- Good Morning NAIA Hoops Nation! Monday’s are always a bit slow on the game front. However, the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference had a full slate, so we will break down last nights action.
- The GCAC only has 8 teams, and all 8 of those teams will qualify for the GCAC conference tournament, however it’s the top three teams in the league that are all currently in the Top 25, and have dominated the rest of the league.
- There is a 2-way tie for first place right now between Tougaloo and Xavier. Tougaloo (MS) hosted Rust (MS) last night and won 77-70. They put 5 guys in double figures, led by Sebron Carter and Ledarius Woods, who both finished with 14 points. Sean Atwater finished the game with 10 points and 10 assists in the win.
- Xavier (LA) blew out Philander Smith 85-56 last night to move to 7-0 in GCAC play. The Gold Rush got 22 points from Rayshawn Mart in the win. William Lloyd finished the day with an overall great game of 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. The wins between Xavier and Tougaloo set up a big time matchup on Saturday when Xavier travels to Tougaloo in what will be a battle for 1st place in the GCAC.
- In a battle between the 3rd and 4th place teams in the GCAC, Talladega (AL) went to Dillard (LA) last night and came away with a 94-68 win. A game that was tied at halftime turned into a runaway victory for Dega. Darryl Baker paced the Tornadoes with 23 points. With the win, Talladega moves to 5-2 in GCAC play, and 18-5 overall.
- Edward Waters and Southern U-New Orleans round out the GCAC break down. SUNO raced out to a 14 point half time lead, but Edward Waters put together a great 2nd half to get back in it, before falling 70-69. Ray Anderson had a huge night, as he finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in the win.
- Moving over to NAIA DII Play, I do want to apologize as I missed the rescheduled CCAC game between St Ambrose and IU – South Bend. South Bend has put together a solid year thus far, but couldn’t hold the Bees down from the 3 point line, as St Ambrose knocked down 19 triples to help propel them to a 92-75 victory. The victory was an important one, as it helped get St Ambrose into the Top 4 in the CCAC.
- Our Circled DII game from last night featured an Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup where Columbia International lost to Reinhardt 82-77 in Overtime. Columbia International was fresh off their road win against #19 Union, but fell short last night in what was an absolute GREAT game. Kyle Jeremiah came up big off the bench for Reinhardt as he led them in scoring with 18 points in the win!
- As they always do, the Conference Rankings came out yesterday, as it was the Monday before the new Top 25 is released. In case you missed it, you can find them here:
- AND In case you had missed our NAIA Hoops Report Top 25, make sure to check out the DI Top 25 Here, and the DII Top 25 Here!
