- Good Morning NAIA Hoops Nation! We had another great evening full of games last night. You probably saw us post last night on Twitter our games we had “circled”. This stemmed from a suggestion to us, that we liked, and are going to roll with for awhile. Every day we will post our games to watch, and then in the Morning Bullets, we will be discussing those games.
- Here is a break down of each of our circled games from last night:
- #20 Park (MO) went on the road and defeated Missouri Baptist 75-68 despite Jahmouri Robinson going off for 35 points for Missouri Baptist. It was a close game throughout, as Park held a 1 point lead at halftime, and with 1:35 left in the game Park was just up 65-62. Rodrique Marthone led the way with 19 points in the victory. You can read the Park article HERE, or view the BOX SCORE.
- #6 William Penn kept the train rolling with a big 100-79 home win over Graceland (IA). Graceland came into last nights game on a 3 game Heart win streak in which they won by 18, 30, and 35 points. I know William Penn is known for their scoring, but watching them a couple times this year, they are actually playing tough defense so far this season. Last night they held Graceland to 35% shooting, and while they got out rebounded, the Statesmen finished the game shooting 56% from the field. Dexter Hood once again led the Statesmen with 19 points. You can read more on the game HERE. BOX SCORE
- The GSAC opened league play last night, and had a big opening game as #2 The Master’s was able to go on the road and pick up a Top 10 win against #10 Arizona Christian by a score of 92-83. Brock Gardner was once again electric as he finished with a game high 34 points. Those 34 points helped Brock join the 1K Point Club! You can read the full game story HERE. BOX SCORE
- #5 Pikeville (KY) took care of business at home with an 84-77 win against #18 Life (GA). Both teams came into the game undefeated, but UPIKE came out with the home win after a huge first half in which they led 43-27 at the break. Jordan Perry led the Bears with 18 points, while DeAndre Burton added in 16 in the win. You can read the full story HERE. BOX SCORE
- Our NAIA DII Circled Games:
12 Ottawa (KS) went on the road and defeated Friends(KS) 99-75. Friends had won 3 of 4 headed into this game, but Ottawa continues to look like the real deal. Speaking of the real deal, if you haven’t seen Darryl Bowie play yet, the senior continues to impress. He joined teammate Andre Jackson with game high 20 points. You can read the full story HERE. BOX SCORE
- Continuing on in the KCAC, you can’t ever not circle a game between Oklahoma Wesleyan and Southwestern (KS). The 2 teams once again played in an instant classic type game that saw Southwestern make a huge run at end of regulation to force OT, and then a crazy string of events in OT gave them a 76-73 home win. It was a great atmosphere, and a great game!! BOX SCORE
- #21 Bethel (KS) took care of business on the road last night against a tough Kansas Wesleyan squad. In the 70-65 victory, Poe Bryant put up a game high 25 points for Bethel. You can read the full story HERE. BOX SCORE
- #13 Ave Maria got a really good 74-73 win against #18 Warner in The Sun Conferences Game of the Week. The game lived up to they hype and was back and forth for most of the game. Ave Maria took the lead with 39 seconds left, and then survived several attempts by Warner on their last possession. You can read the full story HERE. BOX SCORE
- Life Pacific (CA) got a nice GSAC win vs Menlo (CA) last night in a thriller:
- Columbia (MO) also had an exciting win last night over AMC foe William Woods (MO)
- The best tradition in ALL of basketball is tonight as the 23rd Annual Taylor (IN) Silent Night game takes place at 6pm ET. Watch Live
