Category: Atlantis

MACU Downs Atlantis in Opening Round Thriller

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Fourth-seed Mid-Atlantic Christian got 26 points from Carlos Raven, including 12 from beyond the arc, to hold off a determined Atlantis University squad 82-70 in the quarterfinals of the New South Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament Friday afternoon.

After leading by as many as eight in the first half, the Mustangs (8-16) held a 36-32 advantage at the break. The fifth-seeded Atlanteans (7-15) clawed back in the second half to lead by as many as six before MACU pulled away for the final score.

Noah Richardson-Keys added 19 for the Mustangs while Joshua Tyler had 11 and Dre-Shaun Brown chipped in 10.

Keifer Chow led Atlantis with 21 points, Nikko Landon contributed 17, Jose Rosario added 14, and Vaughn Brown had 11.

MACU advances to face top-seed Lighthouse Christian Saturday at 2:00 pm. In the other semifinal, 2nd-seed Apprentice will take on 6th-seed Central International at 4:00 pm.

Mustangs Down Atlanteans on Senior Day 80-67

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Mid-Atlantic Christian got big production from a pair of sophomores to hold off USCAA seventh-ranked Atlantis 80-67 in an NSAC game Sunday afternoon.

Sophomores Noah Richardson-Keys and Joshua Tyler both finished the game with double-doubles. Richardson-Keys had 25 points and 14 rebounds while and Tyler added 22 points and 12 boards. The Mustangs also honored their senior Talik Totten, who scored 14 points with 6 rebounds in the last home game in his career as a Mustang. 

The Atlanteans’ Tyric Francois led all scorers with 28 points.

It was MACU’s second consecutive win over a USCAA ranked opponent. The Mustangs slipped past then-fifth-ranked Manor 98-91 on January 27.

MACU (6-15 overall, 3-3 NSAC) will finish its conference regular season on the road Tuesday, February 13 at top-ranked Apprentice School in Newport News, Virginia. Atlantis (9-14, 1-2) has concluded its NSAC schedule and will face Regent on Monday in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The NSAC tournament seedings will be decided by a coaches poll and announced Monday, February 19.

Atlantis Tripped Up at Clinton 125-98

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Senior guard Cam Shannon poured in a career-high 41 points to lead Clinton College to a 125-98 win over Atlantis Thursday night.

Clinton (14-7) raced to a 63-36 halftime lead and maintained that 27-point margin at the final buzzer.

Tyric Francois led the Atlanteans with 27 points.

The game was the first of a four-game series through the Carolinas and Virginia for Atlantis (9-12 overall, 1-0 NSAC), which will face NSAC foes Apprentice on Saturday and MACU on Sunday before closing the trip with a non-conference tilt at Regent on Monday.

Image courtesy auatlanteans.com

Harriers Pull Away from Atlantis 93-68

HAMILTON Oh. – Miami Hamilton raced out to a 20-point lead in the first eight minutes and never looked back in cruising to a 93-68 win over visiting Atlantis Sunday afternoon.

The Harriers, ranked 13th among USCAA Division 2 schools, seemed to have little trouble getting the ball in the basket against the Atlanteans, who were wrapping up a two-game road trip in Ohio and currently ranked 6th in USCAA Division 1.

Atlantis (9-11 overall, 1-0 NSAC) has more than a week off before heading to the Carolinas and Virginia for a four-game stand, opening February 8 at Clinton College.

Image courtesy Miami Hamilton Athletics

Anderson Out at Atlantis

In an unexpected move, Atlantis University has released men’s head basketball coach Antwann Anderson.

Anderson was in his third season with the Atlanteans. They finished 18-2 in their inaugural 2021-22 season, then joined the USCAA in 2022 and accepted an invitation to compete in the USCAA National Tournament as the seventh seed. Atlantis is currently ranked sixth.

The school announced that the move was due to budget concerns.

The team is scheduled to play at Fisher College in Massachusetts tonight. Assistant coach Francisco Hernandez, the former head coach at Florida Palms University, has been named interim coach.

Anderson’s departure marks the second NSAC mid-season coaching change in the past month. Nolan Adams stepped down at Blue Lights College before the start of the spring semester. Denzel Johnson was named interim there.

Image courtesy auatlanteans.com

Atlantis’ Goodman is Player of the Week

Guard Gravon Goodman led Atlantis to a 1-1 split at Bucks County Community College and has been named the NSAC men’s basketball Player of the Week.

The sophomore transfer from Copiah Lincoln Community College averaged 28 pts and 6.5 assists against the defending Eastern State Athletic Conference champs.

Honorable Mention:

  • Karree Smith – Apprentice
  • Kalil Baker – Blue Lights
  • Darquez Flowers – Blue Lights

Congratulations to Gravon Goodman and all the nominees!

Three NSAC Teams Receive National Rankings

The first basketball polls of the year are out in the USCAA, and the New South Conference is well represented as the Apprentice men’s and women’s teams as well as the Atlantis men are in the top 5 of their respective polls.

The Apprentice men have garnered the number 2 national ranking, trailing only Bryant & Stratton Syracuse. Head coach Evan Kee is pleased with the recognition and says he’s looking forward to returning to Petersburg, Virginia, the site of the USCAA Small College Championships.

“We are thrilled that our strong start to the season has led to an early season #2 ranking,” said Kee. “We’ve played a challenging opening schedule and we are happy to have come out with some convincing wins. We understand that the only poll that truly matters is the final one, which will be the crowned national champion. We hope to be in position to finish the season number one in the country and to cut down nets at Virginia State University.”

The Builders are picking up where they left off last season when they went undefeated in conference play, won the NSAC tournament title, and advanced to the USCAA semifinals before falling to Bryant & Stratton Buffalo 77-75.

Atlantis comes into the poll ranked number 4. The new NSAC member also appeared in the national tournament last season in its first year of eligibility, but fell victim to B&S Buffalo in the opening round 73-64.

B&S Buffalo is at number three. Salem University, last year’s national champion, rounds out the top 5.

The Apprentice women crack the season-opening rankings at number four. The Lady Builders fell to eventual champion D’Youville in the national semifinals last year 75-48.

Key Matchups Highlight Post-Thanksgiving Slate This Week

After a needed Thanksgiving Day break, New South teams return to action this week to a slate of interesting matchups. 

Blue Lights opens the week on Tuesday by hosting the JV team from Livingstone, The Thoroughbreds (4-2) hope to end a two-game slide by getting key players back from injuries. 

Wednesday night is Rivalry Night in Miami as Atlantis (3-2) hosts cross-town foe United International College.  

It’s officially called the Roger Taylor Classic, but Apprentice (5-1) and MACU (1-4) consider the weekend of games in Rocky Mount, North Carolina to be the “NSAC-USA South Showdown.” On Friday, the Builders face Greensboro College and the Thoroughbreds tackle NC Wesleyan. They switch opponents on Saturday.  

Central International (4-4) gets back to action on Monday, December 4, taking on a much-improved Patrick Henry College team.  

Lighthouse (5-2) will try to knock the rust off from a two-week layoff when it travels to Atlantis on December 6. It will mark the first-ever NSAC conference game for both teams. 

AU Sweeps B&S Albany

ALBANY, N.Y. – Atlantis and Bryant & Stratton Albany played a back-and-forth contest in their rematch Thursday night, but the Atlanteans held on late to sweep the series 68-66.

B&S took the lead from the start on their home court for the first time in their two home games against AU. Atlantis (3-2) fought back and led by as many as five before settling for a 4-point advantage at halftime, 30-26.

B&S (1-2) retook the lead in the first minute of the second period and extended it to 33-30 before AU reclaimed the top spot on a Keith Shakes, Jr. layup at the 16:16 mark to make it 35-34. The visitors would lead by as many as 12 after two free throws by Stewart Clough with 9:08 remaining before the Bobcats would rally again.

B&S cut the lead to one, 67-66, with 17 seconds to play off a steal and subsequent layup by Devon Smith-Johnson. Tyric Francois of Atlantis was fouled on the inbounds play and made one of his two free throw attempts. The Bobcats had a chance to retake the lead with :09 remaining but missed both free throws to provide the final score. 

“Very proud of the way our guys fought to the very last second of the game,” said B&S coach Mike Shewmaker. “Our energy and commitment to playing hard for 40 minutes was there, but the reality is, you don’t win college basketball games shooting 17-30 from the FT line.”

Clough led the Atlanteans with 17 points. Smith-Johnson matched that for Bryant & Stratton.

Atlantis had defeated B&S Albany 73-56 on Tuesday and dropped a 91-79 decision to Bryant & Stratton Syracuse on Wednesday.

Image courtesy albany.bscbobcats.com