2007-08 Game Recaps
March 14, MidAmerica Nazarene (NAIA Division II National Tournament - Second Round)
Defending champion and #2 seed MidAmerica Nazarene ended #15 Cedarville's season with a 79-73 win in the second round of the 17th Annual NAIA Division II National Tournament. The Yellow Jackets had a 38-37 lead at halftime, but the Pioneers, 30-4 overall, shot 54 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes and took the lead for good midway through the half. Cedarville trailed by as much as eight points with four minutes left and trimmed the deficit to two with 10 seconds remaining before running out of time. MNU hit 11-of-15 free throws down the stretch to seal the outcome. Ryan Short totaled 23 points and nine rebounds in his final game as a Yellow Jacket to complete his career with 1,745 points. Ricardo Alliman produced a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds, Christopher Walker had 15 points, and Chris Beals added 10 for CU, who finishes 23-8. [STATS]
March 12, Jamestown (NAIA Division II National Tournament - First Round)
Grant Walker buried five three-pointers and scored 17 points to lead #15 seed Cedarville to a convincing 83-59 victory over Jamestown (N.D.) to open play at the 17th Annual NAIA Division II National Tournament. The Yellow Jackets stretched their winning streak to seven in a row and remained perfect at 5-0 in first-round games at the 32-team event hosted by the College of the Ozarks. Cedarville, 23-7 overall, put together a solid first half for a 38-28 lead at the break. The Jackets needed five minutes to push the difference to 16 and it was a 65-41 bulge midway through the second period. CU's largest lead was 29 points as Jamestown, 23-9, suffered its most lopsided loss of the season. Walker was 5-for-6 outside the arc and netted 12 of his 17 points in the second half. Ryan Short finished with 16 points and Chris Beals hit three treys en route to 11 points. Cedarville made 12 three-pointers in the contest and committed just eight turnovers. [STATS]
March 4, at Malone (AMC Tournament - Championship)
Ryan Short's 15-foot jumper with six-tenths of a second left capped a miraculous comeback by NAIA Division II No. 18 Cedarville for an 84-83 victory at Malone in the AMC Tournament championship game. The win gives the Yellow Jackets an automatic berth to next week's 17th Annual NAIA Division II National Tournament in Point Lookout, Mo. for the fifth time in six years. Cedarville, 22-7 overall, had the lead for the entire second half and it was as much as seven points on three occasions, the last of which was 77-70 with six minutes to go. However, the Jackets mustered only two free throws in the next 5:45. The Pioneers finally grabbed the advantage at 81-79 with a minute remaining and extended it to 83-79 on another field goal with just 16 seconds left. Grant Walker answered with a deep three-pointer with 12 seconds to go. The hosts had a chance to make it a three-point difference, but they missed two free throws with 9.9 seconds on the clock. Short took the ball the length of the court, drifted just left of the free throw line, and his jumper bounced around on the rim a few times before dropping through. The Pioneers, who finish the season 21-10, failed to get off a shot before the final buzzer. It was an ironic ending to the game for Short. The 6-2 senior guard's late jumper back on Nov. 20 also provided CU with a victory at Malone, 82-80. Chris Beals scored 18 of his team-high 21 points in the first half for the Yellow Jackets, who won for the 10th time in the last 11 games. Matt Harner made all five of his shots, including a trio of three-pointers, for 13 points off the bench. Short finished with 12 points and five assists, Ricardo Alliman had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Christopher Walker chipped in 10 points. It was the third time in the last four years that Cedarville has advanced to the championship game of the AMC Tournament. The Yellow Jackets have come out with the victory twice. [STATS]
March 1, OHIO DOMINICAN (AMC Tournament - Semifinal)
Ryan Short scored 24 points and the NAIA Division II No. 18 Yellow Jackets disposed of Ohio Dominican, 81-67, in the American Mideast Conference Tournament semifinals. Cedarville, the #2 seed, advances to the championship game on Tuesday at #1 seed Malone to play for an automatic berth to the NAIA Division II National Tournament. Cedarville, 21-7 overall, netted the first six points of the contest and blasted out to an 18-2 lead against a Panther that had won six straight games. ODU answered with 12 straight points to close the gap to 18-14 which was as close as it would get the rest of the night. It was 40-32 at halftime. Freshman Adam Riehle, who finished with a career-high 14 points, fueled a nine-point run with seven of his own to make it 54-35 with 13:25 to go. Ohio Dominican, 19-11, snuck back to within 69-62 with 2:30 remaining, but five straight points pushed the Cedarville advantage back to 12. The Jackets made 7-of-8 free throws in the final minute to seal the outcome. Chris Beals added 11 points for the Yellow Jackets, who beat ODU for the third time this season. The Panthers stayed withing striking distance by outrebounding CU 48-35 which included 21 offensive rebounds. [STATS]
Feb. 23, at Rio Grande
Grant Walker scored 14 points to lead four players in double figures as NAIA Division II No. 21 Cedarville held off Rio Grande, 77-70, in an AMC South Division game to wrap up the regular season. The Yellow Jackets, 20-7 overall and 10-4 AMC, finished alone in second place in the division and accomplished their seventh straight 20-win season. The match-up was a near mirror image of the first game played between the two schools in the Callan Athletic Center when CU built a big lead, the Redmen closed to within a point, and the Jackets posted a 73-67 decision. Like the first meeting, Cedarville enjoyed a 14-point halftime lead. This time it was 42-28 at the break and the margin quickly increased to 17. It didn't take long for Rio to make it interesting as a rare four-point play cut the difference to 64-61 at the 7:05 mark. That was as close as the hosts could get and the Jackets made four free throws in the final 45 seconds to clinch it. Walker was 3-for-4 from three-point territory and added four assists for Cedarville, who has won eight of their last nine games. Ricardo Alliman had 13 points, Christopher Walker scored 12, and Ryan Short chipped in 11. Rio Grande ends the season 8-20 overall and 3-11 AMC. [STATS]
Feb. 19, SHAWNEE STATE
The NAIA Division II No. 22 Yellow Jackets clamped down defensively on Shawnee State and coasted to a 74-43 AMC South Division win in the regular season home finale. It took a while for Cedarville, 19-7 overall and 9-4 AMC, to overcome Shawnee's deliberate style and they did it by holding the visitors to 29 percent shooting in the first half. Ryan Short's running 20-footer at the halftime buzzer gave the Jackets a 37-17 lead. It was much of the same in the second period with CU running the bulge up to as much as 68-26 at the 6:35 mark. All 15 Yellow Jackets in uniform played and 13 scored. Chris Beals was the only one to hit double figures with 13 points. He made all five of his shots from the field which included a trio of three-pointers. Cedarville hit ten long balls as a team and committed just eight turnovers. Shawnee State, 13-14 and 7-6 AMC, was checked on 31 percent accuracy from the field overall and 1-for-18 outside the arc. The Bears had beaten CU, 65-63, on their floor back on Jan. 22 on a last-second tip-in. [STATS]
Feb. 16, WILBERFORCE
Ricardo Alliman scored a career-high 20 points to lead NAIA Division II No. 22 Cedarville to a 101-71 win over AMC South Division foe Wilberforce before 2,563 in the Callan Athletic Center. It was the sixth victory in the last seven outings for the Yellow Jackets, 18-7 overall and 8-4 AMC. CU never trailed and sprinted to an 18-4 lead in the game's first six minutes. The Jackets shot 58 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, made 16-of-19 free throws, and took a 56-36 advantage thanks to freshman Adam Riehle's tip-in at the halftime buzzer. The visiting Bulldogs, whose campus is located a scant four miles away in Greene County, flirted with making a comeback early in the second half by sneaking to within 14 points. It was still a 17-point difference with 8:20 left when Cedarville embarked on a 15-point spurt for a 93-61 bulge which was the largest of the contest. Alliman converted 10-of-12 free throws and hauled down a game-high eight rebounds. Daniel Rose came off the bench with 16 points and eight boards, Chris Beals flipped in 15 points in a reserve role, and Ryan Short totaled 14 points and eight assists. Wilberforce drops to 8-17 and 2-10 AMC. [STATS]
Feb. 14, URBANA
Chris Beals drilled four three-pointers in the second half to spark NAIA Division II No. 22 Cedarville to an 82-58 AMC South Division victory over Urbana in the Callan Athletic Center. The Yellow Jackets, 17-7 overall and 7-4 AMC, recovered from a sluggish first half in which they trailed by as much as eight points before taking a 33-32 halftime lead. Beals, who netted 14 of his team-high 19 points in the final period, hit three long balls to help push the lead to 61-42. After the Blue Knights snuck back to within 11, Cedarville knocked out the visitors with a 17-point spurt to blow it open. Ryan Short totaled 18 points and four assists. Ricardo Alliman registered a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds. The Jackets committed just seven turnovers and handed out 15 assists for the game. Urbana drops to 5-20 and 3-8 AMC. [STATS]
Feb. 9, at Walsh
The Yellow Jackets nearly erased a 24-point second-half deficit in an 87-82 setback at NAIA Division II No. 3 Walsh in an American Mideast Conference South Division game. Cedarville was hoping for a better showing against the league-leading Cavaliers since suffering a 77-55 home loss to them three weeks earlier. Like the first meeting, Walsh stormed out to a big halftime lead at 52-30 and when the hosts scored the first basket of the second period it was a 24-point bulge. A 12-2 spurt by the Jackets gave CU some life and they roared back to within 82-78 with 1:07 left following a Grant Walker three-pointer. Walsh, 21-3 overall and 9-1 AMC, hit 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to hold on. Ryan Short continued his torrid play with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists for the Yellow Jackets, 16-7 and 6-4.. Christopher Walker came off the bench with 17 points while Daniel Rose added 14 points and five blocks. [STATS]
Feb. 5, MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE
Ryan Short pumped in 30 points to lead Cedarville to its fourth straight victory in an 86-74 decision over NAIA Division II No. 12 Mount Vernon Nazarene in AMC South Division action. The outcome avenged an 83-54 beating that CU absorbed on the Cougars' home floor in the conference opener on Jan. 8. The Yellow Jackets, 16-6 overall and 6-3 AMC, buried nine three-pointers in the opening half for a 47-36 lead. Matt Harner, who tied a school-record for three-point accuracy by going 5-for-5, hit a trey for a 57-41 bulge, but MVNU, 17-5 and 5-4 AMC, scored the next ten points to get back in it. That's when Chris Beals took over. The sophomore guard netted 16 of the Jackets' next 18 points including one streak of 14 in a row. He had a trio of three-pointers in that stretch the last of which gave CU their largest lead, 75-57, with 5:25 remaining. Beals tallied 16 of his 19 points in the second half and Harner finished with a career-high 15. Grant Walker handed out seven assists, Short had six assists and seven rebounds, and Ricardo Alliman pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Cedarville hit 13-of-27 three-pointers in the contest and Harner's performance tied Jason Weakley's 5-for-5 night vs. Tiffin on Feb. 19, 2002. [STATS]
Feb. 2, at Ohio Dominican
The Yellow Jacket defense made multiple key plays in the final minutes at Ohio Dominican to pull out an 82-80 American Mideast Conference South Division victory. Cedarville improves to 15-6 overall and 5-3 AMC with their third victory in a row. The Jackets held the host Panthers without a field goal for the last 5:45 of the contest to turn around a 74-70 deficit. The two teams were tied 11 times throughout the game and a Ryan Short three-pointer with 2:25 left gave CU the lead for good, 79-76. After ODU closed to within one, another trey by Grant Walker made it 82-78 with 53 seconds to go. A pair of Panther free throws accounted for the final with 42 ticks remaining, but it still made for an interesting finish. Cedarville missed the front end of a one-and-one as well as two other free throws in the last 27 seconds. However, the Yellow Jacket defense drew a charging foul and came up with a steal all in the final 10 seconds to secure the win. Short and Ricardo Alliman scored 14 points each while Daniel Rose came off the bench with 13. Christopher Walker registered 12 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Ohio Dominican is 13-9 and 4-4 AMC. [STATS]
Jan. 29, RIO GRANDE
Ryan Short scored 20 of his game-high 27 points in the first half and NAIA Division II No. 22 Cedarville had to hold off a Rio Grande rally for a 73-67 AMC South Division win in the Callan Athletic Center. The Yellow Jackets, 14-6 overall and 4-3 AMC, appeared to be in good shape when they scored the final eight points of the first half for a 41-27 advantage. Then, the shooting accuracy disappeared as the hosts made only six of their first 29 shots in the second period before hitting three of their last four to capture the victory. The Redmen, 7-14 and 2-5, had trimmed the difference to 59-58 until Christopher Walker nailed a triple with 3:45 left. Another three from Grant Walker made it 67-62 at the 2:10 mark and Ricardo Alliman's lay-in made it a seven-point spread with just under a minute left. Chris Beals finished with 11 points and Grant Walker ended up with 10. Alliman hauled in 15 rebounds to lead Cedarville's 48-37 margin on the boards. [STATS]
Jan. 26, at Wilberforce
Ryan Short matched his career-high with 33 points and the NAIA Division II No. 22 Yellow Jackets caught fire late to grab an 88-73 victory at Greene County rival Wilberforce. The result ended a two-game American Mideast Conference South Division losing streak. The outcome was much closer than the final score indicates. Cedarville, 13-6 overall and 3-3 AMC, trailed by as much as six points in the second half and still faced a 67-66 deficit with 6:25 to play. However, the Yellow Jackets embarked on a 14-2 run in the next three minutes to take control. Short equaled his career-high set earlier in the season in a victory at Saint Francis (Ind.). He added five rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Chris Beals pumped in 17 points, Matt Harner came off the bench with 12, and Ricardo Alliman totaled a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. The host Bulldogs dip to 7-12 and 1-5 AMC. [STATS]
Jan. 22, at Shawnee State
Shawnee State got a tip-in of an errant shot at the buzzer to shock NAIA Division II No. 23 Cedarville, 65-63, in an AMC South Division contest. Despite playing the game without the services of three of their top five scorers for various reasons, the shorthanded Bears held the lead for the vast majority of the duel. SSU, 9-10 overall and 3-2 AMC, opened up a 12-point bulge in the first half, but a Chris Beals three-pointer at the halftime horn cut the difference to 37-35. The Yellow Jackets, 12-6 and 2-3, took their only lead of the second half at 40-39 with 18:55 remaining on a dunk by Ricardo Alliman. CU recovered to tie the game four times the last of which was 63-63 with 25 seconds remaining on back-to-back triples from Beals and Grant Walker. The Bears came out of a timeout with eight seconds to go and got off a highly-contested shot in the lane, but the Jackets failed to come away with the critical rebound which was tipped in. Daniel Rose came off the bench with team-highs of 14 points and eight rebounds. Grant Walker had 11 points while Christopher Walker and Chris Beals added 10 each. [STATS]
Jan. 19, WALSH
NAIA Division II No. 2 Walsh pulled away late in the first half and buried the No. 23 Yellow Jackets, 77-55, in an AMC South Division contest. It was the worst home loss for Cedarville since a 42-point drubbing administered by Wittenberg six seasons ago. The Cavaliers, 15-2 overall and 4-0 AMC, jumped out to a 13-4 lead before the Jackets bounced back to create the only tie of the contest at 15-15. Walsh closed the half with an 18-5 run for a 41-23 bulge to take command. Cedarville got as close as 14 points with 16:15 remaining. Ryan Short scored 17 points and Ricardo Alliman came off the bench with 11 for the Jackets, 12-5 and 2-2. The hosts suffered through 32 percent shooting from the field including a 5-for-27 showing outside the three-point line. Ironically, the two teams combined for just six turnovers total. [STATS]
Jan. 15, at Urbana
NAIA Division II No. 16 Cedarville produced an impressive second half in which they outscored Urbana by 30 points and crushed the Blue Knights, 74-48, in an AMC South Division game. The Yellow Jackets improved to 12-4 overall and 2-1 AMC by overcoming an error-prone opening half with a 47-17 eruption in the final period. It appeared to be a blowout in the early going when CU scored the first seven points while the Blue Knights went scoreless for over four minutes. The Jackets held leads of 12-2 and 19-9, but they were outscored 22-8 over the last ten minutes of the frame for a 31-27 deficit at the intermission thanks in part to 13 turnovers. Cedarville scored the first seven points of the second half and never trailed again. The Jackets held Urbana to just five points in the opening ten minutes and a 17-4 spurt put the game away. CU shot 50 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes and held the hosts to a 6-for-34 showing for 18 percent. Ricardo Alliman came off the bench with 13 points and 13 rebounds with Chris Beals hitting four treys en route to 13 points. Matt Harner had a trio of three-pointers and had 11 points in a reserve role, Ryan Short netted 11 points, and Christopher Walker totaled 10 points and 12 boards. The Yellow Jackets had a 57-34 rebounding margin over the Blue Knights, 2-13 and 1-2. [STATS]
Jan. 12, OHIO DOMINICAN
The NAIA Division II No. 16 Yellow Jackets recovered from an early deficit to defeat Ohio Dominican, 82-70, in an AMC South Division contest played before 2,750 in the Callan Athletic Center. The visiting Panthers scored the first eight points of the contest and enjoyed leads of 10-2 and 12-4. Cedarville, 11-4 overall and 1-1 AMC, answered with nine straight points and eventually took the lead for good, 24-22, on a dunk by Ricardo Alliman at the 7:45 mark. It was 43-37 at the break and CU opened the second period with five straight points. ODU, 9-7 and 0-2, inched back within eight, but another Yellow Jacket spurt pushed the difference to 74-57 with 7:55 remaining. Chris Beals drained five of CU's 12 three-point baskets en route to 17 points. Ryan Short finished with 15 points while Grant Walker started at the point and responded with 11 points, four assists, and zero turnovers. Alliman grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. The Jackets committed just two turnovers in the second half and only 10 for the game. [STATS]
Jan. 8, at Mount Vernon Nazarene
NAIA Division II No. 7 Mount Vernon Nazarene used a torrid start to put away No. 19 Cedarville, 83-54, in the American Mideast Conference South Division opener for both schools. The Cougars, 13-1 overall, made 13 of their first 14 shots from the field in sprinting to a 36-17 lead. The hosts shot 59 percent in the opening period for a 44-25 advantage at halftime. The second half was all MVNU as well as the scoreboard blinked 80-42 for the largest difference of the contest with 6:30 left. Ryan Short and Christopher Walker finished with 10 points each for the Yellow Jackets, 10-4. Cedarville shot a season-low 31 percent from the field and the 54 points matched the lowest output of the campaign. [STATS]
Jan. 4, POINT PARK
The NAIA Division II No. 19 Yellow Jackets started the '08 portion of their schedule with a bang by ripping Point Park, 103-74, in the Callan Athletic Center. It was a rematch of the two schools who played in the American Mideast Conference Championship Game last year which the Pioneers won in Pittsburgh. This time, Cedarville overcame a rugged start to roll to its four consecutive victory and 10th win in the last 11 outings to run its record to 10-3 overall. The Jackets trailed 5-0 and 8-7 before embarking on a 19-2 run. The Pioneers, 8-7, trimmed a 16-point deficit to 38-31 at the 3:15 mark, but Cedarville scored the last 12 points for a 50-31 lead at the intermission. The closest the visitors got in the second period was 17. All 15 players saw action for the Yellow Jackets and 14 of them scored. Christopher Walker led a balanced attack with 17 points and nine rebounds. Daniel Rose netted 13 points with six blocks, Grant Walker scored 13 points, and Ricardo Alliman added 12. Cedarville shot 54.5 percent from the field and buried 15-of-30 three-pointers. The hosts checked PPU by holding them to 36 percent shooting. [STATS]
Dec. 20, at Master's (Master's Classic)
NAIA Division II No. 19 Cedarville wrapped up The Master's Classic with a 73-63 victory over the host Mustangs. The Yellow Jackets, 9-3 overall, placed four players in double figures and used a stiff defense to claim both games on their California trip and extend their winning streak to three in a row. Cedarville never trailed in the game and there was just one tie at 5-5. The Jackets responded with 11 straight points and remained in control over NAIA Division I Master's, who drops to 7-5. It was 34-27 at halftime and the largest difference was 63-48 at the 5:15 mark. Christopher Walker finished with 20 points while Daniel Rose tallied 16 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks. Matt Dunton and Chris Beals chipped in 10 points each. Cedarville held a commanding 48-30 margin on the boards. The Jackets held Master's to 35 percent shooting for the game including 29 percent in the first half. [STATS]
Dec. 19, San Diego Christian (Master's Classic)
Christopher Walker netted 18 points as NAIA Division II No. 19 Cedarville opened play at The Master's Classic with an 89-60 victory over San Diego Christian. The Yellow Jackets, 8-3 overall, have won eight of their last nine starts. CU never trailed in the contest. An early 11-2 spurt produced a double-digit advantage and the bulge swelled to 30-12 with 7:50 left in the half. Ironically, neither team scored in the final 2:45 of the period which ended with the Yellow Jackets holding on to a 39-25 edge. A 14-3 run to open the second half produced a 51-28 Cedarville lead. The Yellow Jackets were never threatened over the final 20 minutes when they shot 58 percent from the field overall including an 8-for-15 showing outside the arc. Ricardo Alliman came off the bench with 13 points and Ryan Short added 12. Cedarville claimed the rebounding battle, 50-35, with Daniel Rose pulling down a team-high 11. NAIA Division I San Diego Christian dropped its seventh straight to fall to 2-7. [STATS]
Dec. 8, Ohio State-Marion (Taylor Classic)
Christopher Walker scored 16 points to pace seven Yellow Jackets in double figures during a 104-83 victory against Ohio State-Marion in the consolation game of the Taylor Classic. A 26-12 spurt midway through the first half sparked NAIA Division II No. 20 Cedarville to a 49-34 halftime lead. The margin grew to as much as 26 in the second period as all 13 players in uniform played and 12 scored. Matt Harner came off the bench with a career-high 14 points. Chris Beals and Joel Fowler netted 11 points each while Ricardo Alliman, Haddon Anderson, and Ryan Short chipped in 10 points apiece. The Yellow Jackets, 7-3 overall, enjoyed a 59-29 rebounding margin as Daniel Rose pulled down 12 boards and Alliman had 10. CU also totaled 27 assists with Anderson and Fowler handing out six each. [STATS]
Dec. 7, Columbia (Taylor Classic)
NAIA Division I Columbia outscored Division II No. 20 Cedarville 21-5 in the game's final seven minutes to post a 65-54 win at the Taylor Classic for their seventh straight win. The Yellow Jackets, 6-3 overall, had their six-game winning streak snapped while producing their lowest offensive output in Ray Slagle's eight years as head coach. Cedarville entered the contest averaging 82.5 points per game and was stifled by the Cougars' defense. However, the Jackets still labored their way to a 49-44 lead with 6:30 left. Columbia, 9-1, responded with nine unanswered points to grab the advantage for good. Ricardo Alliman came off the bench to supply 14 points and eight rebounds while Daniel Rose added 12 points and nine boards. CU shot just 30 percent from the field in the second half and was 2-for-13 outside the three-point arc. [STATS]
Dec. 4, WITTENBERG
The NAIA Division II No. 4 Yellow Jackets buried 17 three-pointers and stretched their winning streak to six with a 73-58 non-conference victory over Wittenberg at the Callan Athletic Center. Cedarville won for just the fourth time in 16 games versus the Tigers and for the first time in three years. The Jackets surrendered the first basket of the contest and never trailed again. They hit eight bombs in the opening period and posted a 36-25 advantage at the break. Back-to-back treys from Chris Beals created the largest difference of the game at 54-38 with 12:50 left. However, while CU went scoreless for the next six minutes the Tigers scored nine straight to close the gap to seven. A three ball from Ryan Short restored some order for the Yellow Jackets and the visitors never got closer than nine points. Cedarville nailed nine shots outside the arc in the second half and was 17-of-32 for the game. Beals finished with 19 points and Short scored 17 as both hit five three-pointers. Haddon Anderson came off the bench to drain four treys to record career-highs of 14 points and six assists. Ricardo Alliman hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds to lead a 44-32 margin on the boards for Cedarville, 6-2 overall. The 17 three-pointers was two shy of the school-record of 19 which has happened three times. Wittenberg, 1-5 overall, lost for the fourth straight time. The most interesting stat of the night was the Tigers committing only two fouls total in the game and they occurred 90 seconds apart early in the second half. [STATS]
Dec. 1, WOOSTER
NAIA Division II No. 4 Cedarville clamped down defensively to stop NCAA Division III No. 14 Wooster, 65-61, in the Callan Athletic Center. The Yellow Jackets, 5-2 overall, extended their winning streak to five in a row. Wooster, 2-2, came into the non-conference contest averaging 92 points per game and CU was scoring at a clip of 87 per outing. The two teams battled to a 35-35 tie at the intermission before both defenses took over. Cedarville made just 9-of-31 shots for 29 percent in the decisive second half and the Fighting Scots were 7-for-30 for 23 percent. The two teams combined for 14 points total in the first 10 minutes of the final period. A rare four-point play by Chris Beals gave the Yellow Jackets the lead for good, 46-42 with 9:49 left. It fueled a 15-5 spurt for a 57-47 margin at the 5:50 mark. Wooster closed to within 60-59 with 50 seconds remaining, but Daniel Rose registered a three-point play with 28.6 seconds to go to help seal it. Ryan Short netted 14 points for the Jackets while Christopher Walker added a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. Wooster entered with five players averaging at least 10 points per game and finished without anyone reaching double figures. [STATS]
Nov. 27, at Notre Dame
Christopher Walker poured in a career-high 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Yellow Jackets to their fourth straight win in a 94-88 decision at Notre Dame in a match-up of NAIA Division II Top 25 teams. No. 4 Cedarville upped its record to 4-2 while at the same time dealing the No. 14 Falcons, 2-4, their third consecutive setback. The Jackets struck fast with 11 unanswered points in the first 90 seconds thanks to a trio of three-pointers from Chris Beals. A 39-26 advantage with 5:10 left dwindled to 45-41 by halftime as NDC finished with a 15-6 spurt. Following a pair of two-point Falcon leads early in the second half, Cedarville opened up a 75-64 margin with 9:40 left. However, Notre Dame rallied again and had the advantage for the final time at 86-85 with 2:40 to go. Ricardo Alliman gave the Jackets the lead for good with a pair of free throws at the 2:25 mark. CU made 7-of-8 from the stripe coming down the stretch to end the contest on a 9-2 run. Walker produced his performance in 29 minutes of action before fouling out with 2:40 remaining. He was 11-of-16 from the field overall, drained 5-of-7 shots outside the arc, and converted all four of his free throws. Alliman tallied 16 points, which included a 10-for-12 showing at the free throw line, and 12 rebounds. Beals scored 18 points while Ryan Short added 12 points and five assists. The Yellow Jackets made 27-of-33 free throws overall and were 14-of-16 in the second period. [STATS]
Nov. 24, at Saint Francis (Ind.)
Ryan Short matched his career high with 33 points to lead the NAIA Division II No. 4 Yellow Jackets to a 103-94 non-conference win at Saint Francis. Cedarville made 24-of-37 shots from the field for 65 percent in the first half en route to a 56-46 lead at the intermission. The Jackets grabbed their largest lead at 65-52 with 16:10 remaining, but the Cougars rallied to take their first advantage of the contest nine minutes later. CU regained the lead for good at 89-88 on Chris Beals only three-pointer at the 3:40 mark. A 23-for-30 showing from the charity stripe in the second period helped secure the victory. Short scored 21 of his points in the first period for the Yellow Jackets, who improved to 3-2 overall with their third straight win. Christopher Walker had a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds, Beals finished with 17 points, and Ricardo Alliman provided 11 points off the bench. Saint Francis dropped to 4-2. [STATS]
Nov. 20, at Malone
Chris Beals and Christopher Walker scored 22 points each as NAIA Division II No. 4 Cedarville escaped Malone with an 82-80 victory. It was the second victory in a row for the Yellow Jackets after beginning the schedule with two losses. The two American Mideast Conference members were tied nine times in the second half the last of which was 80-80 in the final minute. Ryan Short hit a leaning 18-footer with the shot clock winding down and 12 seconds left on the game clock to account for the final. The host Pioneers called timeout and set up a final three-point attempt which failed to drop giving CU the win. Beals knocked down five treys to lead the perimeter game and Walker made 9-of-13 shots to go along with six rebounds. Short finished with 17 points including the game-winning basket. The Jackets, 2-2 overall, shot 56 percent from the field and had a 35-28 rebounding margin including a 20-10 bulge in the second period. Malone, playing its home opener and picked to finish second in the AMC North Division, had its four-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 4-2. [STATS]
Nov. 17, LINDSEY WILSON (30th Annual Cedarville Classic)
NAIA Division II No. 4 Cedarville took out two games worth of frustration by burying Lindsey Wilson, 98-49, to wrap up the 30th Annual Cedarville Classic. It was the first victory for the Yellow Jackets after opening the season with back-to-back upset losses. CU never trailed and used a pair of 12-point runs in the first half for a 41-20 lead at the intermission. A 25-9 spurt to start the second half blew the contest wide open with the bulge inflating to as much as 51 points. Grant Walker came off the bench with four three-pointers and 16 points. Daniel Rose tallied 14 points, Chris Beals had 13, and Ryan Short added 12. Cedarville shot 61 percent from the field including an 11-for-20 showing outside the arc. Lindsey Wilson falls to 3-3. Rose and Beals were named to the six-player all-tournament team. Trinity Christian's Kurt Gruppen was tabbed MVP and was joined by teammate Ross Stuursma on the squad after TCC defeated Urbana in Saturday's first game, 79-74. Lindsey Wilson's Donte' Williams and Urbana's Harold Hayes were also named. LWC knocked off Urbana in Friday's opener, 84-56. [STATS]
Nov. 16, TRINITY CHRISTIAN (30th Annual Cedarville Classic)
Trinity Christian outscored the NAIA Division II No. 4 Yellow Jackets 12-3 in the final two minutes to hand CU a second straight upset loss to begin the season. The Trolls prevailed 75-70 in the 30th Annual Cedarville Classic spoiling the Jackets home opener. The hosts squandered a 13-point lead midway through the first half and a nine-point margin early in the second period. Cedarville, 0-2 overall, reversed a four-point hole with 5:20 left to a 67-63 lead at the 2:30 mark. Trinity Christian, 3-1, drained back-to-back treys to take the lead for good. Daniel Rose finished with 16 points and Chris Beals tallied 14. Ricardo Alliman pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. [STATS]
Nov. 13, at Huntington
Huntington used timely shooting in the second half to upset NAIA Division II No. 4 Cedarville, 77-75, in the season opener for the Yellow Jackets. NAIA All-American Ryan Short did all he could by racking up 30 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals. However, Cedarville could not pull away from the Foresters. The Jackets jumped out to leads of 7-0 and 15-5 before settling for a 30-30 tie at halftime. The visitors started quickly again in the second half and built a 39-32 margin. Huntington, playing its fourth game of the young season, responded with seven straight points and then maintained control with accurate shooting. The Foresters, 2-2 overall, hit 5-of-6 three pointers in the remainder of the period, shot 53 percent from the field overall, and made all six of their free throws down the stretch to seal it. Chris Beals made five treys, including one at the buzzer that accounted for the final score, to finish with 17 points. Ricardo Alliman pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. [STATS]
