Beacon Shines for First Win of the Year

LEESBURG, Fl. – In a game that was tied at intermission, Beacon College broke it open late in the second half to claim its first win of the year 80-73 over Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Monday night.

Ernesto Hichez, a 6’6″ freshman forward from the Dominican Republic, carded a double-double in the victory with 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Blazers (1-4 overall, 0-0 NSAC). Six-foot-five guard Jared Carter, a junior from Sparta, Tennessee, added 21 points. Both players had the hot hand with Hichez shooting a blistering 13-of-19 (68%) from the field, mainly on driving layups, and Carter connecting on 7-of-13 (54%), many of those from outside. The Blazers as a whole were in the zone, shooting 54% on the night.

Beacon returns to action Wednesday taking on the Edward Waters JV squad in Jacksonville, Florida.

Brown Named Player of the Week

Lighthouse’s Eddie Brown has picked up where he left off last year. Last week, the defending NSAC Player of the Year scored 26 points versus the University of Mobile JV and poured in 32 vs John Melvin (LA) in the Mako’s first conference win of the season. With those performances, the 6’0″ junior from Pensacola, Florida is named the NSAC Player of the Week.

Congrats, Eddie!

Atlantis Sinks UIC 72-57

DAVIE, Fl. – The Atlantis University men’s basketball team delivered an impressive performance against United International College (UIC) Friday night securing a 72–57 victory.

From the outset, Atlantis University demonstrated its dominance on the court, establishing a commanding lead by outscoring UIC 42–15 in the first half. The team’s aggressive offensive strategy and defensive solid play kept UIC at bay, limiting their scoring opportunities. However, UIC made a notable effort in the second half, scoring 42 points compared to AU’s 30. Despite this surge, the substantial lead built by Atlantis in the first half proved too large for UIC to overcome.

Atlantis (4-1 overall, 1-0 NSAC) showcased exceptional shooting throughout the game, achieving a remarkable 53.4% field goal percentage, making 31 of their 58 attempts. The game’s standout player was Joel Mora, who scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

The Atlanteans open a three-game road trip to New York this Thursday at Bryant & Stratton-Albany.

Story and image courtesy athleticsau.com

Lighthouse Lights it Up for First Conference Win

CROWLEY, La. – Lighthouse Christian got 35 points from Eddie Brown and 26 from Daniel Poole as the Makos outran John Melvin (LA) 111-97 for their first NSAC win of the year.

Lighthouse (3-2 overall, 1-0 NSAC) was led by Brown’s 8-of-13 (61%) shooting from beyond the arc and 12-of-25 (48%) overall while Poole was lighting it up closer to the bucket 9-of-13 (69%) and Wol Yak added 21 points at a blistering 9-of-10 (90%) clip. Marcus White recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards while Sam Benton, Jr. added 10 points and dished out eight assists in the win.

Tayshaun Colomb led the Millers (3-3, 1-1) with 29 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals.

Apprentice Pulls Away Late for 82-63 Win Over Methodist

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team kept things rolling Wednesday night with an 82-63 win over Methodist in its home opener.

After a slow start saw both teams combine for just three made baskets in the first three minutes of the game, the Builder offense started to wake up, going on a 14-4 run to take a 16-8 lead with 11 minutes to go in the first half. The Monarchs were able to hang around at that deficit for most of the remainder of the first half until Apprentice stretched the lead to 37-21 at halftime.

The Builders (3-0) came out of halftime hot, stretching the lead to as many as 19 before Methodist began to claw back into the game. Trailing 52-37, the Monarchs (1-1) went on a 10-2 run to cut the lead to seven before trimming it down to seven again with 7:01 to play in a 58-51 contest. Apprentice reeled off five straight points in a matter of seconds to extend the lead back to double figures and never looked back.

Karree Smith had a game high 17 points to go with six assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Adrion Wall added 14 points, including two three pointers, while Chris Hinmon had 10 points in just 12 minutes of action.

As a team, Apprentice ended the night with 15 steals and 40 points in the paint.

The Builders will now have nearly two weeks without a game before they travel to North Carolina Wesleyan on November 26.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

JMCC’s Cotton Earns POTW Honors

John Melvin Christian College (FL) forward Eddie Cotton has been named the New South Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

The 6’7″ junior poured in 20 points, hauled in 18 rebounds, and handed out five assists on the Mohawks’ 103-86 win over Louisiana Community Christian.

Congrats, Big Ed!

Builders Win Opener 77-62

MONACA, P.A. – Karree Smith scored 19 points to lead Apprentice to a season-opening win 77-62 over Penn State-Greater Allegheny in the Penn State Beaver Tip-Off Classic.

The Nittany Lions (0-1) led most of the first half and held 28-20 advantage with 4:23 to play before intermission, but the Builders chipped away to close the gap to two, 31-29, at halftime. Apprentice (1-0) took the lead for good on a Donovan Means layup less than two minutes into the second stanza to make it 34-33. From there, the defending USCAA Division 1 national champions began to pull away and led by as many as 17 late in the game.

Adrion Wall added 17 for the Builders while Means scored 10. Biagio Crossley led PSGA with 12.

The Builders will face host Penn State Beaver on Sunday.

Mustangs Shock WAU 63-61

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Mid-Atlantic Christian used a balanced scoring attack to down Washington Adventist 63-61 Wednesday night in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

The Mustangs (2-1) put eight players in the scoring column including four with double digits in claiming their first back-to-back wins over NAIA opponents. MACU defeated St. Andrews 78-75 on Saturday.

Transfer Janus Shepherd led all scorers with 14 while Stewart Clough and Keigh Shakes, Jr. each added 13, and senior point guard Carlos Raven chalked a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Jalen Anderson and Chase Cook each scored 12 points for the Shock.

The Herd travels to Rock Hill, South Carolina this Saturday to face NCCAA foe Clinton College. The Golden Bears have claimed consecutive NSAC victims in Atlantis and SC Central.

S4C Falls at Clinton 93-80

ROCK HILL, S.C. – South Carolina Central Christian College (S4C) used a quick start to jump out to an early lead but couldn’t keep the momentum as the Gladiators fell on the road to Clinton College 93-80 Tuesday night.

Central (0-2) made its first three shots from the field, including the first two by Lyric Evans, and converted a blocked shot by Kevin Butler into a bucket to take a 7-0 lead in the opening 1:13 before the Golden Bears began to chip away. Clinton (2-1) scored the next nine points to take its first lead and eventually claim a 51-34 advantage at halftime.

S4C was not done, however, and fought back to cut the margin to three on a Butler layup, 81-78, with 5:11 to play. But that was as close as the Glads would get, with Clinton separating itself from the visitors for the final 13-point difference.

Tavion McPherson came off the bench to lead the Gladiators with 19 points and 10 rebounds while DaQuan Ramsey added 17 points, Butler 13 and 10 boards, and Evans 11. Clinton’s Isaiah Borders led all scorers with 29.

The win was the Golden Bears’ second in a row over an NSAC opponent, having downed Atlantis 102-94 on Friday.

SC Central’s next contest is this Friday at Voorhees.