2005-06 Game Recaps
March 4, SPRING ARBOR (NCCAA Midwest Region Championship)
Defending NCCAA national champion Spring Arbor gunned down Cedarville 98-92 in the Midwest Region title game to put an end to the Yellow Jackets' season. CU bows out at 20-11 while the Cougars, 20-13, advance to the NCCAA Nationals in Oakland City, Ind. The Jackets held the lead for the majority of the contest, but could not put Spring Arbor away. Cedarville led 45-41 at the intermission and grabbed their largest advantage at 72-66 with 9:45 left. The Cougars responded with a 14-2 run and the hosts never recovered even though they got as close as 94-92 with 26 seconds remaining. Mugabe Thomas, who averaged 22.9 points and 15.1 rebounds over the final seven games of the campaign, posted his 21st double-double with 27 points and 14 rebounds. Guy Rathmell had 17 points and freshman Grant Walker netted a career-high 16. Thomas finished his career with 2,043 points and 1,177 rebounds as only the second player in school history with more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Ken Rucker, who played from 1989 to 1993, is the other. [STATS]
Feb. 28, at Mount Vernon Nazarene (AMC/NAIA Qualifying Tournament Championship)
NAIA Division II No. 15 Mount Vernon Nazarene outlasted Cedarville, 61-56, in a surprising defensive battle in the AMC/NAIA Qualifying Tournament championship game. The Yellow Jackets, 20-10, are scheduled to host either Grace or Spring Arbor on Saturday in the NCCAA Midwest Region championship game. Cedarville and MVNU have long been known for their high-scoring affairs including the two regular season games they split this year with the road team winning each time. Intense defense was the key to this battle. CU scored the game's first seven points before the Cougars embarked on a 32-13 run and led 32-25 at the intermission. The Jackets fought back to lead five times in the second half, the last of which was 51-50 at the 6:52 mark. Mugabe Thomas, who finished with 17 points and a career-high 22 rebounds, knocked down a three-pointer for a 54-54 tie with 4:19 left. Following an MVNU three-pointer, a Thomas lay-up with 3:36 to go made it 57-56 and CU would not score again. The Jackets' 56 points scored and 32-percent shooting from the field were both season lows. However, Thomas became just the fifth player in school history to surpass 2,000 career points. He is one of just two players to reach that plateau while grabbing at least 1,000 rebounds. The Cougars won for the 11th straight time to improve to 25-8. [STATS]
Feb. 25, at Point Park (AMC/NAIA Qualifying Tournament Semifinals)
Ryan Short scored 24 points to lead six Cedarville players in double figures in a convincing 119-93 victory at Point Park in the semifinals of the AMC/NAIA Qualifying Tournament. The defending champion Yellow Jackets, 20-9, advance to the title game and will play at NAIA Division II No. 15 Mount Vernon Nazarene on Tuesday in a battle of South Division rivals. Cedarville surrendered the first four points of the contest to the Pioneers, who had beaten the Jackets 90-87 on the same floor back on Dec. 2. CU responded with eight straight points and never looked back. The lead swelled to 18 points en route to a 59-46 halftime bulge. Point Park closed to within nine, 65-56, early in the second half before a 13-point spurt by the Jackets blew the game open. Guy Rathmell buried four three-pointers and scored 23 points while Daniel Rose poured in a career-high 20 points with 10 rebounds. Mugabe Thomas totaled 17 points, 18 rebounds, and seven assists, Eric Leininger came off the bench with 13 points, and Grant Walker netted 11 points. CU overwhelmed the Pioneers on the boards by a whopping 64-30 margin and grabbed 22 offensive rebounds in the process. Point Park ends the season at 17-8. [STATS]
Feb. 21, URBANA (AMC/NAIA Qualifying Tournament First Round)
Mugabe Thomas piled up 29 points and 16 rebounds to lead Cedarville to an 84-76 victory against Urbana in the opening round of the AMC/NAIA Qualifying Tournament. The Yellow Jackets, 19-9, will take their four-game winning streak to Point Park (Pa.) for a semifinal contest on Saturday night. The Pioneers edged CU, 90-87, on their home court in December. The third time was the charm for the Jackets versus their longtime rival as the Blue Knights had easily swept the two-game season series including a 13-point win in the Callan Athletic Center just two weeks earlier. Cedarville never trailed this time by building a 41-33 halftime advantage. The Jackets had the difference to as much as 11 points early in the second period, but the Blue Knights snuck to within 56-54 at the 8:55 mark. CU answered with a 9-1 spurt and Urbana, who finishes the year at 15-15, got no closer than six thanks to the Jackets hitting eight straight free throws in the final 1:30. Thomas, who had been silenced to 19 points total in the two previous games against the Blue Knights, exploded for his 18th double-double of the campaign. Freshman center Daniel Rose responded with 14 points and 10 boards in a starting role but fouled out after playing just 16 minutes. Eric Leininger netted 11 points and Drew Borton pulled down 12 rebounds. [STATS]
Feb. 18, MALONE
Grant Walker hit a three-pointer with 27 seconds left to carry the Yellow Jackets to an 86-84 AMC South Division victory over Malone in the regular season finale before 3,888 in the Callan Athletic Center. Cedarville, the #2 seed in the AMC/NAIA Qualifying Tournament, will host #3 Urbana in the opening round on Tuesday. Walker's trey saved the day for the Jackets, who completed the schedule 18-9 overall and 13-5 AMC with a three-game winning streak. Malone had taken its only lead of the second half, 81-80, with 2:10 remaining. CU found itself with the ball with less than a minute left and the scored tied at 83-83. After the Jackets missed a shot, Mugabe Thomas grabbed the offensive rebound and fired the ball out to the top of the key to Walker who never hesitated in nailing his third three-pointer of the game. The Pioneers, 14-16 and 9-9 AMC, set up a play for a potential game-tying shot but failed to convert. Ryan Short paced the Jackets with 21 points. Thomas finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds while Guy Rathmell and Drew Borton netted 12 points each. Cedarville had a 49-43 rebounding advantage and the two teams combined for just 15 turnovers. The crowd was the second-largest in school history. [STATS]
Feb. 14, at Tiffin
Mugabe Thomas racked up a double-double to lead Cedarville back from a 16-point deficit for a 78-71 victory at Tiffin in an American Mideast Conference South Division game. The Yellow Jackets, 17-9 overall and 12-5 AMC, enter the final game of the regular season tied for 2nd place in the division. CU scored the first basket of the game and then the Dragons took off. Tiffin built the margin to 42-26 in the final seconds of the opening period before Ryan Short beat the buzzer with a three-pointer for a 13-point halftime difference. The Jackets opened the second half with 12 straight points and it was close the rest of the way. Guy Rathmell hit two free throws to give Cedarville the lead for good at the 7:30 mark and they hit 7-of-8 free throws coming down the stretch to secure the win. Thomas finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Short had 16 points, Rathmell netted 14, and freshman point guard Grant Walker matched his career-high with 12. The Yellow Jackets enjoyed a 49-30 rebounding margin which included 25 offensive boards. Tiffin drops to 15-11 and 7-10 AMC. [STATS]
Feb. 11, at Walsh
Mugabe Thomas erupted for 30 points to rally the Yellow Jackets to a 79-71 victory at NAIA Division II No. 5 Walsh in an American Mideast Conference South Division contest. The win keeps Cedarville, 16-9 and 11-5 AMC, tied for second place in the division with Mount Vernon Nazarene with two games to play. The defending NAIA national champion Cavaliers, 21-6 and 12-3 AMC, raced to a 30-15 lead, but the Jackets fought back to within 39-31 at the intermission. CU narrowed the deficit to one before Walsh pushed the difference back to 52-41 with 13:10 left. Cedarville bounced back and never trailed again after Thomas buried a trey for a 61-59 lead at the 6:25 mark. The Cavs tied the game on their next possession, but the Jackets rattled off 10 unanswered points to take control. Thomas knocked down a career-high six three-pointers including four straight in a span of four minutes when CU pulled away late. Guy Rathmell finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds while Eric Leininger came off the bench with 11 points. The Jackets shot 60 percent from the field in the second half which included a 7-for-11 effort outside the arc and they committed just nine turnovers for the game. Senior center Drew Borton, who had never missed a game in his four-year career, had his school-record string of 133 consecutive games played halted due to a knee injury suffered in the previous game versus Urbana. [STATS]
Feb. 7, URBANA
Urbana used its quickness to shut down Cedarville's offense in a 77-64 AMC South Division victory in the Callan Athletic Center. It was the third straight home loss by the Yellow Jackets, 15-9 overall and 10-5 AMC. Cedarville has played everyone close this season with seven losses by six points or less with the exception of the Blue Knights. Urbana, 13-12 and 9-5 AMC, also drilled the Jackets 92-69 four weeks ago, but this contest took a while for them to blow open. CU trailed 27-25 at the half and scored the first basket of the second period to knot the score. Then, Urbana capped a 12-point run with three straight three-pointers and never looked back as they opened up a 17-point bulge midway through the half. Ryan Short scored 20 points and Guy Rathmell had 19. Mugabe Thomas, who leads the AMC in rebounding (11.5) and ranks fifth in scoring (19.5), was limited to four points and three rebounds on 12 minutes of playing time before fouling out - the last three of which were charging fouls. [STATS]
Feb. 4, at Ohio Dominican
Guy Rathmell led four players in double figures with 19 points and the Yellow Jackets came up with one of their top defensive efforts of the season in a 72-58 victory at Ohio Dominican in an AMC South Division contest. Cedarville earlier outgunned the Panthers, 87-85, in the Callan Athletic Center on Jan. 14. The Jackets, 15-8 overall and 10-4 AMC, closed a tight first half with a 34-33 lead at the intermission and then took over with 10 straight points for a 56-45 advantage with 11 minutes left. After the Panthers closed to within 57-50 at the 9:10 mark, CU outscored the hosts 15-8 down the stretch. Rathmell made every shot he attempted going 7-for-7 from the field, including a trio of three-point baskets, and he was 2-for-2 at the charity stripe. Mugabe Thomas finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, Drew Borton tallied 14 points and a game-high 15 boards, and Ryan Short netted 13 points. Cedarville enjoyed a 53-32 rebounding margin over Ohio Dominican, 11-12 and 6-8 AMC. [STATS]
Jan. 31, at Wilberforce
NAIA Division II No. 17 Cedarville overcame a slow start to end a three-game losing streak with a 74-64 victory at Wilberforce in an AMC South Division game. The Yellow Jackets, 14-8 overall and 9-4 AMC, were able to sweep the two-game season series from their Greene County rival. The host Bulldogs, 5-17 and 4-9 AMC, sprinted to a 17-3 lead in the first four minutes before a 13-point burst by the Jackets got the visitors back in it. Cedarville scored the final eight points of the half for a 36-29 advantage. An 11-2 run midway through the second half gave CU a 60-46 bulge and Wilberforce could only get as close as seven points at the 2:15 mark. Mugabe Thomas exploded for 20 points and 15 rebounds while Drew Borton also posted a double-double of 13 points and 11 boards. Grant Walker buried four three-pointers for a career-high 12 points and Guy Rathmell chipped in 10. [STATS]
Jan. 28, MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE
Mount Vernon Nazarene handed the NAIA Division II No. 17 Yellow Jackets their third straight setback, 86-81, in an AMC South Division contest played before 3,312 in the Callan Athletic Center. The Cougars avenged an 87-74 loss on their home court to Cedarville on Jan. 7. MVNU, 16-8 overall and 7-5 AMC, buried 13-of-25 three-pointers and outscored the hosts 13-4 from the free throw line. The Jackets used a 15-4 run for a 59-53 lead with 11:11 to play. The lead was short-lived and the two teams were tied for the 10th time in the contest at 70-70 at the 4:15 mark. The Cougars responded with five straight points and never trailed again. CU closed to within 82-81 with 28 seconds left, but the visitors made four straight free throws to win it. Mugabe Thomas had 28 points and Ryan Short tallied 18 for the Jackets, 13-8 and 8-4 AMC. Cedarville's three-game slide has been by a total of eight points and it was the squad's seventh loss by six points or less this season. [STATS]
Jan. 24, at Shawnee State
Shawnee State converted a three-point play with 12.7 seconds left to pull off a 68-67 upset over NAIA Division II No. 16 Cedarville in an AMC South Division contest. It was the second consecutive last-second loss for the Yellow Jackets by a total of three points. Cedarville, 13-7 overall and 8-3 AMC, got off a three-pointer with four seconds left, but the rebound caromed up the sideline as the buzzer sounded. The Jackets turned around a 10-point deficit in the first half to a 57-48 advantage with less than seven minutes left. The Bears, who ended a four-game losing streak to improve to 8-15 and 4-7 AMC, nailed three straight three-pointers to make it close. Mugabe Thomas finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Guy Rathmell and Ryan Short netted 13 points apiece. [STATS]
Jan. 21, WALSH
NAIA Division II No. 7 Walsh got an uncontested layup with 0.2 seconds left to stun the No. 16 Yellow Jackets, 60-58, in an AMC South Division battle played before 3,012 in the Callan Athletic Center. The outcome gives the Cavs, 17-4 overall and 8-1 AMC, sole possession of first place in the division over CU, 13-6 and 8-2. Cedarville appeared to be doomed after a Walsh three-pointer gave the visitors a 58-52 lead with 1:21 left. However, Ryan Short buried two treys in a span of 50 seconds knot the game at 58-58 with 18 seconds on the clock. The Jackets committed their sixth foul of the half with 7.5 seconds to go giving the Cavaliers the ball at halfcourt. The Yellow Jacket defense attempted to double team the ball in the frantic final seconds which resulted in the wide open basket to end it. Short netted 20 points and dished out four assists. Mugabe Thomas totaled 10 points and 12 rebounds while Daniel Rose came off the bench with 10 points. Cedarville put together a better field goal percentage and outrebounded Walsh, 36-32, but the Jackets committed more turnovers, 15-10. [STATS]
Jan. 17, TIFFIN
Mugabe Thomas racked up a double-double which included his 1,000th career rebound as NAIA Division II No. 13 Cedarville shot down Tiffin, 86-69, in an American Mideast Conference South Division contest. The Yellow Jackets, now 13-5 overall and 8-1 AMC, have won three straight. A 29-12 run late in the first half propelled CU to a 15-point lead before the Dragons bounced back to cut the halftime deficit to 43-33. The Jackets' advantage was never lower than eight points in the second half and the difference was at least 11 points over the final 13:15. Thomas came through with 29 points and 15 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 senior, who already has 1,783 career points, upped his rebounding total to 1,010 to become just the seventh player in Cedarville's long basketball history to reach the milestone. Ryan Short tallied 19 points and seven assists while Guy Rathmell chipped in 10 points. Tiffin, 11-7 and 3-6 AMC, had their two-game winning streak snapped. [STATS]
Jan. 14, OHIO DOMINICAN
Ryan Short scored a game-high 23 points as the NAIA Division II No. 13 Yellow Jackets withstood a furious Ohio Dominican rally for an 87-85 American Mideast Conference South Division victory. The win keeps Cedarville, 12-5 overall and 7-1 AMC, on top of the division standings. The Yellow Jackets never trailed in the contest played before 3,129 in the Callan Athletic Center and there were only five ties. Cedarville finally built the lead to 10 points on three occasions late in the game the last of which was 78-68 with 4:55 to go. ODU, 8-9 and 3-5 AMC, charged back to within 86-85 with 1.8 seconds left. Eric Leininger hit one-of-two free throws and the Panthers missed a 50-footer at the buzzer. Short handed out eight assists and grabbed six rebounds. Mugabe Thomas tallied a double-double of 18 points and 11 boards while Daniel Rose came off the bench with 14 points. [STATS and PHOTO GALLERY]
Jan. 12, at Rio Grande
NAIA Division II No. 13 Cedarville used a pair of decisive runs to defeat Rio Grande for the second time this season, 88-76, in an American Mideast Conference South Division game. The Yellow Jackets, who had hammered the Redmen 100-57 at home in November, scored the final 13 points of the first half and then took over by producing a 17-point spurt early in the second period to improve to 11-5 overall and 6-1 AMC. CU scored just 12 points in a 10-minute span of the first half, but they turned a 38-30 deficit into a 43-38 halftime lead by holding Rio scoreless over the last 4:45. Ryan Short fueled the big second-half run by scoring 10 of the Jackets' 17 straight points that resulted in a 69-48 bulge with 11:20 to play. Mugabe Thomas recorded game-highs of 28 points and 14 rebounds. Short finished with 23 points and Guy Rathmell tallied 18 points and nine boards. The Redmen fall to 8-11 and 2-5 AMC. [STATS]
Jan. 10, at Urbana
Urbana had little problem in beating the NAIA Division II No. 11 Yellow Jackets for the first time in ten meetings, 92-69, in an AMC South Division encounter. It had been five years since the Blue Knights had won a game in the series and it was their largest margin of victory against Cedarville since ripping the Jackets 110-81 on Feb. 12, 1974. Urbana, 9-8 overall and 5-1 AMC, controlled every phase of the game and trailed only once in the early going. It was 43-28 at halftime, and after CU inched back to within 12 points midway through the second half, the difference inflated to as much as 27 points in the final minutes. The Blue Knights, who entered the game ranked 17th of 18 AMC teams in three-point field goal percentage, buried 11-of-19 treys for 58 percent and shot 57 percent overall. Mugabe Thomas scored 15 points while Daniel Rose came off the bench with 12 points and 11 boards for Cedarville, 10-5 and 5-1 AMC. The Jackets made just 9-of-32 shots for 28 percent in the first half and hit 7-of-34 three-pointers in the game for 21 percent. [STATS]
Jan. 7, at Mount Vernon Nazarene
All five Yellow Jacket starters scored in double figures and NAIA Division II No. 11 Cedarville remained unbeaten in the American Mideast Conference South Division following an 87-74 win at Mount Vernon Nazarene. The Yellow Jackets, 10-4 overall and 5-0 AMC, broke a 67-67 tie with seven minutes left when Eric Leininger, Guy Rathmell, and Mugabe Thomas hit consecutive three-pointers to take the lead for good. The Cougars, 12-5 and 3-2 AMC, could only get as close as eight points the rest of the way. Thomas finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds while Ryan Short tallied 18 points. Drew Borton netted 14 points and pulled down a career-high 16 boards, Rathmell had 14 points, and Leininger came through with 11. Cedarville made 19-of-33 shots for 58 percent in the second half and produced a whopping 55-28 rebounding advantage in the game. [STATS]
Jan. 3, WILBERFORCE
NAIA Division II No. 8 Cedarville held Greene County rival Wilberforce to 26 percent shooting in an 80-51 American Mideast Conference South Division victory. The victory keeps the Yellow Jackets, 9-4 overall and 4-0 AMC, atop the division standings. CU labored offensively from the outset and trailed 19-13 with 8:30 left in the opening half. They finished with a 17-5 flurry for a 30-24 halftime advantage. An 11-3 start to the second period put the Yellow Jackets in control. Then they blew the game open while the Bulldogs, 2-11 and 1-3 AMC, went 10 minutes without a field goal. Mugabe Thomas scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the second half while Ryan Short added 21. Daniel Rose came off the bench with a career-high 12 rebounds and tied the school record with seven blocked shots. Cedarville made 18-of-31 shots from the field in the second half for 58 percent. Wilberforce, which opened the final frame by converting only one of their first 20 attempts, finished 19-for-73 in the contest for 26 percent. [STATS and PHOTO GALLERY]
Dec. 20, HUNTINGTON
NAIA Division II No. 5 Huntington built a big lead and then withstood a gallant comeback from No. 8 Cedarville for a 79-75 non-conference victory in the Callan Athletic Center. Three of the Yellow Jackets' four losses this season have come at home and all have been to nationally-ranked teams. The key to the outcome - the first-half foul trouble of Mugabe Thomas. The NAIA All-American played all of six minutes in the opening period due to being saddled with three fouls. The Foresters took advantage by racing to a 17-point lead before taking a 46-34 spread into the intermission. The deficit was 58-42 at the 16:45 mark before the Jackets went off on a 21-8 run to cut the difference to 66-63 with 6:45 remaining. Then, the hosts missed two open looks from outside the arc that would have tied it. After falling behind by nine, Cedarville got as close as 77-75 with 41 seconds to go and ran out of time. Ryan Short scored a team-high 18 points to lead four Yellow Jackets in double figures. Thomas finished with 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds in 23 total minutes. Guy Rathmell had 12 points and Drew Borton netted 11. [STATS and PHOTO GALLERY]
Dec. 10, SHAWNEE STATE
Ryan Short led five Yellow Jackets in double figures with 22 points and NAIA Division II No. 4 Cedarville remained unbeaten in the AMC South Division with a 91-76 win against Shawnee State. The outcome ended a skid of sorts for the Jackets against the Bears, who had been the only conference team to post regular season victories at the Callan Athletic Center in each of the last two years. Cedarville took a 37-32 halftime lead and inflated it to 15 points in the first 8:30 of the second half thanks to an 11-point run. The Jackets made 19-of-29 shots from the field for 65.5 percent in the final 20 minutes and shot 56.4 percent for the game. They also controlled the boards by a 40-28 spread. Maicol Venter came off the bench to equal his career high with 16 points. Freshman center Daniel Rose established a new season-high of 14 points, also in a reserve role. Mugabe Thomas and Eric Leininger scored all of their points in the second half with Thomas finishing with 12 and Leininger chipping in 10. [STATS]
Dec. 6, WITTENBERG
NCAA Division III No. 3 Wittenberg held the NAIA Division II No. 5 Yellow Jackets to their season-low offensive output in a 65-59 non-conference victory. The Tigers remain unbeaten at 6-0 in winning for the second straight time in the series between the two local rivals. Wittenberg broke out to a 24-12 lead, but the Jackets embarked on an 18-2 run to take a 30-26 advantage. The Tigers scored at the halftime buzzer for a 37-33 edge and then never lost the lead in the second half. Witt opened up a 60-46 spread with 7:25 left before CU closed to within 62-58 five minutes later. The hosts missed out on pinching the difference even tighter as they came up empty on three straight possessions. Ryan Short finished with 18 points, Mugabe Thomas had 11, and Drew Borton chipped in 10. The Jackets shot just 32 percent from the field in the second half and were outrebounded 38-28 for the contest. Cedarville, 7-3 overall, entered the game ranked third nationally in rebounding margin at +13 per game. [STATS]
Dec. 3, at Geneva
Drew Borton scored a career-high 25 points to lead NAIA Division II No. 5 Cedarville to a hard-earned 74-70 victory at Geneva. The 6-foot-9 senior hit 6-of-8 shots from the field, including both of his three-point attempts, and converted 11-of-14 free throws to go along with seven rebounds. The Yellow Jackets, 7-2 overall, sprinted to a 19-3 lead in the game's opening six minutes and then the offense went stagnant. The Golden Tornadoes, 3-4, outscored the visitors 28-7 over the next 11 minutes for a five-point cushion before settling in for a 32-31 halftime edge. CU scored the first four points of the second period and never trailed again despite the game being tied three times midway through the frame. The Jackets broke a 50-50 deadlock with eight straight free throws and then held on thanks to Borton converting four charity tosses in the final 20 seconds. Mugabe Thomas registered his seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Cedarville controlled the boards by a commanding 51-34 margin and was 25-of-41 at the free throw line compared to 12-of-16 for Geneva. The Jackets hit on 17-of-22 free throws in the final eight minutes to secure the victory. [STATS]
Dec. 2, at Point Park
Point Park used torrid three-point shooting to dig out of an early hole and nip the NAIA Division II No. 5 Yellow Jackets, 90-87. The outcome halted Cedarville's six-game winning streak. Eric Leininger scored CU's first 11 points to spark the Jackets to a 30-16 lead in the game's first 10 minutes. However, the Pioneers, 5-3 overall, hustled their way to regain the lead by halftime, 45-43, before burying 9-of-13 three-pointers in the second half to forge a 13-point advantage with 7:25 left. Cedarville bounced back to within three points and even got PPU to miss the front end of two one-and-one free throw situations in the final minute, but three turnovers down the stretch thwarted any chance at a victory. Mugabe Thomas scored all 14 of his points in the second half and finished with a game-high 12 rebounds for the Jackets, 6-2. Leinger and Guy Rathmell tallied 14 points each, Drew Borton had 11, and Ray James came off the bench to contribute 10 points. [STATS]
Nov. 29, RIO GRANDE
Eric Leininger made seven of a school-record tying 19 three-point baskets to lead the NAIA Division II No. 5 Yellow Jackets to a decisive 100-57 win over Rio Grande in an AMC South Division game. The six-foot junior finished with a career-high 23 points for Cedarville, 6-1 overall and 2-0 AMC, who won for the fifth straight time. The Jackets enjoyed a comfortable 39-23 halftime lead and then scored the first 15 points in the opening 3:50 of the second period for a 54-23 bulge. The difference was much as 43 points on five different occasions in the last 2:10. Cedarville hit 19-of-38 treys for the game and was 13-of-20 in the second half. The 19 three-pointers matches the school mark set twice previously and it also equals the AMC single-game record. Mugabe Thomas tallied 18 points with a game-high nine rebounds. Guy Rathmell netted 12 points, Drew Borton had 10 points with four blocks, and Ryan Short dished out a career-high 10 assists. Rio falls to 3-4 and 0-2 AMC. [STATS]
Nov. 26, TAYLOR
Mugabe Thomas and Ryan Short combined for 45 points to lead the NAIA Division II No. 5 Yellow Jackets to an 80-64 non-conference win over No. 22 and previously unbeaten Taylor. It was the fifth straight win for Cedarville, 5-1 overall. The Jackets erased an early 5-2 deficit with 10 unanswered points to take the lead for good. The margin was as much as 15 points with a 34-27 difference at the intermission. Taylor, now 7-1, scored the first basket of the second half, but a 17-6 Cedarville spurt pushed the bulge to 16 points. The Trojans, who entered the game allowing just 48.9 points per game, could get no closer than seven the rest of the way. Thomas finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth consecutive double-double while Short totaled 19 points, seven boards, and five assists. The Jackets claimed the rebounding advantage, 42-36. [STATS]
Nov. 22, at Malone
Mugabe Thomas struck for a career-high 32 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as NAIA Division II No. 5 Cedarville opened AMC South Division action with a 98-74 victory at Malone. It was the fourth straight double-double for Thomas, who led the country last year with 25 for the season. The 6-foot-4 senior made 13-of-17 shots overall, 5-of-9 outside the arc, and converted his only free throw. Ryan Short scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half, Maicol Venter came off the bench with 16 points, and Guy Rathmell netted 13. The Yellow Jackets, 4-1 overall, never trailed after scoring the first seven points of the game. The difference was 50-29 at halftime and 75-44 with 12:00 remaining. However, the Pioneers, 1-2 and 0-1 AMC, made it interesting by erupting for a 19-2 run to cut the margin to 13 points with 4:15 left. Cedarville came out of a timeout with seven straight points ending with Thomas' fifth trey of the night to regain control. [STATS]
Nov. 19, SETON HILL
Mugabe Thomas produced his third straight double-double and NAIA Division II No. 5 Cedarville woke up in the second half to beat No. 12 Seton Hill, 75-61. It was the third straight win for the Yellow Jackets, 3-1, since dropping the season opener. Cedarville's only lead in the first half was 3-2 and the deficit was as much as 10 points. The hosts found themselves in a 38-29 hole with 3:05 left , but then they scored the final three points of the frame and the first 17 of the second half to take over. That capped a 20-0 run in which they held the Griffins, 3-1, scoreless for a span of 9:30. Thomas finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Ryan Short tallied 22 points with nine rebounds and Eric Leininger chipped in 11 points. The Jackets controlled the boards 46-31 and shot 52 percent from the field. [STATS]
Nov. 18, SAINT VINCENT
Mugabe Thomas erupted for career-highs of 30 points and 20 rebounds to lead NAIA Division II No. 5 Cedarville to an 82-57 victory over Saint Vincent. Both teams are picked to win their respective divisions in the American Mideast Conference pre-season coaches' poll with SVC slated to take the North and CU the South. The Bearcats, 4-2 overall, grabbed an early 5-2 lead, but the Yellow Jackets responded with 14 consecutive points to take command. It was 40-29 at halftime. Saint Vincent crept to within nine early in the second frame before an 11-0 Cedarville run pushed the difference to 20 points. The bulge was as big as 29 points late in the contest. Thomas tallied 10 offensive and 10 defensive rebounds in 29 minutes of action. Guy Rathmell made 9-of-12 field goals and netted 20 points while Drew Borton chipped in 13. Daniel Rose came off the bench with six blocked shots which was one shy of the school record. The Jackets, 2-1 overall, enjoyed a 57-30 rebounding margin including 28 offensive boards. [STATS]
Nov. 12, INDIANA TECH (28th Annual Cedarville Invitational
Sophomore guard Ryan Short's double-double led the NAIA Division II No 5 Yellow Jackets to a 93-72 victory over Indiana Tech in the consolation game of the 28th Annual Cedarville Invitational. Short fired in a career-high 25 points, hauled in 10 rebounds, and handed out five assists to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. The Yellow Jackets sprinted to a 54-31 advantage at the intermission. CU shot 50 percent from the field in the second period to keep the bulge at anywhere from 15 to 25 points until the final buzzer. Mugabe Thomas, who led the country with 25 double-doubles last season, notched his first of the year with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Guy Rathmell chipped in 10 points as all ten Yellow Jackets in uniform played and nine scored. CU enjoyed a whopping 56-35 edge on the boards. [STATS] NAIA Division I No. 11 Lindsey Wilson defeated NAIA Division II No. 11 Embry-Riddle 76-64 in the championship game. [STATS] The All-Tournament Team consisted of Lindsey Wilson's Lloyd Lewis (MVP), Scott Cook, and Stephen Russell; Embry-Riddle's Denny Joseph and Drew Whitaker; and Cedarville's Ryan Short.
Nov. 11, EMBRY-RIDDLE (28th Annual Cedarville Invitational)
NAIA Division II No. 11 Embry-Riddle rallied from a 15-point deficit to knock off the No. 5 Yellow Jackets, 71-66, in the opening round of the 28th Annual Cedarville Invitational. It's only the third time the Jackets have dropped the first game in the history of the event and it hasn't happened since 1983. Embry-Riddle scored the first basket of the game and then watched Cedarville score 12 unanswered points. The Jackets built the margin to 31-16 at the 6:20 mark and threatened to blow the game open even further. However, an errant ally oop pass to Mugabe Thomas caused the NAIA All-American to hang on the rim for a technical foul and CU never recovered from what seemed to be a harmless play. Embry-Riddle finished the half with a 19-8 spurt to cut the deficit to 39-35. The two teams kept it tight the entire second half and the Eagles finally took the lead for good on two free throws at the 5:00 mark. Ryan Short had 14 points for Cedarville while Thomas finished with 11. The Yellow Jackets, playing their season opener, shot just 35 percent from the field overall, but they did convert 10-of-26 three pointers. However, they were 12-for-28 at the free throw line including a 6-for-17 showing in the decisive second period. The game attracted 2,117 fans to the Callan Athletic Center despite an 11:30 p.m. tip off time. The late start was due to Cedarville's women's volleyball team hosting the 12-team American Mideast Conference Tournament during the weekend. [STATS] NAIA Division I No. 11 Linsey Wilson defeated Indiana Tech, 73-59, in the opener. [STATS]
