Colonial Notebook
by Beth Iskoe
Delaware (1-2)
The Hens got a big confidence builder Tuesday night when they defeated visiting Penn 60-59. Delaware went ahead for good when senior forward David Hindenlang put back a rebound with 45 seconds remaining to give the Hens a two-point lead. Senior guard Ryan Iversen converted two free throws with seven seconds left. His free throws proved huge when Penn hit a three-pointer with only three seconds remaining. Iversen and senior forward Maurice Sessoms both had big games. Iversen scored thirteen points and pulled down five rebounds and Sessoms matched his career-high of nineteen points. Delaware returns to action next Saturday when it hosts Rider at 7:30 p.m.
Drexel (3-2)
The Dragons completely dominated Lafayette the entire game en route to Tuesday’s 65-47 win, their third consecutive road victory. Drexel led 33-17 at halftime, holding the Leopards to only six first-half field goals. Sophomore guard Phil Goss scored fourteen points including four-of-five from three-point land to lead a balanced attack. However, the Dragons were not as fortunate Saturday when they lost 50-37 to St. Joseph’s in the Big Five Classic at the Palestra. Turnovers cost Drexel, as it committed a season-high 27. Although the Dragons trailed by as many as eighteen points in the second half, they were able to pull within five with seven minutes left. Yet, they only scored three points the rest of the way. Senior center Robert Battle was the lone Drexel player in double digits, contributing twelve points and nine rebounds. The Dragons will have time to rebound from their loss with their next game being Sunday afternoon at Quinnipiac.
George Mason (2-3)
After getting off to their worst start in school history, the Patriots rebounded last week with two victories. On Monday they defeated Duquesne 79-72 and Saturday they crushed Niagara 65-45. Against Duquesne, George Mason actually trailed 40-37 at halftime before going on an 8-2 run to take a six-point lead it never relinquished. Senior forward Jesse Young and junior forward Mark Davis each had 23 points. In their win over Niagara, the Patriots led 30-21 at halftime and cruised through the second half on their way to an easy win. Young again had a big game, this time scoring eighteen points and grabbing nine rebounds. George Mason has a week off until it goes on the road to take on East Carolina December 19th at 7 p.m.
Hofstra (1-4)
The Pride have struggled sop far this season without suspended star senior forward Rick Apodaca. Their struggles continued Saturday when they dropped a 70-57 decision to visiting Monmouth. Hofstra was not able to pull out a victory despite sophomore guard Kenny Adeleke’s thirteen points and career-high 20 rebounds. Adeleke’s 20 rebounds marked the first time a Pride player grabbed 20 rebounds since David Taylor accomplished the feat during the 1981-82 season. Although Hofstra only trailed 34-33 at halftime, the Hawks opened the second half on a 17-2 run and never looked back on their way to victory. The Pride will be on the big stage Saturday when they face St. John’s at 2 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.
James Madison (2-3)
Although their big Thursday match-up with Davidson was postponed, the Dukes split the two games they played. On Tuesday they were defeated 67-59 by visiting LaSalle, but rebounded Saturday to pull out a two-point home victory over Akron. Against LaSalle, James Madison trailed 29-19 at halftime but fought back to take a 45-44 lead with 7:44 remaining. Unfortunately for the Dukes, the Explorers went on a 15-4 run to put the game out of reach. Sophomore guard Daniel Freeman and senior center Ian Caskill came up big for James Madison in the losing effort. Freeman scored eighteen points on seven-of-ten shooting, while Caskill added sixteen points and ten rebounds. In the game against Akron, senior guard David Fanning came up huge. He scored 28 points including the game-winner with 34 seconds remaining. The Dukes thought they had the game won midway through the second half when they held a 63-45 lead with fourteen minutes left. But Akron fought back to tie the game at 75-75 with less than four minutes to play, and actually held an 82-81 lead with 44 seconds left. James Madison then scored the final three points to secure the win. The Dukes return to action next Monday when they host Florida Atlantic at 7 p.m.
Old Dominion (1-4)
The Monarchs’ so far dismal season continued with two more losses last week. On Wednesday they traveled to Hampton and came away with a 77-70 loss, followed by a 75-67 loss Saturday at home to East Carolina. Senior forward Rasheed Wright had two huge games, scoring eighteen and 25 points respectively. In its first game, Old Dominion trailed 35-31, but took itself out of the game in the second half by only converting twelve-of-37 shots. The Monarchs were close to beating East Carolina, trailing only 70-67 with nineteen seconds remaining, but failed to come away with the victory. Old Dominion played both games without freshman forward T.J. Waldon and the first game minus junior guard Troy Nance. Waldon, who is day-to-day, has been bothered by a foot injury similar to the one which sidelined him all last year. Nance sat out because he got sick prior to the game. Waldon will try to make it back for the Monarchs next game on Saturday when they host Maryland-Eastern Shore at 7 p.m.
Towson (1-3)
The Tigers failed in their attempt to get back to .500 when they lost 68-56 Tuesday on the road against Rider. Towson trailed from the start, going down by as many as eleven points during the first half. But, the Tigers fought back to pull within six at the break. During the second half, the Broncs continued their strong play and cruised to the easy victory. Freshman forward Stephen Warner came off the bench to score a team-high fifteen points. Towson was also supposed to face Morgan State on the road Thursday, but it was postponed until December 20th due to snow. The Tigers will try to get back on the winning track when they host Maryland-Eastern Shore Thursday at 7 p.m. and then go on the road to take on Norfolk State Saturday at 7 p.m.
UNC Wilmington (2-3)
Add the Seahawks to the list of CAA teams that are struggling. Tuesday they lost 69-60 to Fairfield in overtime and fell on the road Saturday 59-48 to Dayton. In the game against Fairfield, neither team led by more than eight points. The Stags’ free throw shooting was the key to their overtime victory, as they converted eleven-of-thirteen free throws in the extra frame. One main reason that UNC Wilmington lost was its inability to rebound, as the Flyers won the battle of the boards 41-25. The Seahawks were close the entire game, but Dayton hit a three-pointer with four minutes remaining to take the lead for good and went on an 11-2 run to pull away from there. Senior guard Brett Blizzard led the way in the losing efforts, contributing sixteen points and five rebounds against Fairfield and nineteen points versus Dayton. UNC Wilmington will try to right its ship when it hosts Campbell Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Virginia Commonwealth (3-2)
One of the few conference teams with a winning record, the Rams have now won three straight. Last week, they defeated North Carolina A & T 76-48, Florida Atlantic 90-72 and Atlantic-10 opponent Richmond 73-68. Last week’s CAA rookie of the week, freshman forward Nick George, had 46 points and 35 rebounds combined in the three contests. George now has three double doubles in five collegiate games. Other top individual performances were turned in by junior guard Domonic Jones against Richmond (nineteen points) and senior forward Willie Taylor against Florida Atlantic (29) and North Carolina A & T (23). Virginia Commonwealth will need a strong performance to extend its winning streak when it goes on the road to take on Mississippi Saturday at 9 p.m.
William and Mary (1-4)
The Tribe posted their first victory of the season in impressive fashion, as they defeated Big East opponent Virginia Tech 60-52 Saturday at home. William and Mary never trailed in the contest, leading 28-13 at halftime and by at least eleven points for most of the second half. Senior guard Sherman Rivers had eighteen points and junior forward Adam Hess added thirteen points and twelve rebounds. Both teams had poor shooting nights. The Hokies made 33 percent of their shots including only three-of-24 (13 percent) from behind the arc. The Tribe fared a little better, connecting on 35 percent of their three-point shots. William and Mary will take two weeks off for final exams and return to action at home December 22nd at 2 p.m. against Morgan State.
