Saturday was the first full day of competition after the holidays, with 13 Top 25 men's teams in action and 15 Top 25 women's teams taking the floor. But the game of the day didn't end until it was Sunday for much of the country.
No. 8 Wheaton (Ill.) outlasted Pomona-Pitzer 102-100 in four overtimes. Trailing 79-76 in the first overtime, Wheaton's Ben Panner hit the first free throw and intentionally missed the second giving teammate Spencer Schultze the chance to tip the ball in as time expired to extend the game to double overtime. In the third overtime Adam Chaimowitz drilled a three pointer with two seconds left to give Pomona-Pitzer another late lead, 92-89. But Panner answered with a three-pointer that bounced off the rim a couple times and fell through at the buzzer to force the fourth overtime period.
&&f-boxr&&The Thunder built a 101-97 lead with 30 seconds left in the final frame before David Liss hit a three to pull the Sagehens within one. Pomona-Pitzer fouled Andrew Jahns, who hit one of two free throws giving the Thunder a 102-100 lead and the Sagehens one more chance. But they missed a three to win and a two to tie, triggering a celebration by the Thunder.
"That's the best small college basketball game I've ever seen," said exhausted Thunder coach Mike Schauer afterward. "The number of plays that kids made tonight under pressure was remarkable."
Saturday's men's scoreboard and women's scoreboard.
Bethany recently joined our Buzzer beaters page, in a positive way, forcing overtime and eventually going on to beat Denison. But on Saturday, they needed no extra sessions and no last-second shot, as the Bison crushed No. 9 John Carroll 85-63 behind 25 points and 20 rebounds from Joe Testa. It's John Carroll's third loss in four games.
A morning tipoff wasn't kind to the No. 22 Mass-Dartmouth Corsairs, as their buzzer beater attempt missed and Ramapo held on for a 92-90 win. No. 23 Carthage played for the first time in two weeks and lost to Wilkes 72-61, blowing a 13-point lead in the process. No. 11 Amherst gradually pulled away from Stevenson in a 69-56 win. Case Western Reserve trailed 19-3 and 31-16 but rallied to win on a buzzer beater (video) as Bryan Erce drained a three as time expired for a 55-52 win against Oberlin. Kalamazoo got its first win of the season, beating winless Bluffton 49-45 behind a double-double from Joe Prepolec.
In women's action, No. 1 Illinois Wesleyan rolled over No. 14 UW-Whitewater 87-58. Nikki Preston scored 19 points in the first half and 25 in the game for the Titans. Mount Union is off to its best women's basketball start in team history as the 20th-ranked Purple Raiders are 12-0 on the season after a 77-57 victory over Case Western Reserve. Austin College rolled to a 74-49 win against No. 12 Trinity (Texas), riding six three-pointers from Kayla Redden. Caitlin Hynes scored a game-high 22 points as No. 4 Bowdoin pulled away from Skidmore, 78-47 in a battle of unbeatens.
The University of New England did need a buzzer beater, and it got the Nor'easters their first win against Bates since the 1994-95 season. Junior guard Carrie Bunnell drained a three-pointer from the corner as time expired to give UNE the 77-75 win.