to Win its Second Straight OAC Tournament Championship
The tourney title is B-W's second straight, its fifth overall in school history and gives the Yellow Jackets the OAC's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament which begins next week.
With its win, B-W improves to 24-4 overall and has won three straight games. In defeat ONU is now 21-6 overall, ended an eight-game winning streak and now must wait to see if it will receive an At-Large bid from the NCAA Division III Selection Committee.
In the first half, ONU jumped out to a quick 12-4 lead in the first six minutes of the game and grabbed its largest lead of the half at 12 points on two separate occassions with the last one being at the 6:16 mark at 33-21 when senior guard B.J. Thisen canned a three-pointer.B-W then outscored the Polar Bears 14-2 to tie the game at halftime at 35-all.
In the second half, ONU again gained a quick five-point lead at 42-37 with 17:36 left in regulation before B-W outscored the Polar Bears 8-2 to take it first lead at 45-44 with 16:14 left when Davis made a jump shot. After five lead changes, ONU gained its final lead of the game at 77-75 with 52 seconds left when junior guard Greg Badenhop canned a three-pointer. Davis scored on a jumper with 1.01 seconds left to tie it at 79-all and send it to overtime
In the extra session, B-W dominated and built its lead to as many as nine points at 91-82 en route to winning its second straight OAC Tournament crown.
In addition to Davis for B-W, sophomore guard Brendan Schuler (Fariview Park/ Fairview) and senior forward Dan Gundert (Wellington) each scored 16 points and senior guard Keith Aufmuth (Brooklyn) added 11. For his efforts, Davis was the tourney Most Valuable Player.
ONU was led by junior forward Bart Hostetler with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds and the trio of Badenhop, junior forward Ryan Lee and junior guard Jared Bostelman each had 10 points.
The 2006 NCAA Division III National Tournament begins on March 1 with the National Championship Game being played in Salem, Virginia on March 25.
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. Ohio Northern
The top-seeded BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE YELLOW JACKET men's basketball team hosts Ohio Athletic Conference rival and second-seeded Ohio Northern University in the 2006 OAC Tournament Championship Game on Saturday, February 25 in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium in the Lou Higgins Center in Berea, Ohio at 7:30 p.m. The winner receives the OAC's automatic berth in next week's NCAA Division III National Tournament.
RADIO -- The Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship Game will be broadcast by B-W campus radio station WBWC, 88.3 FM, and via the WBWC's Internet Web site at www.wbwc.com. WBWC is serving as the OAC Tournament Flagship station for the fifth straight year. Senior Andy Newcomer will call the play-by-play and Sports Director Chris Fedor will offer the color analysis. The pregame show begins 15 minutes prior to tipoff.
WEBCAST/ TELEVISION -- The 2006 OAC Men's Basketball Championship Game will be Webcast by the OAC through TRZ Communications. Veteran Cleveland sportscaster Adam Mendoza will call the play-by-play and Matthew Florjancic will offer the color. The game can be accessed by logging onto www.teamline.cc/teampages.html?teamcode=1067. The pregame show begins at 7:15 p.m.
BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE
LOCATION: Berea, Ohio
NICKNAME: Yellow Jackets
CONFERENCE: Ohio Athletic
2005-2006 RECORD: 23-4
OAC RECORD: 15-3
LAST GAME: Beat Wilmington, 64-63, on Feb. 24 in Berea in the OAC semifinals
HEAD COACH: Steve Bankson
B-W RECORD: 388-303
YEAR AT B-W: 26th
CAREER RECORD: 42nd/ 669-420
SERIES STANDING: ONU leads, 50-27
LAST MEETING: Feb. 15, 2006 in Berea
WHO WON: ONU won, 72-68
FIRST MEETING: Not available
SERIES STREAK: ONU, one game
OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY
LOCATION: Ada, Ohio
NICKNAME: Polar Bears
CONFERENCE: Ohio Athletic
2005-2006 RECORD: 21-5
OAC RECORD: 14-4
LAST GAME: Beat Muskingum, 80-64, on Feb. 24 in Berea in the OAC semifinals
HEAD COACH: Jeff Coleman
ONU RECORD: 21-5
YEAR AT ONU: 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, second-seeded and 22nd-ranked Ohio Northern University in the 2006 OAC Championship Game in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium. The winner receives the OAC's automatic berth in next week's NCAA Division III National Tournament.
B-W is the defending OAC Tournamet champion. The Yellow Jackets enter this game at 23-4 overall and won the outright OAC regular season title with a 15-3 record. B-W advanced to the Championship Game by defeating Mount Union College, 96-84, in a quarterfinal game on Wednesday in Berea and then beat Wilmington College, 64-63, in the semifinals last night.
The Polar Bears enter this game with a 21-5 overall record following a 73-64 victory in their OAC quarterfinal game against John Carroll on Wednesday and an 80-64 victory over the number three-seed Muskingum College in the semifinals last night. Ohio Northern has won 10 of its last 11 games.
The All-Time B-W and Ohio Northern Series Series -- This is the 78th all-time meeting between Baldwin-Wallace College and Ohio Northern University in mens basketball. ONU leads the overall series, 50-27. The two teams split the season series this year, with each team winning on the others' home floor. B-W pulled out a 67-65 victory on December 14 in Ada, and the Polar Bears escaped Berea with a 72-68 victory on February 15.
In the First Meeting This Season Between B-W and Ohio Northern: B-W--67, Ohio Northern -- 65 on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 in the ONU Sports Center in Ada, Ohio-- In the first meeting this season between B-W and Ohio Northern, the Yellow Jackets defeated the Polar Bears, 67-65, in the ONU Sports Center in Ada on December 14. B-W was led by junior two-time All-OAC and preseason All-American forward Tori Davis (Elyria/ Open Door Christian School) with 21 points and 9 rebounds, and sophomore guard Brendan Schuler (Fairview Park/ Fairview) had 12 points, and three assists. Ohio Northern was led by junior Bart Hostetler with 18 points and nine rebounds. He was joined in double-figures by fellow junior Michael Hunter with 12 points and sophomore Kyle Gehle with 15 points and four assists.
In the Second Meeting This Season Between the Two Teams: Ohio Northern--72, Baldwin-Wallace--68 on Wednesday, February 15, 2006 in the Ursprung Gymnasium in Berea, Ohio-- In the second meeting this season, ONU tied the season series with an 72-68 victory over the Yellow Jackets in the Ursprung Gymnasium in Berea on February 15. Despite the loss, preseason All-American forward Tori Davis (Elyria/ Open Door Christian School) scored 22 points and pulled down eights rebounds. Sophomore guard Brendan Schuler (Fairview Park/ Fairview) added 17 points and senior Dan Gundert (Wellington) chipped in with 10 points. Leading the way for the Polar Bears was junior Greg Badenhop with 22 points. Fellow junior Ryan Lee scored 15 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and junior Bart Hostetler chipped in with 10 points.
The Baldwin-Wallace College Starters and Information -- The Yellow Jackets enter this game averaging 87.8 points per game and are giving up 75.9 ppg. for a scoring differential of plus 12.0 ppg. The Yellow Jackets are grabbing 39.0 rebounds per contest,7.5 more per game than their opponents. B-W shoots 54.3 percent from the field, 41.3 percent from three-point range and 73.9 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 8.5 rpg. He shoots 65.7 percent from the field and 73.3 percent from the line and tops the team with 51 blocked shots. Gundert scores 11.4 ppg., is second in rebounding with 7.8 rpg., second in steals with 40 and shots 63.1 percent from the floor and 81.9 percent from the line. Aufmuth averages 13.7 ppg. and has 56 assists, 58 three-pointers and a team-leading 41 steals. Schuler leads the team with 138 assists and scores 11.4 ppg. He also is first on the team with 59 three-pointers. Sekerak scores 8.4 ppg., is third on the team with 61 assists, and third with 39 steals 33 three-pointers.
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 7.0 ppg., grabs 3.4 rpg. and shoots 89.7 percent from the foul line. Santiago scores 4.6 ppg. Meyer scores 4.6 ppg. and grabs 2.0 rpg.
Ohio Northern Probable Starters and Information-- The Polar Bears of Ohio Northern University score 78.8 points per game and give up 67.3 ppg. for a plus 11.5 scoring differential per game. Ohio Northern shoots 49.1 percent from the floor, 38.5 percent from three-point range and 68.7 percent from the foul line.
Look for first-year Head Coach Jeff Coleman to start 5'11" junior guard Jared Bostelman, 6'4" junior wing Greg Badenhop, 6'4" senior wing Nate Lieb and 6'5" junior wing Ryan Lee in the backcourt and 6'6" junior forward Michael Hunter at the post. Badenhop tops the team in scoring at 15.2 ppg., grabs 3.7 rpg. has 69 assists and is second with 49 steals. Badenhop leads the team with 61 three-pointers. Lieb scores 9.9 and grabs 2.8 rpg. and has 25 assists and is second with 58 three-pointers. Lee averages 8.5 ppg. and is second in rebounding at 5.0 rpg. Hunter scores 5.2 ppg. and third in rebounding at 4.8 rpg. Bostelman scores 5.4 ppg., is second assists with 70 and fourth with 29 triples.
Off the bench, look for Coach Coleman to play 5'9" senior guard B.J. Theisen, 6'1" freshman guard Kurtis Brown, 6'0" sophomore gaurd Nate Overmyer, 6'1" sophomore guard Kyle Gehle, 6'3" junior wing Bart Hostetler and 6'8" freshman post player Jake Cannan Gehle is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 ppg. and third with 34 three's. Hostetler is third at 10.3 ppg. and tops the team with 7.0 rpg. Cannan scores 5.6 ppg. and grabs 2.4 rpg.
In B-W's Last Game: Baldwin-Wallace--64, Wilmington--63 in the OAC Semifinals on Friday, February 24 in the Ursprung Gym in Berea -- In their last game, the Yellow Jackets defeated OAC rival Wilmington College, 64-63, on Friday (Feb. 24) in the Ursprung Gym in Berea in an OAC Tournament Semifinal game. Junior pre-season All-American Tori Davis made a free-throw with 1.02 seconds left in the game to win it. He scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed six rebounds. Joining him in double-figures was senior guard Keith Aufmuth with 20 points and sophomore point guard Brendan Schuler added 12 points and four assists. For Wilmington, senior Eric Sterling scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds.
In Ohio Northern's Last Game: Ohio Northern -- 80, Muskingum -- 64 in the OAC Semifinals on Friday, February 23 in the Ursprung Gymnasium in Berea -- In its last game, the Polar Bears defeated OAC rival Muskingum College, 80-64, on Friday (Feb. 24) in the Ursprung Gym in Berea in an OAC Tournament Semifinal game. Leading the way for the Polar Bears was junior Bart Hostetler with his first career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Juniors Jared Bostelman and Ryan Lee, along with sophomore Kyle Gehle each scored 12 points.
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 is currently 23-4 and tied for the school single-season record for wins. The record of 23 wins, 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 620 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 240 and also free-throws made with 176.
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 852-of-1570 total shot attempts.
Davis is Making His Way up the Charts -- Tori Davis is ninth on the all-time scoring list with 1,543 points and needs 16 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 680 career rebounds to rank seventh and his 171 blocked shots rank second to his brother, Thad Davis', career mark of 190.
Keith Aufmuth is 23rd in Scoring -- Keith Aufmuth has 1,100 career points to rank 23rd 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 388 wins in 26 years. He has 669 victories in his 41-year career. Bankson is 388-303 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.
275 Eastland Rd.