Advance to the OAC Championship Game on Saturday
BEREA, OHIO Junior forward Tori Davis (Elyria/ Open Door) scored 21 points and senior guard Keith Aufmuth (Brooklyn) added 20 as the seventh-ranked and top-seeded Baldwin-Wallace College defeated Wilmington College, 64-63, in an Ohio Athletic Conference semifinal game in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium in the Lou Higgins Center in Berea
With its win, B-W advances to the OAC Championship Game on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and plays Ohio Northern University, an 80-64 winner versus Muskingum College in the first semifinal game at B-W.
B-W, this year's OAC regular season champion and last season's OAC Tournament champion, improved to 23-4 overall. Wilmington ended its season at 20-7 overall.
There were three lead changes and six ties early in the first half before Wilmington took control. The Quakers broke from a 15-15 tie and forged a 10-point lead on two occassions with the last one being at the 1:10 mark when backup guard Mike Umpleby canned his second three-pointer of the half for a 33-23 lead. Wilmington also led at halftime, 33-25.
In the second half, Wilmington increased its lead to as many as 12 points at 37-25 with 19:15 remaining when senior forward Brett Carpenter scored on a jumper in the lane. B-W then went on a 32-11 run over the next 13 minutes to take its largest lead of the game at 57-48 with 5:57 left when Davis scored on a layup. Undaunted, the Quakers fought back and outscored B-W to take a one-point advantage at 58-57 with 2:09 left when freshman forward Sam Lahmers made a jumper in the lane.
After five lead changes, Lahmers made a free throw with 2.15 seconds left to tie the score at 63-all. After a timeout, B-W threw a length of the court pass to Davis who was fouled. Following a Wilmington timeout, Davis connected on his first free throw for the winning margin and missed the second and the clock expired.
In addition to Davis and Aufmuth for B-W, sophomore guard Brendan Schuler (Fairview Park/ Fairview) scored 12 points. Wilmington was led by senior forward Eric Stirling with a game-high 22 points.
The winner of the 2006 OAC Championship Game receives the OAC's automatic berth in this year's NCAA Division III National Tournament which begins next week.
FOR MORE B-W SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX machine at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. To contact Head Coach Steve Bankson, please call him at 440-826-2039, via FAX at 440-826-2192 or via e-mail at sbankson@bw.edu.
Game Notes vs. Wilmington
The top-seeded BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE YELLOW JACKET men's basketball team hosts Ohio Athletic Conference rival and fourth-seeded Wilmington College Quakers in a semifinal OAC Tournament game on Friday, February 24, 2006 in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium in the Lou Higgins Center in Berea, Ohio at 8:00 p.m. The winner advances to the OAC Championship Game on Saturday February 25. at 7:30 p.m.
RADIO -- All Yellow Jacket men's basketball games are broadcast by campus radio station WBWC, 88.3 FM, via radio and on WBWC's Internet Web site at www.wbwc.com. The pregame show begins 15 minutes prior to tipoff.
BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE
LOCATION: Berea, Ohio
NICKNAME: Yellow Jackets
CONFERENCE: Ohio Athletic
2005-2006 RECORD: 22-4
OAC RECORD: 15-3
LAST GAME: Beat Mount Union, 96-84, on Feb. 23 in Berea
HEAD COACH: Steve Bankson
B-W RECORD: 387-303
YEAR AT B-W: 26th
CAREER RECORD: 42nd/ 668-420
SERIES STANDING: B-W leads, 12-5
LAST MEETING: Jan. 21, 2006 in Wilmington
WHO WON: B-W won, 80-68
FIRST MEETING: Not available
SERIES STREAK: B-W, one game
WILMINGTON COLLEGE
LOCATION: Wilmington, Ohio
NICKNAME: Quakers
CONFERENCE: Ohio Athletic
2005-2006 RECORD: 20-6
OAC RECORD: 12-6
LAST GAME: Beat Capital, 73-64, on Feb. 23 in Wilmington
HEAD COACH: Scott Reule
WC RECORD: 20-6
YEAR AT WC: First
CAREER RECORD: same as above
GAME NOTES -- The top-seeded and seventh-ranked Baldwin-Wallace College men's basketball team hosts Ohio Athletic Conferece rival Wilmington College in a semifinal OAC Tournament game in Berea. The winner of this game advances to the OAC Championship Game on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. B-W also is the defending OAC Tournamet champion.
The Yellow Jackets enter this game at 22-4 overall and won the outright OAC regular seasontitle with a 15-3 record. B-W advanced to the semifinal game by defeating Mount Union College on Wednesday 96-84. B-W now has won 12 of its last 14 games.
The Quakers enter this game with a 20-6 overall record following a 73-64 victory in their OAC quarterfinal game against Capital on Wednesday in the Fred Raizk Arena in Wilmington. Wilmington has won its last six contests, and seven of its last eight games played.
The 2006 OAC Final Four -- In addition to top-seed B-W hosting No. 4-seed Wilmington at 8:00 p.m., No. 2-seed Ohio Northern University will host No 3-seed Muskingum College in the other semifinal contest at 6:00 p.m. ONU defeated seventh-seed John Carroll University, 72-59, at the ONU Sports Center in Ada. Muskingum advanced to the Final Four with an 81-62 victory against sixth-seeded Otterbein College at the Muskingum Rec Center. The 2006 OAC Championship Game will be played on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
The All-Time B-W and Wilmington Series -- This is the 18th all-time meeting between Baldwin-Wallace College and Wilmington College in mens basketball. B-W leads the overall series, 12-5, with B-W winning the last contest on January 21, 2006 in Wilmington by an 80-68 score. Wilminton defeated the Yellow Jackets, 64-61, in the first meeting tghis season on Jan. 7 in Berea.
In the First Meeting This Season Between B-W and Wilmington: Wilmington -- 64, Baldwin-Wallace -- 61 on Saturday, January 7, 2006 in the Ursprung Gym in Berea, Ohio -- In the first meeting this season between B-W and Wilmington, the Quakers defeated the Yellow Jackets, 64-61, in the Rudolph Ursprung Gym in Berea on January 7. Despite the loss, B-W was led by junior two-time All-OAC and preseason All-American forward Tori Davis (Elyria/ Open Door Christian School) with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and sophomore guard Brendan Schuler (Fairview Park/ Fairview) had 13 points, six assists, three rebounds and three steals. Wilmington was led by senior forward Eric Stirling and sophomore guard Zach Broermann with 14 points each and sophomore guard Nick Berter had 11 markers. A key in the victory for Wilmington was causing 21 Yellow Jacket turnovers.
In the Second Meeting This Season Between the Two Teams: Baldwin-Wallace -- 80, Wilmington -- 68 on Saturday, January 21, 2006 in the Fred Raizk Arena in Wilmington, Ohio -- In the second meeting this season, B-W tied the season series with an 80-68 win versus the Quakers in the Fred Raizk Arena in Wilmington on January 21. Leading the way for the Yellow Jackets was Tori Davis with 25 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. In addition,senior guard Keith Aufmuth (Brooklyn) scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds and added three assists, and senior forward Dan Gundert (Wellington)t added 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Leading the way for Wilmington were Josh Rohrbacher with 16 points, Eric Stirling with 15 points and sophomore guard Fred Harrison with 10 points.
The Baldwin-Wallace College Starters and Information -- The Yellow Jackets enter this game averaging 88.7 points per game and are giving up 76.3 ppg. for a scoring differential of plus 12.4 ppg. The Yellow Jackets are grabbing 39.4 rebounds per contest,7.7 more per game than their opponents. B-W shoots 54.3 percent from the field, 41.3 percent from three-point range and 74.7 percent from the foul line.
Look for veteran Yellow Jackets Head Coach Steve Bankson to play as many as 11 players in this game. He will start 64 Tori Davis and 6'2" senior Dan Gundert at the post positions. In the backcourt, look for 60' sophomore Tyler Sekerak (Corry, Pa./ Corry Area), 510 Brendan Schuler and 60 Keith Aufmuth to start. Davis tops the team and OAC in scoring with 23.0 ppg. and tops B-W in rebounding with 8.6 rpg. He shoots 65.7 percent from the field and 75.2 percent from the line and tops the team with 50 blocked shots. Gundert scores 11.7 ppg., is second in rebounding with 7.8 rpg., third in steals with 37 and shots 64 percent from the floor and 81.6% from the line. Aufmuth averages 13.5 ppg. and has 53 assists, 55 three-pointers and a team-leading 41 steals. Schuler leads the team with 134 assists and scores 11.3 ppg. He also is first on the team with 57 three-pointers. Sekerak scores 8.5 ppg., is third on the team with 59 assists, second with 38 steals and third with 32 three's.
Off the bench, look for Bankson to play 6'4" junior post Chad Clark (Fremont/ Ross), 6'2" junior Nick Meyer (Mentor), 511 freshman guard Dennis Santiago (Brook Park/ Midpark), 6'2" junior guard Luke Lyle (Fremont Ross) and 65 senior forward Charod Hale (Akron/ Kenmore). Clark scores at 7.3 ppg., grabs 3.6 rpg. and shoots 89.7% from the foul line. Santiago scores 4.8 ppg. Meyer scores 4.7 ppg. and grabs 2.1 rpg.
Wilmington Probable Starters and Information -- The Quakers of Wilmington College score 72.9 points per game and give up 66.6 for a plus 6.3 scoring differential. The Quakers shoot 45.5 percent from the floor, 33.8 percent from three-point range and 69.1 percent from the foul line. Wilmington grabs 33.0 rebounds per game for a minus 2.8 caroms per contest.
Look for Head Coach Scott Reule to start 5'11" sophomore guard Zach Broermann and 6'2" senior guard Josh Rohrbacher in the backcourt. Look for 6'4' senior center Brian Carpenter to get the nod alongside 6'4' senior forward Eric Stirling, and 6'3" sophomore guard Nick Berter. Stirling tops the team in scoring with 16.9 ppg., rebounding at 6.3 rpg. and with 66 assists and 44 steals. Rohrbacher scores 8.7 ppg., pulls down 3.0 rpg., has 30 three-pointers, 63 assists and 35 steals. Broermann averages 8.6 ppg., and has 64 assists and a team-leading 33 three-pointers. Berter averages 7.4 ppg., grabs 3.0 rpg. and has 29 three-pointers. Carpenter scores 5.9 ppg., and grabs 4.0 rpg.
Off the bench, look for Coach Reule to play 6'2" freshman guard Justin Gaines, 6'3" sophomore guard Fred Harrison, 6'0" sophomore forward Scott Walters, and 6'7" freshman Trevante Leftenant at the post. Gaines averages 6.7 ppg. with 25 steals. Harrison scores 5.8 ppg. with 2.5 rpg. 42 steals and 22 three-pointers. Scott Walters is scoring 3.8 ppg. and Josh Walters is scoring 2.8 ppg. in 24 games. Leftenant scores 4.2 ppg. and grabs 2.2 rpg.
In B-W's Last Game: Baldwin-Wallace -- 96, Mount Union -- 84 in the OAC Quarterfinals on Wednesday, February 22 in the Ursprung Gym in Berea -- In its last game, the Yellow Jackets defeated OAC rival Mount Union College, 96-84, on Wednesday (Feb. 22) in the Ursprung Gym in Berea in an OAC Tournament Quarterfinal game. All five B-W starters scored double figures, led by Tori Davis' 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. In addition, Keith Aufmuth and Tyler Sekerak with 18 points, Dan Gundert had 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds and Brendan Schuler scored 14 points and passed for five assists. The keys to victory was B-W shooting 587.5 percent from the floor, 52.9 percent from three-point range, outrebounding Mt. Union, 37-33, and passing for 25 assists in 31 made baskets.
In Wilmington's Last Game: Wilmington -- 73, Capital -- 64 in the OAC Quarterfinals on Wednesday, February 22 at the Fred Raizk Arena in Wilmington -- In its last game, Wilmington defeated Capital University, 73-64, on Wednesday (Feb. 22) in the Fred Raizk Arena in Wilmington in an OAC Tournament Quarterfinal game. In victory, the Quakers were led by Zach Broermann scored 28 points, including making six-f-six three-pointers, and Eric Stirling had 17 markers.
Yellow Jacket Chatter
Defending OAC Tourney Champ -- B-W is the defending Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament champion. The Yellow Jackets have won four OAC Tournament titles (1967, 1996, 1998 and last season).
The OAC Regular Season Title -- B-W's outright Ohio Athletic Conference regular season title this season is its first since the 1978-79 season and is the fourth in school history. B-W also has won four OAC Tournament titles, including last season's, and is the top seed in this week's OAC Tournament.
The School-Record for Victories in a Season -- B-W currently owns a 22-4 overall record and is one victory away from tying the school single-season record for wins. The record is 23, which was set in the 1966-67 season when the Yellow Jackets finished 23-9 overall under then Head Coach Hugh Thompson.
Tori Davis is Setting Records -- Davis has scored 599 points this season and has surpassed Kevin Braaten's single-season record of 582 which he set in the 1994-95 season. Davis is chasing B-W's all-time leading scoring Dean Martin for the highest single-season scoring average, which Martin set in the 1970-71 season of 23.0 points per game. Davis has also set a single-season record for free-throws attempted with 230 and also free-throws made with 173.
Yellow Jackets are Setting Records as a Team -- The B-W men's basketball team is on pace to break the single-season shooting percentage record which it set last year at 50.7 percent. Entering tonight's game, the Yellow Jackets are shooting 54.3 percent from the floor and have connected on 826-of-1521 total shot attempts.
Davis is Making His Way up the Charts -- Tori Davis is ninth on the all-time scoring list with 1,522 points and needs 37 more to surpass Jason Schefft (1997-2001), who scored 1,559 points and ranks eighth on the all-time Yellow Jacket scoring list. Davis also has 674 career rebounds to rank seventh and his 170 blocked shots rank second to his brother, Thad Davis', career mark of 190.
Keith Aufmuth is 28th in Scoring -- Keith Aufmuth has 1,080 career points to rank 26th all-time in scoring at the College.
Steve Bankson is B-W's Winningest Men's Basketball Coach -- Yellow Jackets veteran Head Coach Steve Bankson is the winningest men's basketball coach in B-W's school history with 387 wins in 26 years. He has 668 victories in his 41-year career. Bankson is 387-303 at B-W, was 232-90 at Lorain County Community College and 49-24 in three seasons at the high school level. Bankson is also serving as B-W's Men's Director of Athletics.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, Please visit the Baldwin-Wallace Athletics website at www.bw.edu/athletics for up to date results and statistics. For further inquiries, please contact B-W SID Kevin Ruple by phone at (440) 826-2327, by FAX at (440) 826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. B-W Head Coach Steve Bankson can be reached by phone at (440) 826-2039, by FAX at (440) 826-2192 or via e-mail at sbankson@bw.edu.
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