes to get there again and it’s important for us to stay focused on one game at a time.”
Coach Jeff Rodgers hasn’t brought up the disappointment of last season to his team at all this year. There is no need for it.
“The greatest motivator is what those guys felt during the offseason,” Rodgers said. “We haven’t talked about it. It’s still fresh in their minds.”
Thomas More was 16-3 heading into the final days of January, including a 9-1 mark in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
But even the most focused and driven teams can stumble at times, and during the month of December, the Saints hit a few stumbling blocks.
They lost three out of five at one point and Hamm, who is in his second full season as a starting floor general, said the struggles had to do with the mental side of the game.
“School was out and our minds were on being at home and spending time with friends and family. We hit a bump there where we lost our focus a bit, but once we got back to school and got back into our routine, we started playing well again and got our focus back.”
Thomas More opened January with an 89-73 win over Geneva and hasn’t looked back since, winning seven consecutive games. Rodgers said the ability to bounce back is a credit to his team’s experience. Ten of the players are on the roster are third- or fourth-year players, including four seniors.
“A lot of these guys have been in the program for three or four years. Their focus and maturity has been a big part of our success,” Rodgers said. “We have set values here such as unselfishness and humility and everyone on this team has a role. They are a very close-knit team.”
Hamm has played a key role in the success of the Saints. Hamm is averaging 5.9 points per game has made 24 shots from beyond the arc. The senior has dished out 20 assists and has tallied 12 steals.
“I’m not a guy who is going to put up highlight numbers,” Hamm said. “I view my role as more of the glue that tries to keep everyone on track and I feel like I’ve really grown as a leader this year.”
Rodgers gives a lot of credit to Hamm for his play on the court for a team that is averaging 77 points per outing and holding opponents to 66.8 points per game.
“He has a coach’s mentality on the floor,” Rodgers said. “He has been in our program for four years and has been a great leader for us. He is one of the big reasons for our success.”
Thomas More really hasn’t relied on or two players to carry all of the weight as it makes its push for a conference title and NCAA Tournament berth. Eleven players average at least five points per outing and only D’Carlo Hayes is clicking for double figures at 11.6 points per contest.
“I would love to see the scouting report for our opponents because you really can’t key in on one or two players,” Hamm said. “If one guy has an off night, someone else has the ability to step up. It takes a lot of pressure off because we trust in each other.”
Thomas More still has six games to go in the regular season, including a Feb. 16 showdown against St. Vincent, which is currently tied with the Saints atop the standings. The Saints understand what is on the line going forward.
“We understand what it takes to make a run at the conference championship, and we don’t want to come up short again,” Rodgers said. “But there is a lot of parity in the league and you have to be ready to play every night. We are taking it one game at a time.”
Hamm and his teammates have the same mindset.
“We know you can be beat on any given night,” Hamm said. “We are trying to get better every day because we know other teams are working just as hard to improve. With this being my senior year, I want to give everything I have the rest of the year. I want to make the most of every opportunity and do what I can to help our team be successful.”
Top 25 Notes
Men: No. 8 Wooster shot just 10-of-30 from the free-throw line, but still managed to hang on for a 68-63 win over Hiram on Saturday night. Jake Mays scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds and the Fighting Scots now have a three-game lead in the North Coast Athletic Conference standings. ... No. 16 Christopher Newport ran its win streak to four with a 78-57 win over Methodist on Saturday. The Captains held a 47-27 edge on the boards and Tra Benefield led the way with 25 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. He is 17th all-time on the school scoring list with 1,137 points. ... Bryan Powell drilled a game-winning 3-pointer with 3.8 seconds remaining to lift No. 17 Calvin to a 50-47 win over Adrian in a key Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association game on Saturday. Powell scored 13 points and helped Calvin win its first game at Adrian since the 2009-10 season. ... No. 19 Hampden-Sydney stretched its home win streak to 16 with a 76-52 win over Guilford on Saturday. Leon Hargrove paced the Tigers with 15 points and six assists. He also tallied four rebounds and two steals.
Women: Top-ranked DePauw knocked down seven treys in the opening half and set the tone for a 75-51 win over Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday. The Tigers shot 74 percent from the floor in the first half and Savannah Trees poured in a career-high 21 points as she connected on all five of her 3-point attempts. The Tigers have won their last 44 games in the regular season. ... Carissa Verkaik became the career leader in blocks for No. 2 Calvin as the Knights knocked off Alma 77-55 on Saturday. Verkaik blocked six shots and has 404 in her career. She also scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds. ... No. 3 Hope held its fourth consecutive opponent to under 40 points as it rolled to a78-39 win over Albion on Saturday. Courtney Kust scored 15 points and Hope forced 30 turnovers, including 19 off steals. ... No. 6 Ohio Northern stretched its win streak to a school-record 17 games with a 61-44 win over Marietta on Saturday. Cenzie Yoder clicked for 13 points and Morgan Dumbaugh scored 10 points. Katie Mengos had a solid all-around game as she tallied seven points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists. ... Moriah Corey came through with a double-double as she helped No. 9 Thomas More earn an 87-58 win over Waynesburg on Saturday. Corey scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Saints improved to 12-0 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. ... Natosha Gottlieb turned in another solid all-around game as she helped pace No. 15 Louisiana College to a 90-59 win over East Texas Baptist on Saturday. Gottlieb went off for 28 points and also grabbed seven rebounds, tallied five steals and dished out two assists. The Wildcats have won their last 10 games and improved to 13-0 in the American Southwest Conference. ... No. 19 Mount Union won its sixth consecutive game by knocking off Capital 58-45 on Saturday. The Purple Raiders were led by Aly Daniel, who clicked for 14 points. Mount Union held Capital to 28.3 percent shooting from the field. ... No. 24 Ferrum took control of first place in the USA South Athletic Conference standings by topping Mary Baldwin 96-44 on Saturday. Tesla Akers poured in 24 points to pace the Panthers, who shot 53.6 percent from the field and pushed their win streak to two games while improving to 16-2 overall.
American Southwest Conference
Mary Hardin-Baylor’s men rolled to their seventh consecutive win on Saturday by topping Howard Payne 76-52. Brian Todd came through with a big game for the Crusaders, pouring in 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Kitrick Bell added 14 points and nine rebounds on a day when Mary Hardin-Baylor shot 42 percent from the field and held a 46-36 edge on the boards.
Quelan Lancaster played well for Howard Payne despite the setback, scoring 12 points off the bench. Mary Hardin-Baylor is in first place in the West Division at 12-1 and owns the best record in the league at 16-3.
Mississippi College’s women’s team had its nine-game win streak against Texas-Tyler snapped in a 65-54 loss on Saturday. The Choctaws had won their last two games and had not lost to the Patriots since 2008.
Brittany King paved the way in the win, scoring 15 points, while She’Cara Humphrey clicked for 13 points. Caitlin Brown came through with 15 points to pace Mississippi College.
Texas-Tyler is now in second place in the East Division at 9-4 while Mississippi College is 8-5.
Great South Atlantic Conference
Salem moved into a tie for first place in the conference by knocking off Wesleyan 82-31 on Saturday. The Spirits are 4-1 in the league and are tied with Huntingdon and Agnes Scott atop the standings.
Satavia Taylor led the way for Salem, dropping in 34 points. Taylor highlighted her performance by drilling six treys. She also grabbed six rebounds and tallied five steals.
The Spirits led 45-18 at halftime and shot 43.8 percent from the field. They held a 61-19 advantage on the boards.
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Albion’s men’s basketball team nailed down its first conference win of the season as it took down Olivet 71-58 on Saturday.
The Britons had lost by 27 to the Comets earlier this season but took care of business this time behind 15 points from Chris Hutton. Jordan Herron added 12 points. Albion shot 50.8 percent from the field and is 5-14 overall and 1-7 in the conference. Dakotah Ellis scored 17 points to lead Olivet.
Nicole Antoine scored 16 points and Kalamazoo picked up a 63-59 road win over St. Mary’s on Saturday. Antoine also grabbed eight rebounds while Katherine Johnson recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds as Kalamazoo snapped a six-game losing streak.
The Hornets trailed 30-27 at the half after falling behind by as many as 11 points, but battled back for the win. It was Kalamazoo’s first conference win of the season
North Coast Athletic Conference
DePauw won a pair of overtime games last week, including a 65-63 win over Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday.
Connor Rich hit two free throws with 4.6 seconds to go to lift the Tigers to the win over the Battling Bishops. Rich had been 0-for-5 from the field and the free throws were his only points of the day.
Barry Flynn led the Tigers with 17 points and he also grabbed 10 rebounds. Taylor Rieger scored 23 points to lead the Battling Bishops, who are still in second place in the conference standings at 7-3. The Tigers are 6-4.
Wooster’s women’s basketball team was unable to knock off Ohio Wesleyan last Wednesday, falling 76-62, but Jessica Wingen did reach a milestone in the game as she became the Fighting Scots’ all-time leader in blocked shots.
Wingen blocked four shots and pushed her career total to 159. The old record was 158. She also scored 15 points, marking the 11th time this year that she has scored 15 or more in a game.
Ohio Athletic Conference
Malcom Heard II recorded a double-double and helped Wilmington knock off Heidelberg 76-59 on Saturday. Heard poured in 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as he came through with his fifth double-double of the season.
The Quakers are unbeaten when Heard gets a double-double. Three other players also scored in double figures, including Dwight Johnson, who scored 10 or more for the fourth time in the last six games. Wilmington has won six of its last seven games.
John Carroll’s women’s basketball team ended a three-game losing streak on Saturday with a 64-51 win over Muskingum.
The Blue Streaks gave up their fewest points of the season and Missy Spahar stepped up offensively, clicking for 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. It was her seventh double-double of the year. Spahar also tallied three steals and a block.
Hannah Nelson, who is one of the top scoring threats in the OAC, dropped in 26 points and pulled down 15 rebounds for Muskingum.
Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Washington and Lee’s men’s team shot 51.9 percent from the field en route to edging Virginia Wesleyan 69-68 on Saturday. It marks the first time since 2001 that the Generals have beaten the Marlins. Washington and Lee had lost its last 23 games to Virginia Wesleyan.
Andrew Franz nearly had a triple-double in the win, lighting up the scoreboard for 18 points, grabbing a career-high eight rebounds and dishing out a career-high seven assists. The Generals held the Marlins to 35.5 percent shooting from the field and have won four of their last five games.
Shenandoah’s women’s team stretched its home win streak to three games on Saturday with a 50-44 win over Lynchburg. It marks the third consecutive time Shenandoah has beaten Lynchburg.
Shenandoah played solid defense as it held three of Lynchburg’s five starters to a combined two points while Crystal Petrus scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Shenandoah shot only 31.5 percent from the field but held Lynchburg to 29.2 percent shooting.
Presidents’ Athletic Conference
Chris Klimchock and Dillon Stith clicked for 20 points apiece to help lead St. Vincent to an 82-70 win over Westminster on Saturday.
The win keeps the Bearcats in a tie for first place with Thomas More in the conference standings. Both teams have 9-1 records in PAC action.
St. Vincent used an impressive display of teamwork as it racked up 19 assists on 29 made field goals. The Bearcats shot 43.9 percent from the field and Grant Latus grabbed 11 rebounds, marking the second consecutive game he has had 10 or more boards. He also scored eight points.
Rachel McClain scored 11 points and dished out three assists to help Chatham complete a season sweep of Geneva with a 57-56 overtime victory on Saturday.
McClain also tallied two steals for the Cougars, who shot 39.2 percent from the field and won their first road game of the season while ending a six-game losing streak.
Marguerite Sargent scored 11 points as well and Chatham got a big lift from its bench as the reserves combined for 30 points. Chelsea D’Urso scored 17 points to lead Geneva.
Southern Athletic Association
Kevin Kegaris dropped in a career-high 25 points and helped Birmingham-Southern cap a perfect weekend with a 68-53 win over Oglethorpe on Sunday.
Kegaris connected on seven shots from 3-point range and Zac Richards poured in 20 points to go along with his 11 rebounds.
The Panthers shot 43.9 percent from the field and limited the Stormy Petrels to 33.3 percent shooting. Christian Molinet scored 15 points to pace Oglethorpe.
Chelsea Benham had quite a week for Centre as she came through with a pair of double-doubles to help the Colonels split a pair of games.
Benham dropped in 29 points and pulled down 17 rebounds for the Colonels in a 67-55 win over Hendrix and scored 22 points to go along with 14 rebounds in a 71-66 loss to Rhodes. She shot 58.1 percent from the field last week and is averaging 13.0 points per game this year.
USA South Athletic Conference
Greensboro’s men’s basketball team opened its game against Averett on a 17-8 run and rolled to a 95-73 win at home on Saturday.
Damian Dixon led the way for the Pride, pouring in 22 points, and Lugman Tijani clicked for 17 points. Devonta Davis and Chakiris Moss scored 14 points apiece for the Pride, which shot 51.4 percent from the field.
The Pride capitalized on a stellar defensive effort, scoring 43 points off 26 turnovers.
North Carolina Wesleyan’s women’s basketball team completed a perfect weekend with a 73-58 win over William Peace.
Tiffany Bell led the Bishops with 18 points and Shanice Goree clicked for 12 points on a day when the Bishops shot 46.8 percent from the field. North Carolina Wesleyan held a 42-33 edge on the boards and held William Peace to 34 percent shooting from the field.
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Trinity’s men’s basketball team is still on top of the conference standings but it just can’t seem to get past Colorado College.
Trinity lost to Colorado College for the second time this year, falling 63-52 on Saturday. Craig Saltarelli led Trinity with 10 points.
Chris Lesnansky paced Colorado College, pouring in 19 points, to help his team stay within a game of Trinity in the league standings.
Austin College’s women’s basketball team has more than doubled its win total from a season ago after topping Colorado College 61-49
The ‘Roos, who won four games a year ago, have nine wins this season, including three in conference play. Brittany Stepanski scored 10 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double while Erin Riley came through with 17 points.
