| Jake Wolfin was 3-for-7 from 3-point range for
Middlebury in Friday's win; his teammates combined to go
1-for-8. Middlebury athletics file photo |
Ryan Sharry led four scorers in double figures and Andrew Locke blocked six shots to go along with his 11 points as No. 7 Middlebury defeated No. 3 Amherst 69-61 on Friday night.
The loss, on the road, was Amherst's first loss of the season. Amherst did not get Middlebury on its home floor this season because the NESCAC doesn't play home-and-home series.
If Amherst beats Williams in the teams' NESCAC regular-season finale on Saturday and Middle beats Trinity (Conn.), the top seed in the conference tournament will come down to a coin flip.
Amherst was held to 19-for-61 shooting from the floor, 31 percent, including a combined 4-for-29 from Connor Meehan, David Waller, Allen Williamson and Aaron Toomey.
No. 2 Williams remained atop the NESCAC, beating Trinity handily, 86-60. Williams hosts Amherst tomorrow in the meeting that counts in the conference standings. The Ephs shot a stellar 10-for-15 from 3-point range in the first half in rolling to the victory.
Top-ranked Whitworth clinched the regular-season title in the Northwest Conference, rolling past Willamette 110-69.
Also in men's basketball, Catholic showed why almost every other Division III conference plays a nearly full slate of home-and-home series. On Jan. 15, the Cardinals lost at Drew 90-74, with Asmar Capers leading the Rangers with 41 points. The second time around, however, Catholic led wire-to-wire in picking up a 91-48 victory, with Asmar Capers being held to 17 points on 5-for-14 shooting. The Cardinals are two games ahead of Susquehanna for the final spot in the Landmark's four-team playoffs.
NYU coach Joe Nesci earned his 400th career win as the Violets defeated Case Western Reserve 73-63. Andy Stein scored a career-high 27 points on 10-for-13 shooting.
In Friday night's women's action, Washington U. and Chicago remained in line for a season-ending showdown in the UAA with wins. No. 6 Wash U got a career-high 32 points from Kathryn Berger in a 74-60 victory at Emory, while No. 10 Chicago finished the season sweep of No. 16 Rochester, defeating the Yellowjackets 66-56. It's the Maroons' first sweep of Rochester since the 2004-05 season.
DePauw won its 62nd consecutive SCAC home game, rolling over Oglethorpe 86-57. Katie Aldrich scored 18 and Lauren Goff added 16 for the Tigers. Scranton remained atop the Landmark Conference with a 75-38 defeat of Susquehanna, rolling out to a 33-11 lead and holding Scranton to 21 percent shooting. Juniata remained a game behind in the standings with a 76-61 win against Moravian.