February 11, 2008

This Week in Walsh University Athletics

Monday, February 11, 2008

Tues. 12 Women's Basketball at Mt. Vernon Nazarene University 5:30 pm *

Men's Basketball at Mt. Vernon Nazarene University 7:30 pm *

Fri. 15 Men's/Women's Indoor Track at All-Ohio Meet at University of Findlay

Men's Tennis vs. West Virginia Wesleyan at Hall of Fame Courts 3 pm

Women's Tennis vs. Slippery Rock at Hall of Fame Courts 6 pm

Sat. 16 Women's Basketball (H) University of Rio Grande 2 pm

Men's Basketball (H) University of Rio Grande 4 pm *

* Games to be broadcast on AM 900 WCER, Internet at www.wcer.us

MEN'S BASKETBALL: (21-3, 9-1 AMC S) Cavs Extend Win to Six/Take 3 Game Lead in AMC South/Recapture Mayor's Cup

NAIA No. 3 Walsh (21-3, 9-1 AMC S) increased their lead in the American Mideast Conference South Division to three full games, with home wins against Ohio Dominican University (80-57) and Cedarville University (87-82) last week.  The Cavs also regained possession of the Mayor's Cup by defeating Malone College (81-76) for a perfect 3-0 week.  With just four regular season games to play, Walsh can clinch a tie for the AMC South title with one win and clinch the crown outright with two.  Walsh has won the AMC South title outright twice in the last three years, and tied for the crown last year.  This week the Cavs travel to Mount Vernon Nazarene University on Tuesday (7:30 pm) and host the University of Rio Grande on Saturday (4 pm).  Both games will be broadcast live on AM 900 WCER and on the Internet at www.wcer.us. The next NAIA poll will be released on Wednesday. 

Walsh led from start to finish in an 80-57 AMC South Division win over Ohio Dominican University on Tuesday night.  The win was fourth straight for the Cavs.  , who host Malone College in the Annual Mayor’s Cup game on Thursday at 8 pm.  With Corey Jones (6-3, Sr., Avon Lake, OH/Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary) scoring 15 of his game-high 18 points in the first half, Walsh vaulted to 17-2 lead and 35-23 halftime advantage.  Eder Araujo (7-0, Sr., Sao Paulo, Brazil/Odete de Freitas) added 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.  Kyelce Cescato (6-10, So., Barra Bonita, Brazil/Colmeia Entec) chipped in 10 points and Brandon Weems (5-10, Sr., Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) had nine points and nine rebounds.  

Before a sellout crowd of 1,100, Walsh regained possession of the coveted Mayor’s Cup with an 81-76 win over archrival and 25th ranked Malone College on Thursday night.  The win was the fifth straight for the Cavs and snapped Malone’s four-game win streak.  Walsh, Ohio’s winningest collegiate team is also the first team to reach 20 wins in Ohio.  For the Cavs, it marks the fourth straight year that they have posted 20 wins under Head Coach Jeff Young and the 20th time overall.  Walsh held two 15-points in the first half (33-18, 36-21), and led 38-26 at halftime.  Malone cut the lead to 3 points (40-37) in the first 2:40 of the second half, but would get no closer.  Walsh used a 12-0 run to push the lead back to 15 points at 52-37 with 15:05 to play.  The Cavs held their largest lead at 18 points (64-46) with 10:03 to play.  The closest the Pioneers would come was the final margin.  Brandon Weems and Corey Jones combined for 42 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists in the win.  Weems scored a season-high 23 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and handed out 6 assists, while Jones tallied 19 points to go with 6 rebounds and 3 assists.  Joe Shardo (6-5, Jr., Yorkshire, OH/Versailles) came off the Cavs bench to add 12 points. 

Walsh completed its three-game sweep with an 87-82 win over Cedarville University on Saturday.  After blowing out Cedarville 77-55 on the road on January 9, it looked like the Cavs might do it again.  Walsh shot .611 from the field in the first half and led 52-30 at the break.  Walsh led 21-17 with 10:57 to play in the half, when they went on a 17-0 run to take a 38-17 lead with 5:45 left in the half.  The Cavs held their largest lead at 48-24 and led 52-30 at the half.  Cedarville came to life in the second half and whittled the lead to 11 points with 5:55 to play at 71-60 and to 8 points at 76-68 with 3:35 left.  The Yellow Jackets then used a 10-6 run to trim the lead to 82-78 with 1:10 to play.  It would be as close as they would come.  Eder Araujo led Walsh with a career-high 30 points.  He also grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds.   Kyelce Cescato chipped in 17 points and eight rebounds Brandon Weems had 11 points and 10 assists and five steals.  Josh Johnson (6-4, Jr., Warren, OH/Harding) was also in double figures with 12 points.

Walsh and Mount Vernon Nazarene (19-5, 6-4 AMC S) do battle in a huge AMC South match-up at Mount Vernon on Tuesday.  The Cavs won the first meeting 75-70 at Alumni Arena on January 15.  The Cavs have not swept the Cougars since the 2004-05 season, when Walsh won the national championship.  A Walsh win at Mount Vernon on Tuesday clinches a tie for the AMC South title. Also, if Walsh wins, and Cedarville and Ohio Dominican each lose, Walsh wins the division.  Mount Vernon has won back-to-back games, and rolled over Shawnee State 87-48 on Saturday.  Mount Vernon's Ben Falkenberg leads the AMC in scoring (20.8 pg) and free throw percentage (.918).  He scored 21 points against Walsh in the first meeting.  Eder Araujo paced the Cavs with 25 points and 13 rebounds.  Walsh leads the all-time series 37-25.

The Cavs host the University of Rio Grande (8-16, 3-7 AMC S) on Saturday.  The Cavs have won the last seven meetings with the Redmen, including an 84-67 victory on January 26.  Corey Jones poured in 30 points at Rio.  The Redmen have dropped their last two games and four of their last six contests.  They are home to Ohio Dominican on Tuesday. 

Walsh's balanced attack still has four players scoring in twin figures, led by Eder Araujo's 14.6 ppg.  Araujo is also the Cavs' top rebounder at 9.1 per game.  Corey Jones is averaging 12.6 points and is shooting an AMC and NAIA best .550 from three-point range.  Jones is also shooting .518 from the field and .878 from the foul line.  Brandon Weems is averaging 11.5 points and an AMC leading 6.4 assists.   Josh Johnson is averaging 10.5 ppg and 5.3 rebounds.  Joe Shardo is averaging 9.9 ppg and is shooting .575 from the field.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Cavs (12-12, 4-6 AMC S) Post Three-Game Sweep/Back in AMC South Playoff Picture/Return Mayor's Cup to Campus

Walsh (11-12, 4-6 AMC S) responded to their biggest challenge of the season, by sweeping three games and climbing back into the AMC playoff race.  With American Mideast Conference South Division wins against 16th ranked Ohio Dominican University (65-64) and Cedarville University (80-71), Walsh pulled even with Urbana University (4-6 AMC S) and is tied with the Blue Knights for the final playoff spot in the South. Walsh also recaptured the Mayor's Cup with an 83-64 win over Malone College.  This week they travel to Mount Vernon Nazarene (15-9, 3-7 AMC S) on Tuesday (5:30 pm) and host the University of Rio Grande on Saturday (4 pm).  The Mount Vernon game will be broadcast live on AM 900 WCER and on the Internet at www.wcer.us.  

Walsh stunned 16th ranked Ohio Dominican University 65-64 on Tuesday night.  Despite shooting just 28% from the field in the first half, the Cavs held a 26-20 halftime lead.  The Cavs offense came to life in the second half, connecting on 14-23 (.609) from the floor.  Walsh led the entire half and stretched the lead to 61-51 with 3:10 to play.  But in less than two minutes, ODU trimmed the lead to 63-61 with 1:17 to play.  Two free throws by Katie Berry (5-11, Fr., Cleveland, OH/St. Joseph Academy) at the 1:03 mark gave the Cavs a 65-61 lead.  ODU's Cassidy Wertman then nailed a 3 to cut the Walsh lead to 65-64 with 52 seconds to play.  ODU had two chances to win the game in the final 26 seconds; the final time when Jessie Carmack’s shot was blocked by Walsh’s Cara Bedard (6-0, Fr, Waterloo, OH/Atwater) in the final seconds.  Bedard led all scorers with 20 points.  Berry added 12 points and nine rebounds. 

Walsh regained possession of the Mayor’s Cup with an 83-64 win over Malone College (6-15) on Thursday night.  The win, Walsh’s second straight, gives the Cavs the season’s sweep of the Pioneers.  Walsh opened up a tight game in the first half with 14-2 run, to take a 28-13 lead at the 7:28 mark.  Malone would trim the lead to 8 points at 32-24, but trailed 45-30 at the half, as Walsh closed with a 13-6 run.  Katie Berry scored 16 of her game high 24 points in the first half.  Berry shot 12-18 from the field.  Malone never challenged the Cavs in the final 20 minutes, as Walsh out scored the Pioneers 38-34.  Walsh held its largest lead at 29 points (63-34) with 12:26 to play.  Freshman guard Ciera Burkes (5-3, Shaker Heights, OH/HS) compiled a double-double, scoring 16 points and handing out a career high 10 assists.  Walsh shot .576 (34-59) from the field and handed out a season high 25 assists. 

Walsh won its third straight game, defeating Cedarville University 80-71 on Saturday.  Katie Berry scored 11 first half points, as the Cavs led 39-37 at halftime.  Cedarville regained the lead early in the second half, and held their final lead at 50-48 with 11:32 to play.  After Walsh regained the lead on a 3-pointer from Leah Seaman (5-8, So., Louisville, OH/HS), the Jackets would force one more tie at 55 with 9:23 to play.  Berry then gave the Cavs the lead for good at 57-55 with 7:48 to play.  The final margin proved to be the Cavs' largest lead.  Berry led all scorers with 25 points, to with 5 rebounds and 4 steals.  Seaman added 15 points and handed out 4 assists and Cara Bedard added 10 points and a game-high 9 rebounds.  Walsh was deadly from the foul line, connecting on 27-30 from the stripe.

Walsh and Mount Vernon Nazarene (15-9, 3-7 AMC S) meet for the second time on Tuesday.  Walsh won 75-59 at Alumni Arena on January 15 and lead the all-time series 33-17.  The Cougars have dropped two straight, including a 70-59 decision to Shawnee State on Saturday.

Walsh and NAIA No. 23 Rio Grande (18-6, 6-4 AMC S) meet for the third time this season on Saturday.  The Cavs are hoping the third time is the charm, after falling 58-50 in November at the Bevo Francis Classic and 72-50 at Rio on January 26.  Rio defeated Wilberforce 84-70 on Saturday and host Ohio Dominican University on Tuesday. The Cavs have lost the last five games played between the two schools and trail 33-16 in the all-time series.

Katie Berry leads the Cavs in scoring, averaging 14.1 points.  Berry is shooting .468 from the floor, .805 from the foul line and leads the team with 21 blocked shots and 52 steals.  Leah Seaman is averaging 12.0 ppg and is shooting .794 from the foul line.  Cara Bedard is averaging 12.0 points, a team leading 6.8 rebounds and is shooting .509 from the floor. 

INDOOR TRACK: Men's Track 7th at Mount Union Invite

Walsh finished 7th at the Mount Union College Invitational today.  The host Purple Raiders won the event.  This Friday, the Cavs compete at the All-Ohio meet, held at the University of Findlay 

Brendan McKee (Jr., Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) finished second in the mile (4:27.52) for the Cavs top finish.  Jerome Jackson (Jr., Euclid, OH/HS) was fourth in the weight throw (36-09.00); David Miller (Jr., Canton, OH/GlenOak) was fifth in the 300m dash (37.97) and Chad Rankin (Jr., Newton Falls, OH/HS) placed fifth in the shot put (47-01.75).

INDOOR TRACK: Women's Track Strong 3rd at Mount Union College Invite/Al All-Ohio Meet on Friday

Walsh finished a strong third, with 62.33 points, at the Mount Union College Invitational. Malone College finished first (145 pts.) and host Mount Union second (67.33), only five points better than the Cavs.  This Friday, the Cavs compete at the All-Ohio meet, held at the Univeristy of Findlay.

Danielle Cofojohn (So., Diamond, OH/Southeast) recorded Walsh's only first place finish, winning the shot put (40-01.25). Kristen Havens (Fr., Wadsworth, OH/HS) placed second in the 1000m run (3:13.92) and Holly Gospodinsky (Fr., Wadsworth, OH/HS) was second in the shot (39-07.50). Andrea DiNinno (Jr., Greensburg, PA/Central Catholic) placed third in the 3000m (11:12.58), Megan Case (Fr., Louisville, OH/HS) was third in the 500m dash (1:24.11) and Kristen LeFever (So., Alliance, OH/Marlington) was third in the mile (5:41.52). Emma Heck (Fr., Canton, OH/Central Catholic) placed fourth in the pole vault (10-01.5).