Anderson Moves into Third Place After Posting Fifth Straight Win
February 7, 2008
GREENWOOD , IN – After a 2-4 start to the conference season, the Anderson University men’s basketball team has rattled off six wins in their last seven contests to climb the HCAC standings. The Ravens have only three conference games remaining on the schedule with tilts against Rose-Hulman, Franklin, and Manchester. Anderson’s last loss was a 72-53 setback at home to Defiance back on January 19. Those Yellow Jackets currently hold a three game lead in the loss column over Anderson as DC still has five games left on its conference schedule.
The Ravens (12-10, 8-5 HCAC) ran their win streak to five straight after snapping a 12 game losing streak to Hanover Wednesday night. AU pulled out a 61-60 win after the Panthers failed to convert a last second jumper that would have handed them a road win. Sophomore guard Ryan Fultz (Knightstown, Ind./H.S.) scored 15 points against Hanover and was joined by junior Mike Russell (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) who added 15 points and seven rebounds. Russell ranks second in the conference with 16.7 points per game this season. Fultz led AU in a 74-69 win against Bluffton, scoring 19 points and adding nine rebounds against the Beavers. As a team, Anderson leads the conference in scoring offense (76.1 ppg), blocks (65), assists per game (13.9 pg), and steals per game (10.9 pg). Anderson will have Saturday off before traveling to Rose-Hulman February 13.
Defiance (14-6, 9-2 HCAC) suffered a road loss against Mount St. Joseph in their only game last week. The Jackets defeated the Lions by 24 points the last time the two teams met in northern Ohio, but the Mount protected its home court with a 70-63 win. Junior center Anthony Pettaway (Toledo, Ohio/Bowsher) recorded his second straight double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds. The junior ranks third in the conference with 8.0 rebounds per outing. Senior guard C.J. Johnson (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) continues to pace the league in scoring, averaging 20.3 points per game. DC currently leads the HCAC in scoring margin (+10.6 ppg), field goal percentage defense (43.9%), and three point field goal percentage defense (30.1%). The Jackets will look to start a brand new win streak this week as they travel to Rose-Hulman and Manchester.
Transylvania (12-8, 7-4 HCAC) posted a win and a loss during last week’s play. The Pioneers began with a 67-44 defeat of Rose-Hulman before dropping their first conference road game against Franklin 63-42. Sophomore guard Tim Tierney (Ft. Wright, Ky./ Covington Catholic) led the scoring with 22 points in the win over the Engineers. Sophomore Matthew Parton (Knoxville, Tenn./ Knoxville Catholic) netted 10 points in the loss to Franklin. Transy has lost two of their last three conference showdowns and will look to stay in the hunt for the conference championship this week against Bluffton and Mount St. Joseph.
Franklin (12-8, 6-5 HCAC) entered the week on a two game skid but was able to notch two big wins to move into the fourth spot of the conference standings. The Grizzlies defeated Manchester 70-49 and Transylvania 63-42 in two blowout wins at the Spurlock Center. Junior guard Jace Redman (Mt. Vernon, Ind./H.S.) scored 19 points in the win over the Spartans and senior forward Marty Young (Norman, Ind./Brownstown Central) contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds in the triumph over Transy. Young currently ranks in the top three of the HCAC in scoring (16.6 ppg), rebounding (8.5 rpg), and shooting percentage (64.0%). The Grizzlies will welcome Mount St. Joseph to town Saturday and then travel to rival Hanover February 13 to avenge an earlier loss to the Panthers.
Hanover (10-10, 6-5 HCAC) currently stands in a fourth place tie with Franklin after falling in their only game last week. The Panthers lost a close one at Anderson 61-60 after a last second effort came up short. Senior forward Brock Dawson (West Lafayette, Ind./Benton Central) scored 13 points to lead the scoring, while senior center Robby Brown (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mariemont) added 11 points and 11 rebounds in the losing cause. Brown leads the HCAC in rebounding with 9.4 per contest. As a team, the Panthers lead the league in three point shooting, converting 40% of their attempts from behind the arc. Hanover will welcome Manchester to southern Indiana on Saturday evening before the home team will search for the season sweep of Franklin Wednesday.
Rose-Hulman (10-11, 6-6 HCAC) earned a split during last week’s action, falling at Transylvania and beating Mount St. Joseph in Terre Haute. The Engineers received 16 points from senior guard Ron George (Louisville, Ky./DuPont Manual) in the 67-44 loss in Lexington. Freshman forward Daniel Lowers (Gosport, Ind./ Edgewood) scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the 77-67 win against the Mount. RHIT has won three of their last four games and will celebrate the school’s 100 th season of basketball this Saturday afternoon against Defiance. Rose will then look to cool off red hot Anderson next Wednesday to stay in the chase for a conference tournament berth.
Bluffton (11-10, 5-7 HCAC) saw its losing streak reach five games after the Beavers dropped two more conference games this past week. The Beavers fell 74-69 at Anderson and dropped a 67-58 decision at Manchester last night. Senior guard Nate Overmyer (Payne, Ohio/Wayne Trace) scored 24 points in the loss to the Ravens, while junior Nick Wilson (Payne, Ohio/Continental) led the scoring with 13 points and six rebounds against Manchester. The Beavers lead the HCAC in free throw percentage (78.9%) and rebounding (34.3 rpg) this season. BU will look to improve upon its 2-4 home conference record as Transylvania comes to town Saturday afternoon.
Mount St. Joseph (9-12, 3-9 HCAC) pulled off an impressive 70-63 defeat of Defiance last week. The Lions were led by sophomore forward Michael Romes (Villa Hills, Ky./Beechwood) who paced MSJ with 18 points and seven rebounds. Romes leads the Mount in scoring this season with 16.5 points per game. Junior guard Mitchell Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/H.S.) scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Lions 77-67 road loss to Rose-Hulman. Mount St. Joseph has lost four of their last five games and is still looking for their first conference road win this season. They will have two chances this week as the Lions travel to Franklin and Transylvania to close out the road portion of their schedule.
Manchester (4-16, 2-9 HCAC) put an end to its 12 game losing streak with a 67-58 win against Bluffton. The Spartans received 12 points each from Tyler Henn (Huntington, Ind./North), Jamaal Wade (Indianapolis, Ind./Chatard), and Jake Koziel (New Carlisle, Ind./New Prairie) in the win over the Beavers. MC began the week with a 70-49 defeat at Franklin. Freshman forward Nathan Ferch (Walkerton, Ind./Oregon-Davis) scored 14 points and added six rebounds in the loss to FC. The Spartans will look for their first conference road win of the season against Hanover Saturday evening before welcoming first place Defiance to town next Wednesday.
Men’s Basketball Schedule (Feb. 7-Feb. 13)
Feb. 9 |
Defiance at Rose-Hulman |
3:00 PM |
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Transylvania at Bluffton |
3:00 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph at Franklin |
3:00 PM |
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Manchester at Hanover |
5:00 PM |
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Feb. 13 |
Anderson at Rose-Hulman |
7:30 PM |
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Defiance at Manchester |
7:30 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph at Transylvania |
7:30 PM |
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Franklin at Hanover |
7:30 PM |