Win the "Weenie" Miller Holiday Tournament Title
BEREA, OHIO — Senior forward and Division III All-American candidate Thad Davis (Elyria/ Open Door) scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds today (December 30, 2004) as the Baldwin-Wallace College men's basketball team defeated host Hampden-Sydney College, 75-67, win the championship game of the "Weenie" Miller HSC Holiday Tournament in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia.
The tourney win was B-W's second title of the season as it won the season-opening Gettysburg (Pa.) Tournament.
Davis scored 21 of his game-high 27 points in the second half when B-W overcame a pair of 10-point deficits en route to winning its fourth straight game to improve to 9-2 overall. With its loss, HSC fell to 7-4 overall.
With his 27 points and 15 rebounds today, Thad Davis now has 1,562 career points and 798 career rebounds. He is now seventh on the Yellow Jacket all-time scoring list and fifth in rebounding. Today, Thad Davis surpassed former four-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference guard and Mentor High School standout Jason Schefft who had 1,559 career points at B-W. For his efforts in the two games at Hampden-Sydney, Thad Davis was named as the tournament Most Valuable Player.
In addition to Thad Davis, his younger brother, sophomore forward Tori Davis (Elyria/ Open Door) scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and sophomore guard Keith Aufmuth (Brooklyn) had 11 points, including three three-pointers. For their efforts, Tori Davis and Aufmuth joined Thad Davis on the all-tournament team.
Hampden-Sydney was led by senior guard Brian Gunn with 19 points and was tabbed to the all-tourney squad.
In the first half, B-W opened up an early nine-point lead at 15-6 with 15:02 left before halftime when Thad Davis scored on a layup. Then the Tigers outscored the Yellow Jackets 30-16 the remainder of the half, including a 14-2 run, to lead 36-31 at the intermission.
In the second half, the Tigers scored the first five points to build their lead to as many as 10 points at 41-31 with 19:12 minutes left in the game. B-W then outscored Hampden-Sydney 30-18 to take its first lead of the second stanza at 61-59 with 7:07 left in the game when Aufmuth canned a three-pointer. The Yellow Jackets then built their lead to as many as eight points with the final score.
B-W now returns to Berea and will also return to Ohio Athletic Conference action on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 when it hosts OAC arch-rival Mount Union College on at the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m.
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 atkruple@bw.edu.
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