HCAC Men’s Basketball Season Set to Begin Saturday
November 29, 2007
GREENWOOD , IN – The 2007-08 men’s basketball conference schedule opens up this weekend with four games on the conference slate. The conference schedule will take a break after December 8 and will resume after the New Year on January 5.
The Transylvania men’s basketball team will be the only conference team in a non-conference battle Saturday. The Pioneers will welcome Wittenberg to Lexington for a 7:30 tip off. Transy comes into the game with a 2-2 record and is coming off an 89-81 overtime win against Marian (Ind.). TU will begin conference play on Dec. 5 at Anderson. Transylvania has been led by junior forward Joey Verax’s (Falmouth, Ky./Pendleton Co.) 16.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per contest this season.
Anderson will enter their first conference contest with a 2-2 record. The Ravens lost their first two games of the year before claiming two wins in the AU/Sam Pierce Classic. AU defeated Cincinnati-Clermont 70-68 to earn the championship in their event. Junior forward Nick Vandergrift (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) earned MVP honors of the tournament. The junior scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the championship game, including the go-ahead bucket with 17 seconds remaining. Sophomore guard Ryan Fultz (Knightstown, Ind./H.S.) scored 20 points in both AU wins and is averaging a team high 14.8 points per game. Anderson will begin conference play Dec. 1 at Defiance and then will host Transylvania on Dec. 5.
Bluffton heads into Saturday’s showdown at Franklin with a 3-2 record on the young season. The Beavers are coming off an 87-70 win over Hiram this week and will look to carry that momentum into the game with the Grizzlies. Senior guard Nate Overmyer (Payne, Ohio/Wayne Trace) scored 22 points in the win over Hiram and leads the Beavers with 13.8 points per game. Junior forward Nick Wilson (Payne, Ohio/Continental) has had a strong start to the season, averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Bluffton will tangle with Franklin Saturday before playing host to rival Defiance on Dec. 5.
The Defiance Yellow Jackets will enter the conference season sitting at 2-3. In their last effort, Defiance lost a tough game to Ohio Wesleyan 68-67. Senior guard C.J. Johnson (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) broke the 1,000 point barrier for his career at DC with a 37 point effort against Kalamazoo. The senior currently leads the HCAC in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game. Junior center Anthony Pettaway (Toledo, Ohio/Bowsher) has chipped in 12.6 points per game and 4.8 rebounds to help the Defiance effort. The Yellow Jackets will welcome Anderson to town for the conference opener Saturday before traveling to Bluffton Dec. 5.
Franklin College enters the conference season as the defending conference champions and also the favorite to repeat as conference champions in 2007-08. The Grizzlies are 2-2 on the year with both losses coming to Division II opponents. FC fell on the road at the University of Indianapolis 80-74 in their last ballgame and also lost to Eckerd ( Fla.) over the holiday. Franklin has posted two impressive wins in their two victories, defeating Olivet 77-53 and Webber International 82-57. Junior guard Dustin Marshall (Lexington, Ind./Scottsburg) leads the team with 13.8 points per game. Senior forward Marty Young (Norman, Ind./Brownstown Central) has added 12.5 points and ranks second in the HCAC in rebounds (7.8 RPG) and first in field goal percentage (67.7%). Franklin will look to get off to a fast start in conference play at home against Bluffton this weekend before a home date with Rose-Hulman Dec. 5.
Hanover currently leads the conference in scoring defense this season, surrendering only 58.2 points per game. The Panthers sit 4-1 and will take a three game win streak into conference play. HC has not lost since dropping a 51-49 decision at Webster, logging victories over Wabash, Olivet, and Shawnee State. Senior guard Clint Parker (Brownstown, Ind./Brownstown Central) leads the Panthers with 14.4 points per game and senior center Robby Brown (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mariemont) leads the team and conference with 8.0 rebounds per contest. Hanover will travel to Rose-Hulman Saturday and will take on Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati on Dec. 5.
Manchester will look to get back on track as conference play begins this weekend. The 2-4 Spartans have lost two straight, including losses in four of their last five ballgames. The black and gold are surrendering a league worst 79.7 points per game this season and will look to improve on that statistic as conference play begins. Senior guard Jamaal Wade (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) has emerged as MC’s main scoring threat, averaging 15.5 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per contest. Manchester’s only conference game of the week will be at home against Mount St. Joseph Saturday.
The College of Mount St. Joseph has emerged as the top scoring team in the HCAC through the first few weeks of the season. The Lions are averaging 89.0 points per game through four games and also boast the conference’s best shooting percentage, connecting on 54.1% of their attempts from the field. The Mount sits 3-1 on the season after defeating rival Thomas More 83-64 last week. MSJ suffered their only loss at Wilmington, 74-63. Sophomore forward Michael Romes (Villa Hills, Ky./Beechwood) ranks third in the HCAC with 16.0 points per game and is also contributing 4.0 rebounds per game for the Lions. Mount St. Joseph will travel to Manchester Saturday and have their conference home opener against Hanover Dec. 5.
Rose-Hulman has lost four straight contests since opening the season with a 68-56 win at Montclair State. The 1-4 Engineers have dropped three games by a margin of six points or less to open the year. Senior Ron George (Louisville, Ky./Dupont Manual) leads the Engineers in scoring with 14.8 points per game. Rose currently has the conference’s second best scoring defense, surrendering 63.8 points per game. RHIT will open the conference schedule at home against Hanover Saturday before traveling to Franklin Dec. 5.
Men’s Basketball Schedule Dec. 1 –Dec. 5
Dec. 1 |
Anderson at Defiance |
3:00 PM |
|
Hanover at Rose-Hulman |
3:00 PM |
|
Mount St. Joseph at Manchester |
3:00 PM |
|
Bluffton at Franklin |
3:00 PM |
|
Wittenberg at Transylvania |
7:30 PM |
|
|
|
Dec. 5 |
Rose-Hulman at Franklin |
7:30 PM |
|
Defiance at Bluffton |
7:30 PM |
|
Transylvania at Anderson |
7:30 PM |
|
Hanover at Mount St. Joseph |
7:30 PM |