2003-04 Game Recaps March 13, Oregon Tech (NAIA Division II National Tournament - Quarterfinals)
No. 16 seed Oregon Tech built up a 10-point second-half lead and then held on for a 83-78 win over No. 8 Cedarville in the quarterfinals of the 13th Annual NAIA Division II National Tournament. It finished off back-to-back 27-win campaigns for the Yellow Jackets which ties the school record for the most victories in a season. The Hustlin' Owls bombed in seven three-point field goals in the first half and clung to a 41-37 lead at the break. After increasing the margin to 10 points in the second half, CU climbed back to within two points on numerous occasions without getting the equalizer. Oregon Tech scored on four possessions in the final minute which included a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the free throw line. Mugabe Thomas led four Yellow Jackets in double figures with 18 points. Jason Weakley had 13 points while Josh Gast and Anthony Delimpo added 11 points each. Five seniors ended their CU careers. Gast finished 7th on the school's all-time scoring list (1,912 points) and 1st in three-pointers made (320). Barry Chamberlin ends up 15th in scoring (1,442) and 7th in rebounding (973). Greg Guiler leaves with 1,083 points and as the all-time assist leader (535). Andrey Arkhipov scored 579 points in his four seasons while Brandon Lee had 430 points in his three years after transferring in. [STATS]
March 12, Cornerstone (NAIA Division II National Tournament - Second Round)
Jason Weakley scored a game-high 26 points and the No. 8 seeded Yellow Jackets pulled away in the second half for a 98-77 victory over No. 9 Cornerstone in the second round of the 13th Annual NAIA Division II National Tournament. It's the first trip to the quarterfinals for Cedarville and the first time in five trips to the nationals that the Golden Eagles, who won the title in 1999, failed to reach the Final Four. CU took a 41-36 lead into the halftime lockerroom and then shot 62 percent from the field in the second half to blow the contest open. The Jackets shot 83 percent from the charity stripe including a 20-for-23 showing in the final period. Josh Gast hit four three-pointers and netted 18 points. Mugabe Thomas scored 14 points, Anthony Delimpo had 13 points with a game-high 12 rebounds, and Barry Chamberlin came off the bench with three treys and 13 points. [STATS]
March 10, at Ozarks (NAIA Division II National Tournament - First Round)
Josh Gast broke a tie score by hitting a tough free throw line jumper with 4.5 seconds left as the shot clock buzzer sounded and No. 8 seed Cedarville escaped host Ozarks, 76-75, in the first round of the 13th Annual NAIA Division II National Tournament. The Bobcats had a chance to send the game into overtime when a player was fouled as time expired, but the Jackets claimed the victory when the first free throw was made and the second one missed. Cedarville slipped out to a 35-30 halftime lead. However, Ozarks turned the momentum around and took their largest lead, 65-61, with six minutes left. Gast, who struggled with his shot and failed to score a point in the first half, nailed his only trey of the night to close the gap to one and then eventually knocked down the game winner. Mugabe Thomas scored a team-high 19 points before fouling out with 6:08 to play. Jason Weakley had 13 points and Anthony Delimpo added 10. [STATS]
Feb. 28, DAEMEN (AMC Championship Game)
NAIA Division II No. 21 Daemen survived a furious rally from No. 8 Cedarville for a 82-77 victory in the American Mideast Conference Championship Game. The Yellow Jackets, who were the defending AMC champs, head to the NAIA Division II National Tournament with two straight losses. Daemen, who lost at CU 91-75 back on November 15, was in control this time and seemed to be coasting to victory with a 76-60 lead with less than five minutes left. But the Jackets erupted on a 15-1 run to close to within 77-75 with 1:40 to go. They were never able to get the equalizer or take the lead as they committed a turnover and missed a three-pointer on separate possessions in the final minute. Anthony Delimpo came off the bench to pump in a game-high 25 points. Josh Gast finished with 15 points and Greg Guiler added 11. [STATS]
Feb. 21, SHAWNEE STATE
Shawnee State scored the final six points of overtime to stun NAIA Division II No. 6 Cedarville, 76-71, before 3,808 fans in the Callan Athletic Center. The outcome ended the Yellow Jackets' 11-game winning streak. It also brought to a halt a 21-game homecourt winning streak as well as a string of 16 straight AMC home victories dating back to the 2001-02 season. CU put itself in a big hole early trailing by scores of 13-2, 25-9, and 28-12 before bouncing back to within 34-25 at halftime. The Jackets scored the first 11 points of the second half for their first lead of the night. However, the Bears found themselves with a 62-53 lead with less than four minutes left. Cedarville rallied to tie the score at 64-64 on a basket by Eric Leininger with a minute to go. The hosts even had the ball for the final 25 seconds of regulation but could not get off a good shot. The Jackets scored first in the overtime which was followed by three more ties. Shawnee State took the lead for good, 72-71, with two free throws with 21 seconds remaining. Leininger and Josh Gast had 13 points each. Mugabe Thomas scored 12 points, Anthony Delimpo had 11, and Jason Weakley added 10. [STATS]
Feb. 17, RIO GRANDE
Josh Gast scored 19 points while Mugabe Thomas added 18 points and 11 rebounds to guide the NAIA Division II No. 6 Yellow Jackets to a 86-74 win versus No. 15 Rio Grande and their second straight American Mideast Conference South Division championship. Cedarville's 11th straight victory played before 2,451 fans in the Callan Athletic Center secures a return trip to the NAIA Division II National Tournament at the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo. The Jackets were facing a Rio ballclub who was the last to pin a loss on Cedarville - 90-77 five weeks ago to the day. After surrendering the first basket of the game, CU never trailed again. The hosts took a 39-37 halftime lead and inflated the difference to 65-50 midway through the second half. The Redmen got as close as 82-74 with 27 seconds left. Drew Borton came through with 13 points and Jason Weakley chipped in 11. The Jackets had a 48-40 rebounding edge with Barry Chamberlin joining Thomas for game-high honors with 11 boards. [STATS]
Feb. 14, at Walsh
NAIA Division II No. 8 Cedarville raced out to a 24-point first-half lead and then held on to beat Walsh, 93-79, in an American Mideast Conference South Division encounter. The victory extended the Yellow Jackets' winning streak to 10 straight. The Jackets erupted on a 33-10 run for a 58-34 bulge late in the first half, but the Cavaliers scored the last five points of the period. CU shot 62 percent from the field in the opening frame and buried 10-of-16 three-pointers. Walsh rallied and closed the gap to 79-71 with 6:10 left. Josh Gast, who finished with a team-high 20 points, answered with his fifth three-pointer of the game and the hosts could get no closer than nine the rest of the way. Mugabe Thomas netted 15 points with Barry Chamberlin and Anthony Delimpo adding 12 points each. Cedarville controlled the boards by a 44-33 margin. [STATS]
Feb. 10, URBANA
Mugabe Thomas scored 19 points and NAIA Division II No. 8 Cedarville pulled away in the second half for a 92-72 victory over Urbana in an American Mideast Conference South Division contest. The Yellow Jackets won for the ninth straight time and it was their 11th victory in the past 12 games. A nine-point halftime lead was trimmed to 59-54 with 11:30 left. Greg Guiler's three-pointer fueled an 18-5 run that ended with CU leading 77-59 at the 7:20 mark. The difference inflated to as much as 24 points in the final four minutes. Jason Weakley paced a quintet of five more Yellow Jackets in double figures with 16 points. Josh Gast netted 11 points and the trio of Guiler, Drew Borton, and Josh Zarrilli scored 10 points apiece. [STATS]
Feb. 7, TIFFIN
Mugabe Thomas poured in 21 points to pace NAIA Division II No. 11 Cedarville to a 72-64 victory over Tiffin before a crowd of 3,244 in the Callan Athletic Center. It was the eighth straight win for the Yellow Jackets, who still hold a slim one-game lead in the American Mideast Conference South Division. CU struggled to put the Dragons away the entire contest despite leading 39-27 at the intermission. Tiffin snuck to within 53-47 with 8:40 to play, yet the Jackets responded with a 13-3 run, culminating with an allyoop slam dunk from Thomas, for a 66-50 lead at the 5:00 mark. However, TU scored 10 straight points to make it close before running out of time. Anthony Delimpo came off the bench with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Josh Gast added 12 points. [STATS AND PHOTO GALLERY]
Feb. 5, at Shawnee State
The NAIA Division II No. 11 Yellow Jackets used a 16-point run in the second half to turn around Shawnee State's slow-down tactics for a 67-62 victory to take over sole possession of first place in the American Mideast Conference South Division. The outcome was the seventh straight win for Cedarville. The Bears' deliberate approach left the Jackets with a slight 30-29 halftime lead, but the hosts inched out to a 36-32 margin with 15:10 to play. That's when CU went off with 16 unanswered points in a five-minute span to take control. Shawnee State could get no closer than four points the rest of the way. Josh Gast finished with 15 points and Anthony Delimpo came off the bench to net 10. Mugabe Thomas pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. The 67 points and four three-pointers were season-lows for the Jackets, but so was their turnover total of five for the game. [STATS]
Jan. 31, at Mount Vernon Nazarene
Josh Gast and Jason Weakley scored 17 points apiece to lead the NAIA Division II No. 12 Yellow Jackets to a 94-85 win at Mount Vernon Nazarene in an American Mideast Conference South Division game. Cedarville won for the sixth straight time to remain atop the division standings. CU enjoyed 17-point leads in each half, but the Cougars refused to back down. The hosts scored the last five points of the first period to close to within 50-38 at the intermission. The Jackets pushed the spread back to 71-54 with 13:10 to go before MVNU rallied again. The Cougars cut the difference to 83-79 and missed a three-pointer with 2:30 left. Cedarville then held on for the win by hitting 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch and making both fields that they attempted. Anthony Delimpo, who transferred to CU after playing two seasons at Mount Vernon Nazarene, came off the bench to score 12 points and grab eight rebounds. He missed the MVNU game at home with a broken finger. Brandon Lee scored 11 points in a reserve role and Barry Chamberlin pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. Gast was 5-for-7 outside the three-point line and 11-for-15 in two games versus the Cougars. Weakley dished out a game-high eight assists and the Jackets recorded a 53-30 rebounding edge. [STATS]
Jan. 29, OHIO DOMINICAN
Drew Borton matched his career-high with 22 points as NAIA Division II No. 12 Cedarville held off Ohio Dominican, 82-68, in American Mideast Conference South Division action. It was the fifth straight victory for the Yellow Jackets, who had lost, 77-76, three weeks ago at ODU when they were missing two key players. The Yellow Jackets held a 33-26 halftime lead thanks to a 16-5 run to finish the period. The Panthers closed the gap to as little as four points with 10:15 left, but CU broke loose on a 24-8 spurt to put the game away. Mugabe Thomas tallied 18 points, Jason Weakley totaled 14 points and nine assists, and Barry Chamberlin scored 13 points. The Jackets held a 42-34 rebounding edge. [STATS and PHOTO GALLERY]
Jan. 24, at Malone
Mugabe Thomas and Jason Weakley scored 26 points each as the NAIA Division II No. 19 Yellow Jackets ended a long losing streak at Malone with a 102-89 victory in an American Mideast Conference South Division game. Cedarville had lost 12 straight decisions on the Pioneers' home hardwood dating back to 1986. The Jackets netted the first 11 points of the game and never trailed. They led by as many as 19 points in the first half and it was 51-34 at the intermission. CU shot 69 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes including a 10-for-18 effort outside the three-point line. Every time Malone made a run in the second half Cedarville, who finished shooting 61 percent from the floor and 15-of-28 on three-pointers, answered with timely baskets. The closest the Pioneers could get was 11 points with 30 seconds left. Weakley was 6-for-8 on three-point shooting while Thomas maneuvered inside for 12-of-18 accuracy from the floor. Brandon Lee fired in 16 points and Josh Gast, who returned to the line-up after missing two games with a sore back chipped, in 11. [STATS]
Jan. 22, at Wilberforce
NAIA Division II No. 19 Cedarville scored the first 16 points of the game and cruised to a 110-74 win at Greene County rival Wilberforce in an American Mideast Conference South Division contest. The Yellow Jackets tied a school record by making 19 three-point baskets and they placed five players in double figures. The Yellow Jackets needed just 3:30 to build the 16-0 lead. Brandon Lee buried five treys in the first 4:15 of the contest and the advantage stretched to 41-10. The host Bulldogs snuck back to within 18 points at the intermission, but CU opened the second half with 14-2 run to blow it open again. Lee matched his career-high of six three-pointers en route to a game-high 20 points. Barry Chamberlin put together a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, Drew Borton came off the bench with 17 points, Josh Zarrilli hit four treys for 12 points, and Scott Tarvin chipped in 11 points. Jason Weakley scored 9 points to become the 41st player in school history to surpass 1,000 career points. The Jackets had a 59-31 rebounding edge with Andrey Arkhipov pulling down a game-high 11 boards. Cedarville was 19-for-43 outside the arc which equals the school record of 19 threes made in a game against Christian Heritage on Dec. 29, 2001. [STATS]
Jan. 20, at Urbana
Junior point guard Jason Weakley erupted for a career-high 29 points to guide NAIA Division II No. 19 Cedarville to a 103-90 American Mideast Conference South Division victory at Urbana. The Jackets were forced to play without the services of veteran guards Josh Gast and Greg Guiler, who sat out with injuries. CU held the lead from start to finish and sprinted to a 36-17 bulge with 7:30 left in the first half. It was 54-41 at the intermission and the Blue Knights got as close as 71-67 with 10:15 left. But the Yellow Jackets, who hit 27-of-31 free throws for the night, held off the hosts by making all 16 of their freebies in the second half. Weakley, who was 13-for-13 in the game, made 10 free throws in the final 1:15. Anthony Delimpo scored 19 points, Barry Chamberlin netted 10, and Mugabe Thomas pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. Gast, CU's 10th all-time leading scorer and the career leader in three-pointers made, missed the game due to a sore back. Guiler, the Jackets' all-time assist leader who just set a school record for playing in 123 consecutive games, sat out his first-ever college game with an eye injury suffered in practice the previous day. [STATS]
Jan. 17, WALSH
Mugabe Thomas scored 23 points to pace NAIA Division II No. 13 Cedarville to a 93-65 victory over Walsh in an American Mideast Conference South Division game. It was the Yellow Jackets' 12th straight conference win at home. Thomas was 8-for-12 from the field overall to go along with a career-high four three-pointers in six attempts. He was also 3-for-4 at the charity stripe, grabbed five rebounds, and blocked two shots in just 19 minutes of play. Anthony Delimpo finished with 15 points. Eric Leininger and Drew Borton came off the bench with 11 points each. Greg Guiler set a new school record by playing in his 123rd consecutive game. [STATS and PHOTO GALLERY]
Jan. 13, at Rio Grande
Rio Grande overcame a slow start to knock out NAIA Division II No. 13 Cedarville, 90-77, and took over sole possession of first place in the American Mideast Conference South Division. The Yellow Jackets tallied the first seven points of the contest and had possession of the ball in an attempt to increase the margin. The visitors failed to do so and the Redmen, who went scoreless the first three minutes of the game, recovered to outscore CU 34-21 the rest of the half to assemble a 34-28 halftime lead. The Jackets could get no closer than four points the rest of the way. Rio answered every challenge by shooting 60 percent from the field and converting 17-of-21 free throws in the second half alone. The biggest headline of the night for Cedarville was senior guard Greg Guiler becoming the school's all-time assist leader. He dished out a game-high eight assists to up his total to 502 to surpass the previous standard of 495 set by Mark Combs during his career from 1988-90 and 1991-93. Brandon Lee came off the bench with 18 points, Mugabe Thomas scored 17, and Jason Weakley chipped in 11. [STATS]
Jan. 10, at Tiffin
Barry Chamberlin's double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds paced NAIA Division II No. 15 Cedarville to an 80-64 victory at Tiffin in an American Mideast Conference South Division contest. The win gives the Yellow Jackets sole possession of first place in the division by one-half game. Cedarville was playing at full strength for the first time since Dec. 6. The Jackets responded by racing out to a 47-27 halftime lead thanks to a 25-9 spurt over the final 10 minutes. The Dragons could get no closer than 12 points in the second period. Anthony Delimpo had 13 points in his second game back following a month layoff with a broken finger. Mugabe Thomas, playing for the first time in eight games since enduring a leg injury, came back to the starting line-up with 12 points. Josh Gast netted 11 points while Drew Borton had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. [STATS]
Jan. 8, WILBERFORCE
NAIA Division II No. 15 Cedarville put together a season-high offensive explosion in a 119-77 decision over Wilberforce in American Mideast Conference South Division action. All 12 Yellow Jackets in uniform played and scored with six reaching double figures. Cedarville bolted to a 57-31 halftime lead and increased the bulge to as much as 49 in the second period. The Jackets hit 17-of-36 three-pointers, matching their season-high, which is a pair of treys shy of the school record. Josh Gast knocked down five three-pointers and scored a team-high 19 points. Anthony Delimpo, who returned for the first time in seven games since breaking his finger, joined Jason Weakley and Scott Tarvin with 14 points apiece. Greg Guiler and Eric Leininger chipped in 11 points each. [STATS]
Jan. 6, at Ohio Dominican
Ohio Dominican scored four straight points in the final 28 seconds to edge NAIA Division II No. 15 Cedarville, 77-76, in an American Mideast Conference South Division game. It's only the third conference loss in the last two seasons for the Yellow Jackets and all three have come by one point on the road. It looked like another late comeback for a victory was in the making for CU. A 73-68 deficit with 3:45 left was turned around when Greg Guiler and Josh Gast hit back-to-back three-pointers. Guiler followed with a lay up for a 76-73 lead with 40 seconds left. However, ODU got a basket at the 28-second mark, Cedarville missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation with 22 seconds remaining, and ODU nailed the game-winner with eight seconds left. Cedarville was unable to get off a quality shot in the final seconds. Jason Weakley and Drew Borton finished with 13 points each, Gast netted 12, while Guiler and Barry Chamberlin scored 10 points apiece. Guiler also became the 40th player in Yellow Jacket basketball history to score 1,000 career points. [STATS]
Jan. 3, MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE
Cedarville scored the last 12 points of the game, including Josh Gast's three-pointer with 4.7 seconds left, to edge Mount Vernon Nazarene, 79-76, in American Mideast Conference South Division action. The Cougars appeared to be in fine shape with a 76-67 lead following a pair of free throws with 3:18 to go. Gast, who finished with a game-high 21 points, converted a three-point play to spark the Yellow Jackets' final drive with 3:00 left and then Jason Weakley followed with two free throws to close the gap to 76-72. However, the turning point came when the MVNU bench was slapped with a surprising technical foul at the 1:46 mark. Weakley hit one of two free throws before drilling a trey seven seconds later to tie the game at 76-all. CU got the ball back following a missed Cougar shot which resulted in Gast's game-winning bucket. Barry Chamberlin tallied 15 points and Josh Zarrilli had 11. The Jackets, ranked No. 2 in the latest NAIA Division II poll, are still without Mugabe Thomas (stress bone injury) and Anthony Delimpo (broken finger). Neither player is expected back until at least the middle of the month. [STATS]
Dec. 20, at Huntington
NAIA Division II No. 18 Huntington outscored No. 2 Cedarville 26-5 from the throw line en route to an 81-68 non-conference victory. It marks the first time this season that the Yellow Jackets have lost two straight games. Cedarville led by as much as six points midway through the first half and shot 53 percent from the field before settling for a 40-40 tie at the intermission. The Jackets opened the second period with a three-pointer and never held the lead again. The final tie was 54-54 with 12:30 to go, but the Foresters outscored CU 18-8 in the next 10 minutes to secure the win. Cedarville had just two players score in double figures. Josh Zarrilli came off the bench to hit four three-pointers for 12 points and Josh Gast netted 11. Barry Chamberlin pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. The Jackets made just 10-of-33 shots from the field in the decisive second half for 30 percent. Huntington was 26-of-32 at the free throw line while the Jackets, who made one more field goal than the hosts, toed the stripe only seven times and made five. [STATS]
Dec. 19, at Bethel
NAIA Division II No. 11 Bethel broke open a tight game in the final 10 minutes to defeat No. 2 Cedarville, 106-97, in a non-conference encounter. There were 11 ties during the first 20 minutes as Cedarville took a 49-48 lead by the intermission on the strength of 64 percent shooting from the field. The two teams were tied on four more occasions in the second period before the Jackets took their final lead, 71-70, with 10:15 left. The Pilots grabbed the lead for good with nine straight points which sparked a 24-8 run over the next seven minutes to give the hosts their largest advantage, 94-79. The Jackets got as close as six points three times in the final 45 seconds. Jason Weakley totaled 19 points and nine assists to lead six Cedarville players in the double-figure scoring column. Josh Gast had 17 points, Greg Guiler, 15; Barry Chamberlin, 13; Andrey Arkhipov, 12; and Brandon Lee; 10. [STATS]
Dec. 16, MALONE
Brandon Lee buried six three-pointers en route to a career-high 22 points as NAIA Division II No. 2 Cedarville began defense of its American MIdeast Conference South Division title with a 82-74 victory over Malone. The Yellow Jackets, playing without three key players, finished the first half with a 9-3 run for a 42-37 lead at the intermission. A 15-point run early in the second period inflated the bulge to 63-45 with 15:40 left. However, Malone used 11 straight points to get back in it, plus a 13-2 spurt closed the gap to within 75-74 and the Pioneers had the ball with a minute left. Back-to-back steals by Greg Guiler started CU on a 7-0 streak to finish the game. Josh Gast contributed 17 points, Jason Weakley had 14 points with eight assists, and Drew Borton made all six of his shots for 12 points. The Jackets played without Mugabe Thomas (stress bone injury) and Anthony Delimpo (broken finger) for the third straight game. Also, Josh Zarrilli didn't play due to illness. [STATS]
Dec. 13, Indiana Northwest (at Taylor Classic)
NAIA Division II No. 2 Cedarville placed six players in double figures and crushed Indiana Northwest, 112-43, in the consolation game of the Taylor Classic. The contest was such a mismatch that both teams agreed to let the clock run continuously for the last 12 minutes of the contest. The Jackets buried ten three-pointers in the first half and blew out to a 55-18 lead at the intermission. The advantage quickly swelled to 60 points early in the second half when the decision was made to run the clock. Josh Gast made all four of his treys and scored 18 points. All-Tournament selection Brandon Lee paced a trio of players with 14 points with Scott Tarvin and Josh Zarrilli also reaching the mark. Drew Borton had 12 points and Barry Chamberlin chipped in 10. CU made 17 three-pointers for the game and all 11 players in uniform scored. [STATS]
Dec. 12, Cardinal Stritch (at Taylor Classic)
The NAIA Division II No. 2 Yellow Jackets, playing without the services of their two leading scorers, nearly rallied all the way back from a 37-point first-half deficit before losing, 101-81, to No. 6 Cardinal Stritch in the first round of the Taylor Classic. Cedarville was stunned even before the opening tap. Earlier in the day it was revealed that leading scorer and rebounder Mugabe Thomas has a stress fracture in his right leg. Anthony Delimpo, the team's second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder, went on the shelf after suffering a broken finger six days prior at Georgetown. Both players are out indefinitely. The reeling Yellow Jackets gave up the first 14 points of the game and trailed by the unreal margins of 24-3, 40-10, and 55-18. It was 59-31 at halftime. However, CU stormed back and got as close as six points on three occasions, the last of which was 85-79 with 3:36 left. The Wolves then uncorked 13 straight points to seal the outcome. Josh Gast finished with 17 points and freshman Eric Leininger came off the bench with 16. Drew Borton scored 12 points while Greg Guiler and Josh Zarrilli added 10 each. [STATS]
Dec. 6, at Georgetown (at Georgetown Classic)
NAIA Division I No. 5 Georgetown used a major discrepancy at the free throw line to its advantage to edge NAIA Division II No. 2 Cedarville, 84-82, at the Georgetown Classic. The outcome ended a three-game winning streak for the Yellow Jackets. The contest was close throughout, yet, the host Tigers benefited from a 40-16 margin in free throws attempted thanks to 32 fouls whistled on CU compared to 17 for Georgetown. Not surprisingly, it was two critical fouls in the final minute that turned the game around. The hosts received two free throws for an 83-82 lead with 24 seconds left before Cedarville was called for an offensive foul with 3.7 seconds to go. The Tigers made the first free throw and missed the second with the Jackets calling timeout with two ticks remaining. However, the visitors could not get off a final shot before the buzzer. Mugabe Thomas scored 20 points to lead the Jackets, who shot 58 percent from the field. He was named to the all-tournament team along with Jason Weakley, who netted 19 points. Josh Gast added 11 points while Anthony Delimpo came off the bench to provide 10. Cedarville scored five more field goals than Georgetown and outrebounded the home team, 34-31. [STATS]
Dec. 5, Campbellsville (at Georgetown Classic)
Anthony Delimpo scored 21 points in his first starting assignment of the season to lead NAIA Division II No. 2 Cedarville to a 92-84 victory over Campbellsville during the opening day of action at the eight-team Georgetown Classic. The Yellow Jackets used outstanding field goal shooting to put the NAIA Division I Tigers away. CU made 31-of-54 of its shots overall for 57 percent including a 14-for-28 effort behind the three-point line. The Jackets struggled from the charity stripe, however, making just 16-of-29. Cedarville inched out to a 47-43 halftime advantage and was able to build upon the lead in the second period by using its transition game. Campbellsville cut a 13-point difference to six points midway through the frame before the Jackets went on a 16-4 run for their largest lead of the contest, 80-62, with seven minutes left. The Tigers never got closer than the final score. Greg Guiler came off the bench to net 15 points while Josh Gast buried four treys en route to 14 points. Josh Zarrilli made his first collegiate start and responded with 11 markers.[STATS]
Dec. 2, WITTENBERG
Josh Gast, who last year beat Wittenberg with a last-second three-pointer, nailed a trey with 18 seconds left to give NAIA Division II No. 2 Cedarville a 70-68 victory over the Tigers in a non-conference game. The Jackets enjoyed a 13-point lead midway through the first half. However, Wittenberg closed the gap to 40-36 by halftime and neither team led by more than four points in the second period. Gast was quiet before scoring 11 of his 14 points over the final six minutes including a trio of three-pointers. There were four lead changes in the last 1:08. With Wittenberg leading 65-64, Greg Guiler bombed in a three with a minute left and the Tigers answered with a three-ball with 42 seconds to go before Gast's game-winner. The visitors were unable to get off a shot in the final seconds. Anthony Delimpo came off the bench with 16 points and Josh Zarrilli provided 10 points in a reserve role. [STATS]
Nov. 25, at Wright State
Anthony Delimpo scored a game-high 20 points, including the game-winner with 8.1 seconds left, as NAIA Division II No. 3 Cedarville stunned NCAA Division I Wright State, 68-66. It was the season opener for the Raiders and WSU was unable to put the Yellow Jackets away. Wright State led by as much as 13 points in the first half and held a 33-23 advantage at the intermission. The hosts pushed the spread back to 50-37 with 11:13 left before Cedarville erupted on a 17-3 run over the next six minutes for a 54-53 lead. It was tight the rest of the way. Wright State grabbed a 66-65 lead on a jumper with 27 seconds to go setting up Delimpo's winning jump hook in the lane. The Raiders committed a turnover with 2.8 seconds on the clock, Drew Borton hit one free throw at the 2.6 second mark, and WSU could only get off a desperation trey as the buzzer sounded. Borton finished with 16 points while Mugabe Thomas posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. CU made just 29 percent of its shots from the field in the first half compared to 15-of-23 shooting for 65 percent in the second half. The Jackets also racked up a 43-37 rebounding edge. [STATS]
Nov. 22, BERRY (26th Annual Cedarville Invitational)
(NOTE: Berry forfeited this game on 1/19/2004 due to using an ineligible player. The stats still count, but Cedarville is awarded the victory.) NAIA Division I Berry used hot shooting and a stingy defense to beat the Yellow Jackets, 95-89, in the championship game of the 26th Annual Cedarville Invitational. It's the fifth straight year that CU, ranked No. 3 in NAIA Division II, lost in the finals of its own tournament. Cedarville jumped to a 9-2 lead, but the Vikings erupted on a 19-2 run in the next four minutes and never trailed again. A 45-40 halftime differential grew to as much as 69-52 at the 13:00 mark. The Jackets stormed back to within 80-78 with 3:15 left, Berry pushed the lead to ten, and CU cut it back to three points with 30 seconds to go before running out of time. The visitors shot 56 percent from the field and made 20-of-26 free throws. Cedarville unloaded 42 three-pointers and made just 13. The Jackets struggled from the line as well hitting 14-of-25 free throws. Mugabe Thomas, who scored 14 points, and Josh Gast, who had nine points and seven assists, earned spots on the all-tournament team. Greg Guiler scored 15 points, Drew Borton had 14, and Barry Chamberlin chipped in 10. [STATS]
Nov. 21, TAYLOR (26th Annual Cedarville Invitational)
Mugabe Thomas scored 18 points to lead the NAIA Division II No. 3 Yellow Jackets to a slim 75-72 victory over No. 7 Taylor in the first round of the 26th Annual Cedarville Invitational. CU bolted to a 42-25 first-half lead before settling for a 44-31 halftime advantage. It was still a 13-point bulge early in the second period when the Jackets' offense went stagnant for five minutes and Taylor responded with 10 unanswered points. The Trojans took their first lead since scoring the first basket of the game when a three-pointer gave the visitors a 56-55 edge at the 8:35 mark. Josh Gast hit two free throws to give CU the lead for good, but it still got tense coming down the stretch. A nine-point spurt gave the Jackets a seemingly comfortable 71-60 lead with 3:10 left. However, four TU bombs cut the difference to 73-72 with 15 seconds to go. Gast hit both ends of a one-and-one with 12 seconds remaining and Taylor turned the ball over with three seconds to go without getting off a shot. Gast and Jason Weakley scored 14 points each for Cedarville. [STATS]
Nov. 18, CENTRAL STATE
Jason Weakley and Mugabe Thomas scored 17 points each to lead Cedarville to an 82-74 non-conference victory over Central State. The outcome keeps the NAIA Division II No. 3 Yellow Jackets unbeaten through four games. The hosts never trailed against their longtime Greene County rival, located just four miles away, but it was a battle from the opening tip. CU led 38-33 at halftime and opened up a 10-point spread early in the second half. The Marauders got within one point on three occasions, yet it was Weakley who responded with driving layups or assists that led to key baskets. None was bigger than with Cedarville leading 74-73 at the 2:05 mark. Weakley drove the lane for a score, was fouled, and completed the three-point play. The Marauders never got closer than four points in the final two minutes. Anthony Delimpo came off the bench with 15 points. Josh Gast scored 13 points, matched Weakley with a team-high four assists, and came away with four steals. [STATS]
Nov. 15, DAEMEN
Josh Gast scored 22 points as NAIA Division II No. 3 Cedarville dealt Daemen its first loss in five games this season, 91-75. The Jackets had to withstand a comeback by the visitors to remain unbeaten themselves. CU had a 47-36 halftime lead and opened up a 19-point bulge in the second half. However, Daemen roared back to as close as 75-71 with four minutes left. The Jackets scored the next nine points to regain command. Mugabe Thomas recorded his second straight double-double with totals of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Drew Borton netted 13 points and Jason Weakley chipped in 11. [STATS]
Nov. 14, GENEVA
Mugabe Thomas put together a double-double consisting of 21 points and 12 rebounds as the NAIA Division II No. 3 Yellow Jackets pulled away in the second half for a 110-90 victory over Geneva in their home opener. Cedarville led 47-43 at halftime despite Geneva's 61-percent shooting from the field in the opening 20 minutes. The Jackets responded by pushing the difference out to 10 points in the first three minutes of the second period and the Tornadoes never got closer than eight the rest of the way. Cedarville shot 58 percent in the half and put 63 points on the board. Anthony Delimpo scored 17 points, Greg Guiler netted 16, and Brandon Lee chipped in 12 with all three players coming off the bench. Drew Borton added 15 points. [STATS]
Nov. 6, at Indiana Wesleyan
Anthony Delimpo scored 17 points in his Cedarville debut to lead the NAIA No. 3 Yellow Jackets to a 99-84 victory at Indiana Wesleyan in the season opener for both teams. The 6-foot-7 junior was playing in his first game at C.U. since transferring from Mount Vernon Nazarene. The Jackets got off to a sluggish start and trailed by as much as 17-8. However, the visitors recovered for a 42-38 halftime advantage and expanded the difference to as much as 19 points in the second period. Josh Gast tossed in 15 points while Drew Borton made 6-of-7 shots from the field en route to 14 points. Jason Weakley had 11 points and freshman guard Eric Leininger chipped in 10. Cedarville made 11-of-25 shots from behind the three-point line and converted 52.1 percent of their field goals overall. [STATS]
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