2006-07 Game Recaps
March 10, Mayville State (16th Annual NAIA Division II National Tournament - Quarterfinals)
The No. 12 seed Yellow Jackets rallied from 13 points down and even had the last-second shot to win, but they lost to Mayville State, 82-81, in the NAIA Division II Elite Eight. Cedarville ends the season with a 23-8 record. The Comets, 26-8, used their quickness to literally race to a 48-35 lead late in the first half and a 53-42 edge at halftime. The Jackets methodically closed the difference and were within 63-61 at the 12:30 mark. They could never tie the score, got within the one-point final, and had two shots in the last 10 seconds in an attempt to win. Freshman center Ricardo Alliman led three players in double figures with a season-high 16 points. Seniors Eric Leininger and Guy Rathmell closed out their Yellow Jacket careers by scoring 12 points apiece. [STATS]
March 9, Warner Pacific (16th Annual NAIA Division II National Tournament - Second Round)
Guy Rathmell pumped in a career-high 29 points and the No. 12 seed Yellow Jackets built a 24-point lead before settling for an 86-75 win over No. 5 Warner Pacific in the second round of the NAIA Division II National Tournament. Cedarville meets up with Mayville State (N.D.) in the quarterfinals. The Jackets, 23-7 overall, put on a clinic in rolling to a 47-28 halftime lead and scoring the first five points of the second period for a 52-28 bulge. The Knights, 28-6, responded with 11 straight points to begin their comeback. Warner Pacific closed to within 73-69 with 42 seconds remaining before Cedarville pulled out the victory by hitting 11 free throws coming down the stretch. Rathmell was 9-for-12 from the field overall and was perfect from the three-point line (4-for-4) and charity stripe (7-for-7). Maicol Venter posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds with Eric Leininger chipping in 10 points. Jackets made 34-of-41 free throws for the game and they were 26-of-30 in the second half. [STATS]
March 8, Evangel (16th Annual NAIA Division II National Tournament - First Round)
Ryan Short scored 27 points to lead No. 12 seed Cedarville to a 97-83 victory over Evangel in the opening round of the 16th Annual NAIA Division II National Tournament hosted by College of the Ozarks. The Yellow Jackets square off with No. 5 Warner Pacific (Ore.) in the second round. Cedarville, 22-7 overall, overcame a nine-point deficit in the first half and took a 38-36 halftime lead on Ricardo Alliman's tip-in at the buzzer. The Jackets slowly pulled away in the second period. It was 59-49 with 13:30 left, 66-51 three minutes later, and 82-64 at the 4:50 mark. Guy Rathmell scored all 19 of his points in the second half and became the 45th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. Alliman totaled a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds while Daniel Rose came off the bench with 13 points. In the second half alone, CU shot 58 percent from the field and made 22-of-29 free throws. The Jackets were 34-of-45 at the stripe for the game and controlled the boards, 42-34. Evangel closes the season at 20-13. [STATS]
Feb. 24, at Point Park (AMC Championship Game)
NAIA Division II No. 3 Point Park built a big first-half lead and then withstood a comeback by the No. 13 Yellow Jackets for an 89-83 victory in the AMC Championship Game. The Pioneers improved to 29-1 overall while Cedarville, 21-7, had its six-game winning streak snapped. Point Park, who finished the year 12-0 on its home court at the Community College of Allegheny County South campus, gave up the first five points of the game before recovering to take a 38-22 advantage. The Jackets, representing the AMC South Division as one of its three champions, cut the difference to 45-36 by the intermission and finally tied the contest twice in the second half. The first time was 65-65 at the 9:30 mark and then it was 73-73 with 4:05 remaining. The AMC North Division champion Pioneers broke the final deadlock with an eight-point run and CU got no closer than three in the final minutes. Grant Walker was 8-for-10 outside the arc and finished with a career-high 24 points. Chris Beals came off the bench to bury four treys for 12 points. Ryan Short added 12 points, Guy Rathmell had 11, and Daniel Rose chipped in 10. [STATS]
Feb. 17, MALONE
Ryan Short scored a career-high 33 points to lead NAIA Division II No. 15 Cedarville to an 86-83 victory over Malone in an American Mideast Conference South Division game to secure an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament. The Yellow Jackets, 21-6 overall and 15-3 AMC, finished in a three-way tie for the division title with No. 8 Walsh and No. 12 Mount Vernon Nazarene, but CU won the tiebreaker for the regular season automatic bid. Malone, 17-13 and 7-11 AMC, trailed 80-69 at the 4:05 mark and rallied to cut the difference to 83-82 with 38 seconds to go. CU's Guy Rathmell hit both ends of a one-and-one free throw situation with 28 seconds remaining to make it 85-82. The Pioneers hit one-of-two charity tosses with 13 seconds on the clock and Rathmell accounted for the final with a freebie with 3.9 seconds left. Malone missed a 40-footer at the buzzer that would have tied it. Short made 15-of-20 shots from the field including a trio of three-pointers. Rathmell finished with 15 points while Grant Walker and Chris Beals added 13 each. It's the third AMC South Division title in the last five years for the Yellow Jackets, who will make their fourth trip to the national tournament in the past five years. [STATS]
Feb. 15, at Rio Grande
The NAIA Division II No. 15 Yellow Jackets outscored Rio Grande 11-3 in the final three minutes to come away with a 73-70 victory in a key American Mideast Conference South Division game. Cedarville, 20-6 overall and 14-3 AMC, remains tied with No. 8 Walsh and No. 12 Mount Vernon Nazarene for first place, but they can wrap up the division's automatic NAIA national tournament bid with a win over Malone in Saturday's season finale in the Callan Athletic Center. The Yellow Jackets, who have won 11 of their last 12, struggled mightily to extend their winning streak to five straight against the upset-minded Redmen. Rio held the advantage for the majority of the second half and had a 67-62 lead and the ball with 3:15 left. However, CU struck for a timely nine-point run to take the lead for good and won despite some shaky free throw shooting. Chris Beals drilled six three-pointers and totaled 20 points. Ryan Short netted 16 points, Daniel Rose came off the bench with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Guy Rathmell chipped in 10 points. The Jackets made just 10-of-23 free throws including a 9-for-19 effort in the second half. Rio Grande, 11-18 and 6-11 AMC, didn't help themselves at the charity stripe either by going 9-for-20. [STATS]
Feb. 10, TIFFIN
NAIA Division II No. 15 Cedarville avenged a previous upset loss at Tiffin and threw the American Mideast Conference South Division into a three-way tie with a convincing 88-61 win before 3,104 in the Callan Athletic Center. The Yellow Jackets, 19-6 overall and 13-3 AMC, are deadlocked with No. 4 Walsh and No. 12 Mount Vernon Nazarene for the division lead with two games left. Cedarville suffered through a 78-71 setback at then winless Tiffin back on Jan. 6, but this time they never gave the Dragons a chance. It was 18-4 in the first five minutes and was a 26-point bulge late in the first half en route to a 56-32 spread at the break. The difference swelled to 82-48 with 6:10 left as the Jackets coasted to their fourth straight win and 10th victory in the last 11 games. Grant Walker, who hit four three-pointers, and Ryan Short scored 14 points each. Daniel Rose tallied 13 points, Chris Walker had 11, and Chris Beals added 10. CU shot 50 percent from the field for the game and knocked down 14 treys. Tiffin dips to 4-21 and 4-12 AMC. [STATS]
Feb. 8, URBANA
Maicol Venter scored a career-high 22 points and the NAIA Division II No. 15 Yellow Jackets broke open a tight game for an 88-73 victory over AMC South Division foe Urbana. Cedarville, 18-6 overall and 12-3 AMC, won for the ninth time in the past ten games to tie Walsh for second place in the division - one game behind Mount Vernon Nazarene with three games to play. This one didn't come easy for the Jackets, who had to dig themselves out of an 11-point hole late in the first half. They trailed 41-38 at the intermission and were still behind the last-place Blue Knights, 58-56, with 11:05 left. Cedarville then exploded on a 25-3 run over the next seven minutes to finally take command, 81-61. Venter scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half. Guy Rathmell finished with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds while Ricardo Alliman came through with 11 points and 11 boards. The Jackets committed only nine turnovers and enjoyed a whopping 66-38 rebounding margin. Urbana drops to 8-18 and 3-12 AMC. [STATS]
Feb. 3, SHAWNEE STATE
A 15-point run early in the second half propelled NAIA Division II No. 17 Cedarville to a 97-74 win over Shawnee State in AMC South Division action. The Yellow Jackets, 17-6 overall and 11-3 AMC, grabbed their eighth win in the last nine outings. Cedarville held on to a 53-45 advantage with 15:15 left before reeling off 15 unanswered points over the next four minutes. The streak ended on back-to-back treys from Grant Walker for a 68-45 bulge. The Bears, 14-11 and 8-6 AMC, never threatened again as CU improved to 10-1 at home. Guy Rathmell scored 17 of his team-high 19 points in the first half to go along with six assists. Grant Walker and Chris Walker both came off the bench to tally 13 points each, Ricardo Alliman had 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds, and Eric Leininger chipped in 10 points. The Yellow Jackets made 62.5 percent of their shots in the second half and buried 14 three-pointers for the game. [STATS]
Jan. 30, at Wilberforce
NAIA Division II No. 15 Cedarville made 12 of their final 13 free throws to nip Greene County rival Wilberforce, 60-57, in an AMC South Division contest. The Yellow Jackets, 16-6 overall and 10-3 AMC, won for the seventh time in the last eight games despite a season-low offensive output. Points were scarce and CU pulled out the victory while scoring just one field goal in the final 10 minutes of the game. The visitors made 13-of-15 free throws in the second half including their last seven. Ryan Short and Grant Walker knocked down two charity tosses each in the last 32 seconds with the Jackets clinging to a one-point lead both times. A three-point attempt at the buzzer by the Bulldogs hit off the right side of the rim. All ten Yellow Jacket players who saw action scored. Maicol Venter led the way with 14 points and Daniel Rose came off the bench with 11 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks. Wilberforce, 7-11 and 3-10 AMC, lost for the ninth straight time. The Bulldogs, who rank second in the NAIA in fouls committed at 24.2 per game, were whistled for 25 personals compared to 11 for Cedarville. [STATS]
Jan. 27, at Walsh
NAIA Division II No. 5 Walsh held on to sole possession of first place in the AMC South Division with a 77-70 victory over the No. 15 Yellow Jackets. The two-time defending champion Cavaliers, 20-3 overall and 11-1 AMC, won for the 15th straight time since losing at Cedarville on Dec. 9. The Jackets, 15-6 and 9-3 AMC, had their six-game winning streak snapped. The game was close throughout with neither side pushing a lead into double digits. A 12-point run late in the first half gave CU a 34-27 edge before Walsh rallied to tie the score at 36-36 by the intermission. The Cavs took the lead for good, 44-42, with 14:45 to play and upped the spread to as much as 59-50. However, the Yellow Jackets scored eight straight points to make it close again. Cedarville narrowed the deficit to one point three times, the last of which was 61-60 at the 4:05 mark, but Walsh made eight straight free throws in the final 22 seconds to secure the win. Ryan Short tallied 15 points for Cedarville while Daniel Rose came off the bench with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. [STATS]
Jan. 23, MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE
NAIA Division II No. 16 Cedarville ran away from No. 11 Mount Vernon Nazarene, 90-67, in a battle of longtime AMC South Division rivals. A crowd of 3,407 turned out in the Callan Athletic Center to watch. The host Yellow Jackets, 15-5 overall and 9-2 AMC, surrendered the first basket of the game and then never trailed again. They built the lead to 40-28 by halftime and held the Cougars at bay in the second half thanks to 55 percent shooting from the field. The largest advantage of the contest was the 23-point final. Ryan Short pumped in 21 points for the Jackets, who extended their winning streak to six in row. Ricardo Alliman finished with 14 points, Daniel Rose came off the bench with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds, and Guy Rathmell chipped in 12 points. The Jackets controlled the boards 45-29 and committed just eight turnovers. MVNU drops to 17-4 and 9-2 AMC, after having their 10-game winning streak snapped. [STATS]
Jan. 20, RIO GRANDE
Ryan Short scored 25 points to pace five players in double figures as the NAIA Division II No. 16 Yellow Jackets rolled to a 96-72 AMC South Division victory over Rio Grande before 3,141 in the Callan Athletic Center. Cedarville, 14-5 overall and 8-2 AMC, has won five straight with No. 11 Mount Vernon Nazarene and No. 8 Walsh looming in the coming week. The Jackets shot 55 percent from the field in the first half and sprinted to a 32-8 cushion prior to settling for a 56-35 advantage at the break. The bulge reached as much as 29 points in the final period. CU held the Redmen, 8-13 and 3-6 AMC, to 29-percent shooting for the game. Maicol Venter netted 14 of his 16 points in the first half. Chris Beals, Guy Rathmell, and Daniel Rose finished with 10 points each. The Jackets outrebounded Rio, 63-55, with Ricardo Alliman hauling down a game-high 12 rebounds while Rose pulled down 11 boards and blocked seven shots. [STATS]
Jan. 16, at Malone
Guy Rathmell pumped in a career-high 28 points and NAIA Division II No. 20 Cedarville scored the final nine points for an 86-79 victory at Malone in AMC South Division action. The Yellow Jackets improved to 13-5 overall and 7-2 AMC with their fourth straight win. There were 11 ties in the evenly-played contest and the host Pioneers, 12-8 and 2-6 AMC, broke the final one by scoring their last points for a 79-77 lead with 2:45 left. Ryan Short began the decisive run by hitting a three-pointer from the right corner at the 2:15 mark and Ricardo Alliman's tip-in with 42 seconds remaining made it 82-79. The Pioneers continued to misfire from outside the arc and Short hit four free throws in the final 25 seconds to clinch the win. Rathmell, who tallied 18 points in the first half, drilled four treys for the game and also pulled down eight rebounds. Short was the only other player in double figures with 18 points. The Yellow Jackets enjoyed a convincing 53-35 rebounding advantage with Maicol Venter hauling in a game-high 10 boards. CU also made 13 three-point baskets. [STATS]
Jan. 13, OHIO DOMINICAN
The NAIA Division II No. 20 Yellow Jackets notched their third straight close victory in a span of five days with a 77-72 AMC South Division win over Ohio Dominican before 2,431 in the Callan Athletic Center. Cedarville, 12-5 overall and 6-2 AMC, won all three of its games during the week by a total of 12 points which featured a pair of overtime wins. The Jackets enjoyed a 42-27 halftime lead which grew to 17 points early in the second period. The Panthers, 9-10 and 3-4 AMC, methodically chipped away at the deficit and eventually took the lead at the 3:50 mark, 69-68. Guy Rathmell's layup gave CU the lead for good with 2:25 to play and they did the rest of their scoring from the free throw line going 5-for-6 in the final 1:45. Ryan Short was the only player to reach double figures with 24 points. He also handed out six assists and grabbed four rebounds. [STATS]
Jan. 11, CENTRAL STATE
Ryan Short fired in 26 points, including the 1,000th of his career, and the NAIA Division II No. 20 Yellow Jackets needed overtime to outlast Greene County rival Central State, 89-85. Cedarville, 11-5 overall, is unbeaten in three overtime games this season after winning their second straight in a matter of three days. The Jackets struggled from the free throw line again making 10-of-18 in regulation time before stepping up to hit 6-of-7 in the OT. Ricardo Alliman accounted for the final with two charity tosses with 17.9 seconds left. The NCAA Division II Marauders, 10-4, jumped out to an 82-78 lead in the extra session, but Guy Rathmell hit a trey and converted the free throw for a rare four-point play to tie it. Two free throws by Short made it 86-84 at the 1:35 mark giving CU the lead for good. Central State had to rally from a 72-63 deficit in the final four minutes of regulation time. Neither team scored in the final minute with Cedarville having the final possession. Short became the 44th player in Yellow Jacket basketball history to reach 1,000 career points. Rathmell tallied 19 points, Maicol Venter finished with 12, and Daniel Rose came off the bench with 11. [STATS]
Jan. 9, at Shawnee State
NAIA Division II No. 14 Cedarville withstood a miracle finish at the end of regulation by Shawnee State to pull out a 93-90 overtime victory in an AMC South Division contest. The Yellow Jackets, 10-5 overall and 5-2 AMC, ended a four-game losing streak with their second OT win of the season. CU held the lead for the entire second half and enjoyed a 70-58 cushion with 3:15 to play. The Bears, 10-8 and 4-3 AMC, never folded even while trailing 76-72 with 2.3 seconds left and a man at the free throw line. They made the first charity toss, intentionally missed the second, and the rebound came outside the arc perfectly to an open SSU player who buried a trey at the buzzer to forge a 76-76 tie. The Jackets never trailed in the overtime. Maicol Venter and Eric Leininger hit two free throws each in the final minute and Daniel Rose completed the scoring on a dunk with 10 seconds left. The Bears then missed on another potential game-tying three at the buzzer. Ryan Short scored a team-high 19 points with nine rebounds while Chris Walker tallied 18 points. Providing support off the bench were Leininger with 14 points and four assists, Rose with 13 points and nine rebounds, and Venter with 11 points. [STATS]
Jan. 6, at Tiffin
Tiffin picked up its first victory of the season with a stunning 78-71 win over the NAIA Division II No. 14 Yellow Jackets in an AMC South Division contest. The Dragons, who entered the contest 0-13 overall and 0-5 AMC, rallied from a 15-point deficit to hand Cedarville its fourth loss in a row. The Jackets sprinted to leads of 17-4 and 29-14 in the first half before settling for a 44-37 advantage at the break. CU, 9-5 and 4-2 AMC, appeared to be OK with a 59-49 edge with 13:15 remaining, but the Dragons scored eight straight points to fuel a 29-12 finish to the contest. The Jackets were outscored 11-2 in the final 5:25 of the game. Ryan Short scored 16 points and Chris Beals came off the bench with 15 points by hitting four of the team's 11 three-pointers. Daniel Rose pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds. The 78 points scored was a season-high for Tiffin, who averages just 57 per game. [STATS]
Jan. 4, at Mount Vernon Nazarene
NAIA Division II No. 16 Mount Vernon Nazarene threw the AMC South Division into a four-way logjam after holding on for an 84-77 win versus No. 14 Cedarville. The Yellow Jackets, 9-4 overall and 4-1 AMC, dropped their third straight game - all coming against ranked opponents - and it was their fourth setback in the last five outings. MVNU, 12-3 and 4-1 AMC, pulled away in the latter stages of the first period for a 48-41 halftime lead. The Cougars increased the difference to 69-56 before CU used a 20-10 run to make it close. The hosts made four straight free throws in the final minute to seal the outcome. The Jackets held a 45-44 rebounding edge, only turned the ball over seven times, but suffered through a 5-for-17 showing at the charity stripe. Guy Rathmell came through with 21 points to lead Cedarville. Chris Walker tallied 15 points, Ryan Short added 10, and Daniel Rose pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. [STATS]
Dec. 19, HUNTINGTON
NAIA Division II No. 1 Huntington shot a blistering 68 percent from the field in the second half to pull away for a 94-88 victory over the No. 9 Yellow Jackets. The Foresters, 13-2 overall, have won the last five games in the series. Cedarville, 9-3, bounced back from a seven-point deficit in the first half to produce a 39-39 tie at the break. Huntington, who entered the game ranked fifth in the country in team field goal percentage at 52.4 percent, brushed aside a 44-percent showing in the first 20 minutes by nailing 17-of-25 shots in the second period. They also hit 17-of-18 free throws in the final half to keep the hosts at bay. The Foresters largest spread reached 11 points, but CU freshman Chris Beals drained three of his five three-pointers in the final 30 seconds to keep it interesting. Ryan Short finished with 19 points and Beals added 15. Chris Walker scored 14 points and Guy Rathmell contributed 10. [STATS]
Dec. 16, at Wooster
NCAA Division III No. 1 Wooster used a fast start to the second half to build a big lead and then held off a rally from NAIA Division II No. 9 Cedarville for a 104-95 non-conference victory. It was the first meeting on the hardwood in nearly 100 years between the two schools with the only previous one occurring in 1910. A tight first half resulted in a 48-47 lead at the intermission for the Fighting Scots, but the hosts turned it up a notch with a 33-13 run for their largest lead of the game, 81-60, midway through the final period. The Yellow Jackets refused to fold and quickly got back within nine points with 4:05 left. A Chris Beals triple, his fifth of the contest, made it 97-91 with 58 seconds remaining before Wooster, 8-0 overall, put the game away with seven points in the final minute. Ryan Short poured in a career-high 28 points to go along with a game-high nine assists and eight rebounds for Cedarville, 9-2. Beals came off the bench with a season-high 20 points for the freshman guard. Chris Walker had 14 points, Guy Rathmell netted 11, and Daniel Rose contributed 10 points and eight boards. Wooster shot 56.5 percent from the field for the game thanks to a 60.6 accuracy in the second half. The Yellow Jackets had a decisive 46-34 rebounding edge including 18 caroms off of the offensive glass, but committed more than twice the turnovers, 19-9. [STATS]
Dec. 9, WALSH
Freshman guard Chris Beals netted 17 points, including the go ahead three-pointer in overtime, to spark the NAIA Division II No. 9 Yellow Jackets to an 87-76 win versus No. 17 Walsh. The outcome gives Cedarville, 9-1 overall and 4-0 AMC, sole possession of first place in the American Mideast Conference South Division. The visiting Cavaliers, 5-3 and 3-1 AMC, scored the first point in the OT before Beals drained a trey for a 75-73 lead. That started a run of seven straight points and Walsh got no closer than five points in the extra session. The Cavs forced the overtime on a basket with six seconds remaining in regulation. Walsh overcame a 35-21 halftime deficit and a 17-point hole early in the second period. Ryan Short scored 15 points before fouling out. Daniel Rose had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and a school-record eight blocked shots while Maicol Venter added 11 points. [STATS]
Dec. 5, at Wittenberg
NCAA Division III No. 6 Wittenberg nearly let a 22-point lead slip away and emerged with a 66-61 non-conference victory over previously unbeaten Cedarville. The Tigers, 6-0 overall, have won the last three games in the series between the local rivals. Wittenberg never trailed in the contest and took advantage of the Yellow Jackets' cold shooting in the first half to pull away for a 39-23 bulge at the intermission. A 9-3 spurt to open the second half inflated the lead to 48-26 when CU's offense finally awoke from its slumber. A 21-7 run closed the difference to 55-47 at the 8:45 mark. After the Tigers pushed the spread back to 12, a three-pointer by Chris Walker closed out a 12-2 rally that made it 63-61 with 37 seconds to go. Wittenberg made one-of-two free throws with 24 seconds left and came up with a critical offensive rebound on the miss. Two more free throws seven seconds later ended the scoring. Ryan Short scored all 16 of his points in the second half for Cedarville, 8-1. Guy Rathmell and Chris Walker added 11 points apiece. [STATS]
Dec. 2, at Ohio Dominican
Ricardo Alliman scored four straight points late in the contest to help the Yellow Jackets survive AMC South Division foe Ohio Dominican, 63-60. The win pushes Cedarville's record to 8-0 overall and 3-0 AMC. CU never trailed in the second half, but the host Panthers put the pressure on to close within 58-57 at the 2:30 mark. Alliman, who came off the bench with a season-high 12 points and seven rebounds, converted a one-and-one free throw opportunity with 1:47 to go and then gave the Jackets a 62-57 edge following a layup with 25 seconds left. Freshman guard Chris Beals made one-of-two free throws with 8 seconds remaining and ODU could do no better than a desperation shot from midcourt at the buzzer. Daniel Rose was the only other Yellow Jacket to finish in double figures by scoring 13 points. Ohio Dominican, 6-5 and 1-2 AMC, shot just 35 percent from the field. [STATS]
Nov. 28, at Urbana
Cedarville continued its unbeaten string to start the season with a 76-67 win at Urbana in an American Mideast Conference South Division contest. The Yellow Jackets improved to 7-0 overall and 2-0 AMC. Freshman guard Chris Beals came off the bench to lead four players in double figures with 16 points. Daniel Rose produced a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, Guy Rathmell had 12 points, and Chris Walker netted 11 points in a reserve role. Ryan Short scored eight points and pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds as CU won the battle of the boards, 55-40. Cedarville took the lead for good three minutes into the contest, but the visitors could not pull away from the pesky Blue Knights, 3-4 and 0-2 AMC. A 12-point first-half lead dissolved to a 35-32 edge at the intermission. Urbana got as close as two points early in the second half, the Jackets built the spread back to 13, and the Knights could get no closer than five with 2:25 to play. CU outscored the hosts 19-0 from the free throw line. [STATS]
Nov. 25, CINCINNATI CHRISTIAN
Maicol Venter came off the bench to score a career-high 19 points to lead the Yellow Jackets to an 89-65 non-conference victory over Cincinnati Christian. Cedarville, 6-0 overall, relinquished the first four points of the game and then pulled away from the Eagles. The 41-27 lead at the intermission was the largest of the opening half. A run of 13 unanswered points ballooned the spread to 85-48 with 5:10 left. Chris Walker provided a season-high 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists off the bench. Ryan Short scored 15 points and Guy Rathmell chipped in 10. CU held a 46-33 rebounding edge and made all 12 of their free throws. Cincinnati Christian drops to 4-5 on the season. [STATS]
Nov. 21, WILBERFORCE
Cedarville used 14 three-point baskets and a 26-2 run midway through the game en route to a 98-79 victory over Wilberforce to begin the American Mideast Conference South Division schedule. The Yellow Jackets, 5-0 overall, have beaten their Greene County rival 11 consecutive times. The Bulldogs kept the game tight for more than 16 minutes and trailed just 37-36 with 3:45 left in the first half. However, the Jackets finished the period with a 12-2 spurt for a 49-38 halftime lead and then erupted for the first 14 points of the second half to take command. Wilberforce, 1-1, got no closer than 16 the rest of the way. Freshman guard Chris Beals was 6-for-9 outside the arc for a game-high 18 points. Ryan Short netted 17 points, Guy Rathmell hit 4-of-5 treys and scored 14 points, and Daniel Rose notched another double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. [STATS]
Nov. 18, DAEMEN (29th Annual Cedarville Invitational
Tournament MVP Daniel Rose was one of three Yellow Jackets to post a double-double in a 76-63 victory over Daemen in the championship game of the 29th Annual Cedarville Invitational. Rose, a 6-foot-10 sophomore center, scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked three shots in the win. Ryan Short tallied 18 points and 12 boards while Guy Rathmell, who joined Rose on the six-player all-tournament team, added 13 points and 12 rebounds. Cedarville, 4-0 overall, jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first half which the Wildcats, 4-2, trimmed to as little as two. The Yellow Jackets expanded a 36-31 halftime advantage to as much as 20 in the second period thanks to a defense that limited Daemen to 32 percent shooting for the game. CU also controlled the boards, 59-39. Campbellsville defeated Bryan, 84-55, in the consolation game. Other players named to the all-tournament team were Daemen's Dewan Stroud and Jeremy Richardson, James Steward of Campbellsville, and Richard Stapleton of Bryan. [STATS]
Nov. 17, BRYAN (29th Annual Cedarville Invitational
The Yellow Jackets opened the home schedule with an 84-74 victory over Bryan in the first round of the 29th Annual Cedarville Invitational. The contest was played before 2,341 in the Callan Athletic Center. CU, 3-0 overall, never trailed and jumped out to a 47-31 halftime lead. While the Lions, 1-4, got back to within nine points early in the second period, the Jackets were able to build the lead back to as much as 20 points. Daniel Rose led five Cedarville players in double figures with 22 points. Chris Walker came off the bench with 14 points, Eric Leininger had 13, and Guy Rathmell and Maicol Venter chipped in 11 each. In the other first round game, Daemen rallied to beat NAIA Division I No. 21 Campbellsville, 60-55. [STATS]
Nov. 7, at Miami-Middletown
Ryan Short led six players in double figures with 22 points to guide Cedarville to a104-80 non-conference victory at Miami-Middletown. The Yellow Jackets broke a 12-12 tie in the first half and were never threatened again. The halftime difference was 49-32 and the lead inflated to as much as 29 points in the second half. Guy Rathmell and Daniel Rose had 13 points each, Chris Walker scored 12, Grant Walker tallied 11, and Chris Beals contributed 10. Cedarville shot 59.7 percent from the field overall including 70 percent in the second half alone. The Jackets also hit 7-of-10 three pointers in the final period and drilled 12 treys for the contest. [STATS]
Nov. 4, at Lindsey Wilson
The Yellow Jackets used torrid shooting and six players scoring in double figures to stun NAIA Division I No. 9 Lindsey Wilson, 84-81, to open the men's basketball season. It was the first meeting on the hardwood between the two non-conference opponents. Cedarville was facing a Blue Raiders' program that was 51-6 at home in the past five years and two days removed from an exhibition game at the University of Kentucky. But the visitors took a 39-37 halftime lead, opened up the bulge to as much as 13 points in the second half, and withstood a furious rally by Lindsey Wilson which saw the hosts grab a 79-78 lead with 3:07 left. Daniel Rose hit both ends of a one-and-one with 1:45 to go to give CU the lead for good. Rose scored a game-high 16 points and blocked four shots to lead the way. Grant Walker and Eric Leininger tallied 15 points each, Guy Rathmell and Ryan Short had 12 points apiece, and freshman guard Chris Beals made his collegiate debut with 11 points. The Jackets hit a school-record 84.6 percent from beyond the three-point line on 11-of-13 accuracy. They shot 59.2 percent from the field overall and made 15-of-16 free throws for 93.8 percent which included a 10-for-10 showing in the second half. [STATS]
