THE UNDEFEATED
Just six D3 men's basketball teams remain unbeaten, and BR-4 Benedictine is at the top of the list with 13 wins.
Benedictine is also 8-0 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play. The Eagles looked especially undefeatable in their last outing, shooting 71.7 percent from the floor en route to a 110-78 win over Dominican. Benedictine led by 42 at one point. The Eagles host Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday.
BR-8 John Carroll is one win away from tying a program record 13 straight victories, but narrowly escaped in its last outing, a 75-74 win over Capital. The Blue Streaks play at Muskingum on Saturday.
BR-11 Susquehanna stayed unbeaten Thursday night, pulling away from Scranton in the second half to take a 78-63 victory to go to 13-0. Josh Miller had 24 to lead four Crusaders in double figures.
BR-23 Lancaster Bible resoundingly continued its winning streak on Thursday, thumping Penn College 109-52. The Chargers have charged out to a 9-0 overall record and are 3-0 in North Eastern Athletic Conference play. The Chargers are averaging 98.8 points per game and have scored 100 or more points four times this season.
BR-24 NYU remained undefeated with its win Tuesday over Wells College 89-67 in Aurora, N.Y., in the first road game of the year for the Violets. Evan Kupferberg had 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead NYU, which opens University Athletic Association conference play on Saturday against Brandeis.
BR-27 Whitworth got its biggest win of the year Tuesday, beating Northwest Conference foe and BR-12 Whitman 95-89 to go to 12-0 and 3-0 in the conference. Christian Jurlina had 21 to lead the Pirates, who play Friday night at Pacific (Ore.).
BIG TURNAROUND
BR-32 Roanoke College has just surpassed its win total from last year. With the team's 11th straight win, a 105-96 victory over Washington & Lee on Wednesday, the Maroons improved to 11-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Last year, the Maroons won just 10 games.
"There’s definitely a buzz. It’s an incredible thing and we’ve got a lot of momentum moving forward," Roanoke's Cameron Smith told The Roanoke Times after hitting four 3-pointers as part of a 20-point night in the win over Washington & Lee.
The Maroons are fourth in the nation in 3-pointers, averaging 12.9 a game. In the W&L game, they hit 11 from beyond the arc, on 20 attempts. “We were sizzling,” Roanoke coach Page Moir told the Times. “Twenty 3 (attempts) is a lot in one half, but when they’re going in, I’ll take it.”
BEST START SINCE THE FIRST REAGAN ADMINISTRATION
The last time Grove City started this well was long before any of the current players were born. With the Wolverines 77-67 win over Westminster this week, BR-249 Grove City bettered its record to 9-3, the best start for the team since the 1982-83 season. The Wolverines are also 4-1 in Presidents' Athletic Conference play, the team's best league start since 2007-2008. Senior Joe Vermilya, the pride of Sylvania, Ohio, had 20 points to lead Grove City in the win Wednesday over Westminster. Grove City hosts St. Vincent on Saturday.
STREAKING
HOT: Newly anointed BR-1 Ohio Wesleyan didn't disappoint his week, beating Wittenberg 77-70 Wednesday night in their first game since taking over the top BennettRank spot. The Battling Bishops take a three game win streak into Saturday's NCAC game at Allegheny.
HOT: BR-61 Colby takes a 10-game win streak into Friday night's first NESCAC conference game at Bates. The Mules are 10-1 and coming off a 115-97 win over Pine Manor earlier this week. In that game, Pat Dickert shot 10-of-11 from the field to lead the Mules with 23 points. Patrick Stewart also had 23 for the Mules, and a game-high 11 rebounds. Last week's Maine D3 Player of the Week, Ryan Jann, added 22 points and five assists for Colby.
