On a big night of basketball, No. 5 UW-Whitewater picked up the biggest win by downing No. 4 UW-Platteville 75-62. The lead bounced back in forth early in the second half before Matt Goodwin hit a three-pointer to give the Warhawks a 41-39 advantage with 16:41 to play. The Pioneers hung close but never regained the lead as the Warhawks used a 16-6 run to close the game.
The teams are tied for second in the WIAC with 11-2 records, both two games behind No. 3 UW-Stevens Point who edged UW-Eau Claire 61-58. The Pointers travel to the Warhawks on Saturday, then close at home against Pioneers.
&&f-boxr&&The biggest rivalry in Division III basketball added another dramatic chapter as Calvin played Hope for the 171st time overall but the first at Van Noord Arena. Hope led 62-58 in front of 4,632 with a minute left but Caleb Veldhouse drilled a three to draw the Knights within one. After Jesse Reimink missed a three on the Flying Dutchmen�s ensuing possession, Tim Katt grabbed the defensive rebound with 13 seconds left. After a timeout by each team, Veldhouse found Matt Veltema for the layup with three seconds left and the win, 63-62. Calvin cut Hope's lead in the series to one game, 86-85. More men�s scores. For more men's coverage and news from Wednesday night's women's games, scroll down.
St. Thomas shot 63 percent from the floor in the second half and rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to beat Bethel 75-72. Bethel had a chance to win with six seconds left and a chance to tie at the buzzer, but couldn't come up with either shot against the top-ranked Tommies, who ended the game on a 24-7 run.
Could Kent Raymond have made the difference in Wheaton's home loss to Elmhurst? Perhaps not, but the Thunder All-American guard dropped 29 points on the Bluejays tonight en route to a 79-64 win. No. 10 Wheaton leads No. 17 Elmhurst by a game in the CCIW standings with No. 20 Augustana in the middle. The Vikings defeated Millikin 65-55 on the road. In fact, all four road CCIW teams won, something that hadn't happened since Jan. 18, 1975.
&&b-boxl&&Ursinus had No. 16 Franklin and Marshall on the ropes before the Diplomats ended the game on a 20-9 run to defeat the Bears 87-81. It was the 1,200th win for the program, of which only 750 have been under Glenn Robinson. Ursinus, which played in the Final Four in 2008, is now 6-9 in the Centennial Conference, two games behind the final playoff spot with three to play. McDaniel set a program record for wins and clinched a playoff spot by taking care of Dickinson, 69-55. Buena Vista broke the game open in the second half with a 20-6 run before the No. 7 Beavers held off Dubuque 74-70 at home. Matt Cleveland led all scorers with 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
Franklin got a season split with Transylvania and takes over first place in the HCAC. Thomas More topped Washington and Jefferson 65-62, securing first place and home court throughout the Presidents' Athletic Conference playoffs. Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan remain tied for first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference after Wooster outlasted Denison in double overtime and OWU trounced Wittenberg after starting the game on a 22-0 run. And Wabash may not have shot the lights out, but when the power failed at Earlham with 3:37 left and the Little Giants up 80-48, the game was called.
UC Santa Cruz scored an impressive upset of Cal State-East Bay, who had been receiving votes in the NAIA Division II poll. Ryan Matsuoka and Daniel Bryant combined for 51 of the Banana Slugs' points in the 73-69 victory.