Underway in Ohio

Jan 22, 2021
C.J. Napier scored a game-high 24 points and added 10 rebounds as Ohio Northern got its season underway.
Wilmington athletics photo
 

The Ohio Athletic Conference joined the fight on Friday night, while the HCAC and SCAC are in full swing and Washington state's teams got into action as well.

As we wrote earlier this week, the chances may not be good that we will have enough teams play to get an NCAA Tournament this March, but more teams are taking the court as January progresses.

When we last saw Mount Union, the Purple Raiders were getting ready to host a Sweet 16 game. More than 10 months later, Mount returned, raining 3-pointers in a 109-82 win at Baldwin Wallace. Collen Gurley led the way for the Purple Raiders, going 7-for-13 from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 26 points. Gurley scored all of his points in the first half as Mount Union built a 21-point lead, then played just three minutes in the second half. Anthony Mazzeo scored 24 for Baldwin Wallace. Mount Union turned the ball over just six times.

C.J. Napier and Brandon Waugh combined for 47 points to lead Ohio Northern past Wilmington, ending a five-game losing streak by the Polar Bears against the Fightin' Quakers. ONU came out of the halftime locker room and pushed its lead to double digits. Wilmington cut the lead to four on a Jackson Todd 3-pointer with 1:56 left in the game, but the Polar Bears went 5-for-6 down the stretch to seal the win.

In all of the Ohio Athletic Conference matchups, the same two teams will meet again tomorrow, with the home sites reversed. The games between Marietta and Otterbein were canceled.

In the SCAC, the teams play on the same floor in back-to-back nights, as the conference begins its second weekend of play. Sophomore Seth Thomas had a big night for Centenary (La.) as he poured in 24 points and added 12 rebounds in a 79-75 win at Schreiner. Schreiner had two shots to tie or take the lead in the final 45 seconds before Centenary iced the game with two free throws in the final second. It was Schreiner's season debut after last weekend's games with Southwestern were canceled. The Gents have won 13 of their past 14 in SCAC play. 

Whitworth pulled away over the final seven minutes of the game to open Northwest Conference play with an 87-63 win at Puget Sound. It's the third consecutive win for Whitworth after three losses to scholarship programs and also Whitworth's first game against a Division III team.

McKayla and Hannah Binkley scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, and Zahrya Bailey added 13 as Wilmington got its women's basketball season started with a 61-59 win against Ohio Northern. The Quakers are being coached by Janel Blankespoor, who is leading the team on an interim basis after longtime coach Jerry Scheve announced this summer he would be taking a leave of absence from the program.

Colorado College started its season with a come-from-behind win against Trinity (Texas), limiting the Texas Tigers to just 28% shooting from the floor in a 57-55 victory. The Trinity bench was a combined 1-for-20 on the evening. Rosie Braley scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds, while Anna Fanelli had a double-double for the Colorado Tigers.

At the conclusion of play Friday night, 97 men's teams and 81 women's teams had taken the floor in a game which counted,