12/19/08
Marquette (Scott Monarch) (9-2) vs. Western Carolina
If Lazar Hayward keeps this up, Marquette’s reputation as a guard-oriented team might suddenly be up for debate. Hayward scored a career-high 27 points and the Golden Eagles (9-2) beat Western Carolina 94-77 Friday night. The junior forward is Marquette’s leading rebounder, but often has taken a back seat to the Golden Eagles’ (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 24 AP) guards in terms of scoring — until recently.
Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Clay Moser) (5-6) vs. Iowa
The Vipers lost to the Iowa Energy 111-107 on Friday. The Vipers forced overtime when Alton Ford split a pair of free throws with six seconds left in regulation and opened a 103-100 lead on Alpha Bangura’s 3-pointer with 3:24 to play. The Energy responded with six straight points. Rio Grande Valley tied it, 107-107, on Ford’s three-point play with 36 seconds to go before Sanders gave Iowa the lead for good. The Vipers missed a pair of shots on their next possession, and Stinson made a free throw to seal it.
12/20/08
Tennessee Tech (Steve Payne) (6-4) vs. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt defeated Tennessee Tech 83-63 on Saturday. Frank Davis made four 3-pointers and led Tennessee Tech (6-4) with 19 points. His 3-pointer with 14:27 to play in the first half gave the Golden Eagles their last lead, 9-8. Daniel Northern added 14 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. He got Tech within three, 28-25, with a jumpshot with 5:10 remaining in the first half, but Vanderbilt responded with a 12-4 run.
Arkansas State (Elwyn McRoy) (8-3) vs. Arkansas-Little Rock
Arkansas-Little Rock got a 65-59 over Arkansas State in Sun Belt Conference play Saturday. The Red Wolves (8-3, 1-1) were behind a point, 21-20, at the end of the first half. ASU shot 27 percent and the Trojans 31 percent from the field in the first half. UALR hit 55 percent in the second period while ASU was at 40 percent. UALR out-rebounded ASU 44-34.
UIC (Tracy Dildy) (7-3) vs. Illinois State
Illinois State got a 67-60 win over Illinois-Chicago on Saturday. Illinois State (11-0) remains undefeated with the victory that saw four Redbird players score in the double-digits. Josh Mayo led Illinois-Chicago (7-3) with 22 points, including three 3-pointers, and Scott Vandermeer added ten points. Tori Byrd led the Flames with seven rebounds.
Illinois State led 34-27 going into halftime. Both teams gave an even effort in the second period, tying 33-33 and giving the Redbirds the win. Shooting also was even with Illinois State going 36.7 percent from the field and Illinois-Chicago going 35.7 percent.
12/21/08
Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Clay Moser) (5-7) vs. Austin
The Austin Toros got a 102-89 victory over the visiting Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Sunday. Austin went on an 11-0 run late in the third and then outscored Rio Grande Valley by 18 in the final frame to cruise to the win. Smush Parker paced the Vipers, who have lost two straight, with a game-high 23 points and Trent Strickland chipped in with 19. The two combined to bury six 3-pointers. The Toros controlled a major advantage on the glass (55-38) and a small, but significant, gap on steals (10-7).
Louisiana-Lafayette (Robert Lee) (4-6) vs. Sam Houston State
Sam Houston State narrowly beat Louisiana-Lafayette 56-54 on Sunday night. The Ragin’ Cajuns (4-6) tied the game at 52-all on two Tyren Johnson free throws with 49 seconds to play. Ramirez gave Sam Houston the lead once again 18 seconds later, but Ryan McCoy tied the game one final time at 54-54 with 23 seconds to play on a jump shot. McCoy led Louisiana-Lafayette with 21 points and Johnson had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
SE Missouri State (Rodney Hamilton) (3-8) vs. Western Illinois
Calvin Williams scored 25 points and had five blocks, both career highs, to lead Southeast Missouri to a 64-63 win over Western Illinois on Sunday. Williams scored 14 of the final 16 points for Southeast Missouri (3-8, 0-2 Ohio Valley). Kenard Moore had 13 for the Redhawks, while Jaycen Herring added 11 points.
