Date: Day 4- March 7, 2009

The final day of the 2009 USCAA Basketball National Championships promises to be the best day of competition yet.  Fierce competition has led up to the Championship and consolation finals.  All of today's games will be held at the PSU-Fayette campus.  Finals action kicks off at 5pm with the Women's National Championship (2 Spalding University and 4 Southern Virginia University, Men's Divison I finals follow at 7:15 (1 Talladega College and 3 Rochester College) and tournament action will conclude with Men's Division II at 9:30 (1 Williamson and 2 PSU-Beaver).

Location: PSU-Fayette

USCAA National Championship Games

Women's

Game 11 (W11) - 5pm

2) Spalding University- 70

4) Southern Virginia University-  49

2) Splading University was crowned after an outstanding team performace from the Lady Golden Eagles.  Spalding's tough defense and explosive offense led them to an impressive victory over 4) Southern Virginia, in the 2009 USCAA Women's Basketball National Championship Game.  Spalding was the first champion to be crowned this evening, with the Men's Division I and Division II to follow. 

Men's Division I

Game 7 (G7) - 7:15pm

1) Talladega College- 45

3) Rochester College- 31

1) Talladega College claims the first USCAA Championship in school history.  The Tornadoes defeated 3) Rochester College in the finals of the 2009 USCAA Men's Division I Basketball National Championship Game.

Men's Division II

Game 21 (G21) - 9:30pm

1) Williamson- 59

2) PSU-Beaver- 50

1) Williamson wins their second consecutive USCAA National Championship, with a win over PSU-Beaver.  Williamson was led by tournament MVP Davar Watson, as they went wire to wire as the top-ranked team in the Nation.

USCAA Third Place Games

Women's

8) UC Clermont- 68

6) PSU-Beaver- 53

After a tough loss to Southern Virginia in the semifinals, 8) UC Clermont bounced back with a victory over 6) PSU-Beaver.  UC Clermont took home the USCAA Women's Third Place trophy.

Men's Division I

Game 11 (G11) - 7:30pm

2) Oakwood University- 85

4) Southern Virginia- 84

Men's Division II

Game 29 (G29) - 11am

4) Vermont Tech- 69

6) UC Clermont- 68

6) UC Clermont took 4) Vermont Tech down the the final shot, but Vermont Tech held on to capture the USCAA Men's Division II Third Place Trophy.

USCAA 5th Place Games

Women's

Game 12 (W14) - 3pm

1) Robert Morris College-Springfield- 63

3) Apprentice School- 56

Men's Division II

Game 26 (G26) - 9:30

3) Andrews University- 71

9) Penn College- 66

USCAA 7th Place Games

Women's

Game 15 (W15) - 1pm

5) Philander Smith- 70

10) IU Northwest- 49

Men's Division II

Game 27 G(27) - 11am

7) Central Maine- 98

8) Maine-Augusta- 86

USCAA 9th Place Games

Women's

Game 18 (W18) - 11am

9) Talladega College- 79

7) Briarcliffe College- 40

Men's Division II

Game 28 (G28) - 11am

5) PSU-Hazelton- W

10) PSU-Fayette- L

USCAA 11th Place Game

Women's

Game 19 (W19) - 9am

11) Central Maine- 70

12) PSU-Fayette- 63 

Date: Day 3- March 6, 2009

The Final Four brackets are set and the third full day of USCAA Basketball National Championships is ready to begin.  There will be six final four games played at Fayette today and the consolation rounds will take place at Greater Allegheny.

Location: PSU-Fayette

Women's

Final Four

Game 10 (W10) - 3pm

2) Spalding- 63

6) PSU-Beaver- 41

2) Spalding advances to the Women's Final, where they will play 4) Southern Virginia.  The Final will be played March 7th at 5pm (Location: Fayette).  PSU-Beaver will battle UC Clermont for 3rd place on March 7th at 9am (Location: Fayette).

Game 9 (W9) - 6pm

4) Southern Virginia- 68

8) UC Clermont- 64

4) Southern Virginia will take on 2) Spalding in the National Championship game March 7th at 5pm (Location: Fayette).  UC Clermont will play in the 3rd place game, against PSU-Beaver on March 7th at 9am (Location: Fayette).

Consolation

Game 12 (W12) - 9am

1) Robert Morris College-Springfield- 84

5) Philander Smith- 63

1) Robert Morris College-Springfield advances to the 5th place game, where they will play 3) Apprentice School on March 7th at 3pm (Location: Fayette).  Philander Smith will take on IU Northwest March 7th at 1pm (Location: Fayette)

Men's Division I

Final Four

Game 6 (G6) - 11am

3) Rochester College- 58

2) Oakwood University- 56

3) Rochester College upset the defending National Champions, 2) Oakwood University and advanced to the National Championship Game.  They will play 1) Talladega March 7th at 7:15pm (Location: Fayette).  Oakwood will play Southern Virginia in the 3rd place game on March 7th at 6:45pm (Location: Fayette).

Game 5 (G5) - 1pm

1) Talladega College- 64

4) Southern Viriginia- 51 

1) Talladega College will play 3) Rochester College for the 2009 USCAA Men's Division I Championship.  The game is March 7th at 7:15 pm (Location: Fayette).  4) Southern Virginia will battle 2) Oakwood for 3rd place on March 7th at 6:45pm (Location: Fayette)

Men's Division II

Final Four

Game 19 (G19) - 8pm

1)Williamson- 68

4) Vermont Tech- 49

1) Williamson keeps the dream for a second consecutive USCAA National Championship alive, as they defeated 4) Vermont Tech.  Williamson will play the 2) PSU-Beaver  March 7th at 9:30pm (Location: Fayette). Vermont Tech will play 6) UC Clermont March 7th at 11am (Location: Fayette).

Game 20 (G20) - 10pm

2) PSU-Beaver- 73

6) UC Clermont- 55

2) PSU-Beaver advances to face 1) Williamson.  After defeating 6) UC Clermont, PSU-Beaver has their sites set on the defending USCAA Men's Division II National Champion, Williamson.  The National Championship game will be March 7th at 9:30pm (Location: Fayette).

Location: PSU-Greater Allegheny

Women's

Consolation

Game 13 (W13) - 1pm

3) Apprentice School-62

10) IU Northwest-56

(Release by Jim Heath)

MCKEESPORT, PA. - Senior Rahshann Lewter scored 13 points and dished out 10 assists, while junior Valleri West added 12 points and freshman Denise Hamilton scored 11 as the Apprentice School  defeated Indiana University NW 62-56 at Penn State Greater Allegheny.

The win places the Lady Builders into the fifth-place contest against top-seeded Robert Morris-Springfield at 3 pm on Saturday, while Indiana University NW faces Philander Smith for seventh place at 1 pm on Saturday.

The first half saw the teams struggle to score in the first five minutes, but the Lady Builders used an early 7-1 run to take a 14-8 advantage on a Lewter jumper with 10:34 left.  A pair of Lewter free throws started that run to which the Lady Builders never trailed again.

The RedHawks cut the lead to 24-22 on a Jenelle Kaplinski jumper with 1:22 left, but Apprentice School went on an 8-0 run spanning the first 90 seconds of the second half to take a 32-22 lead on a LaTorya Grimes layup with 18:30 left.

Apprentice School held a 10-point advantage on three occasions in the second half, but saw the Red Hawks cut it to down every time.  The last time came with 1:52 left as a West layup gave Apprentice School a 58-48 lead.  Indiana University NW rallied to within four on a Juliette Keller 3-pointer with 15 seconds left for a 60-56 lead.  Hamilton's two free throws with nine seconds left put the game away for Apprentice School.

Sharon Houston paced Indiana University NW (20-11) with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Kaplinski added 12 and Keller chipped in 11.

IU Northwest will play Philander Smith for 7th place, on March 6th at 1pm (Location: Fayette).

Men's Division I

Consolation

Game 10 (G10) - 8pm - 5th place

6) IU Northwest- 98

8) Marygrove- 97

Game 12 (G12) - 10pm - 7th place

7) Johnson & Wales- 65

5) Florida College- 55

Men's Division II

Consolation

Game 25 (G25) - 3pm

3) Andrews University- 67

7) Central Maine- 57

Game 24 (G24) - 6pm

9) Penn College- 99

8) Maine-Augusta- 83

Date: Day 2- March 5, 2009

Day two of the 2009 USCAA Basketball National Championships has a full slate of games at PSU-Fayette and PSU-Greater Allegheny.  Men's Division I will have two concelation games, each at one of the host sites.  Men's Division II has two quarterfinal contests and two concelation match-ups.  The Women's bracket is full of action, as there are four quarterfinal games and two concelation contests.

Location: PSU-Fayette

Women's

Game 5 (G5) - 1pm

8) UC Clermont- 69

1) Robert Morris College-Springfield- 60

8) UC Clermont upset 1) Robert Morris College-Springfield, as they advance to the USCAA Women's Final Four.  Rachel Brewer led the way for the Cogars, with a team-high 15 points.  Her teammate, Ashley Fletcher added 14 points and grabbed seven boards.  RMC-Springfields's Jasmine Mack posted 18 points to lead all scores.  UC Clermont advances to play Southern Virginia on March 6th at 6pm (Location: Fayette).  RMC-Springfield will play Philander Smith on March 6th at 9am (Location: Fayette). 

Game 7 (G7) - 3pm

6) PSU-Beaver- 59

3) Apprentice School- 58

(Release by Jim Heath)

The Apprentice School saw its 2009 U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Basketball National Championship dream snap on a 25-foot 3-point shot from Ashley Jenkins at the buzzer to lift sixth-seeded Penn State Beaver to a 59-58 victory over the Lady Builders.

Apprentice School (16-12) will now face tenth-seeded Indiana University Northwest at 1 pm on Friday in the fifth-place bracket in the 12-team tournament.  Penn State Beaver advances to face second-seeded Spalding University in a Friday semifinal.

The first half saw neither team hold more than a three-point advantage.  Penn State Beaver was up 22-19 with 1:47 left in the half on a Jasmine Green layup.  The Lady Builders closed the half scoring the last five points to take a 24-22 halftime lead on a Denise Hamilton jumper with 1:06 left.

In the second half, the Lady Lions opened the half scoring nine of the first 11 points to take a 31-26 advantage on a free throw from Laura Perkins at the 16:31 mark.  Apprentice School answered with a 13-2 run for a 39-33 lead on a Rahshann Lewter jumper with 10:57 left.  After the Lady Lions tied the game at 41-all on a Heather Sandusky tipin with 8:10 left, the teams were never separated by more than three points the rest of the game.

Sandusky's two free throws with 72 seconds left tied the game for the 11^th time at 54-all.  Apprentice School's LaTorya Grimes' jumper 20 seconds later gave the Lady Builders a 56-54 lead.  Penn State Beaver's Shelby Parks jumper in the lane tied the score at 56-all to set the stage for the final heroics.

Apprentice School held the ball until Valleri West snuck in behind the defense and caught a pass from Lewter for a short jumper to put the Lady Builders ahead 58-56 with 3.9 seconds left.  Following a pair of timeouts and a deflected pass, Green dribbled up and found Jenkins on the right wing where she turned and banked in the winning bucket at the buzzer.

Hamilton was the leading scorer for Apprentice School with 17 points while Lewter added 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds and West chipped in 13 points and 10 rebounds.  Green was the leading scorer for Penn State Beaver with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

PSU-Beaver advances to the Final Four and will face Spalding on March 6th at 3pm (Location: Fayette).

Consolation

Game 16 (G16) - 11am

9) Talladega- 89

12) PSU-Fayette- 35

Talladega jumped out to a quick start in the contest and never looked back.  Four players scored in double figures for the Lady Tornadoes.  Morgan Bennett led the way with a double-double (20points, 10 rebounds), while teammates Ebony Richards (16 points), Whitney Love (12 points) and Tamiko Rounds (11 points) each contributed.  Talladega shot 50 percent (37-of-74) for the game, while PSU-Fayette shot 28.3 percent (15-of-53) and committed 31 turnovers.  Talladega will play Briarcliffe for 9th place on March 7th at 11am (Location: Fayette).  PSU-Fayette will play Central Maine on March 7th at 9am (Location: Fayette).

Men's Division I  

Consolation

Game 8 (G8) - 6pm

8) Marygrove College-96

5) Florida College-94

Men's Division II

Game 18 (G18) - 8pm

2) PSU-Beaver- 85

7) Central Maine CC- 76

Consolation

Game 22 (G22) - 10pm

9) Penn College- 97

12) PSU-Fayette- 53

Location: PSU-Greater Allegheny

Women's

Game 6 (G6) - 1pm

4) Southern Virginia University- 65

5) Philander Smith College- 61

Game 8 (G8) - 3pm

2) Spalding University- 89

10) IU Northwest- 66

Consolation

Game 17 (G17) - 11am

7) Briarcliffe College- 57

11) Central Maine CC- 47

Men's Division I

Consolation

Game 9 (G9) - 6pm

6) IU Northwest- 103

7) Johnson & Wales- 100 Overtime

Men's Division II

Game 15 (G15) - 8pm

1) Williamson- 71

8) Maine-Augusta- 55

Consolation

Game 23 (G23) - 10pm

3) Andrews University-

5) PSU-Hazelton-

Date: Day 1- March 4, 2009

The 2009 USCAA Basketball National Championship Tournament tipped off today with a full slate of opening round games.  Four Men's Division I games, Four Men's Division II and Four Women's games will be played at two sites (PSU-Fayette and PSU-Greater Allegheny).

Location: PSU-Fayette

Women's

Game 1 (W1) - 11am

9)UC Clermont-81

8) Talladega College-76

The opening game of the tournament showcased an ideal 8 vs 9 battle.  Both squads came out firing after a tightly contested first half.  Talladega's leading scorer Nikole Ramos posted a game-hight 18.  She shot 5-for-9 (.556)  from behind the arch and kept the Tornado's close, but UC-Clermonts' depth was too much.  The Lady Cougars were led by Darleen Carroll, as she hit on 4-for-5 three point shots.  Carroll finished with 14 and was joined in double figures by teammates Shauneece Shipman (10 points) and Jordan Johnson (10 points).  UC Clermont advances to play top-seed Robert Morris College-Springfield, March 5 at 4pm (Location: PSU-Fayette).  Talladega will play the loser of 5) Philander Smith and 12) PSU-Fayette March 5 at 11am (Location: PSU-Fayette)

Game 2 (W2)

5) Philander Smith College-76

12) PSU-Fayette-52

Turnovers told the story of this game.  National Championship nerves and a long trip provided a slow start for both teams in the first half.  In the end Philander Smith took a commanding lead and defeated PSU-Fayette.  The Lady Panthers were assisted by 34 PSU-Fayette turnovers.  Sekenia Hicks poured in a game-high 19 points to lead her team to a second round game against Southern Virginia.  March 5th's 1pm game at Greater Allegheny is a rematch of last year's semifinal, in which Philander Smith was victorious.  PSU Fayette will play Talladega at 11am March 5th (Location: PSU-Fayette).

Men's Division I

Game 3 (G3) - 1pm

3) Rochester College-70

6) IU Northwest-57

The first game of Men's Division I competition pitted 3) Rochester College against 6) Indiana University Northwest. The game entered halftime tied at 28, but Rochester came out and took command quickly.  The Warriors shot 45.5 percent (20-of-44) from the field in the contest while the Redhawks shot 38.3 percent (23-of-60).  Rochester was led by a game-high 25 from Adrian Schaffer.  Jesse Howell led the Redhawks with 19.  Rochester advances to play the winner of 2) Oakwood and 7) Johnson & Wales, March 6th at 11am (Location: PSU-Fayette).  IU Northwest will play the loser of the Oakwood and Johnson & Wales contest March 5 at 6pm (Location: PSU Greater Allegheny).

Game 1 (G1) - 3pm

1) Talladega College-73

8) Marygrove College-49 

(Release by Tim Johnston)

The second game of Men's Division I competition saw 1) Talladega College take on 8) Marygrove College. The game remained close for much of the first half before a late Talladega run would put the Tornadoes up ten at the half, 36-26. As the second half began, the Torandoes took control of the game by forcing the Mustangs into bad shots.  The Tornadoes shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the field in the contest while the Mustangs shot a season low 28.3 percent (17-of-60).  Talladega was led by Romondo Banks and Jeral Davis (All-American) with 16 each.  Marygrove was paced by Marcus Hopkins with 16 of his own. Talladega advances to the semifinals and will square off against 4) Southern Virginia University, March 6th at 1pm (Location: PSU-Fayette).  Marygrove will face Florida College March 5th at 6pm (Location: PSU-Fayette).

Men's Division II

Game 14 (G14) - 8pm

7) Central Maine Community College - 76

10) PSU-Fayette - 52

7) Central Maine was paced by a game-high 26 points from point guard, Matt Sceviour.  Sceviour was joined by double-double's from All-American Tyler Smithgall (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Matt Lyons (11 points, 12 rebounds).  Johnathan Eicher kept it close with 16 points and 12 rebounds for PSU-Fayette, but the Mustangs were to much in the end.  Central Maine advances to play 2) PSU-Beaver March 5th at 8pm (Location: Greater Allegheny).  PSU-Fayette will play 9) Penn College March 5th at 10pm (Location: Fayette).

Game 16 (G16) - 10pm

4) Vermont Technical- 85

5) PSU-Hazelton- 71

Vermont Tech shot 63 percent (17-of-27) in the second half to pull away from PSU-Hazelton.  Vermont Tech was led by a 25 point performance from Sean Smith.  Honorable Mention All-American, Brett Ednie made the contest close with 26 points and 11 rebounds.  Vermont Tech advances to face the winner of 1) Williamson and 8) Maine-Augusta on March 6th at 8pm (Location: Fayette).  PSU Hazelton will play Andrews March 5th at 10pm (Location: Greater Allegheny).

Location: PSU-Greater Allegheny

Game 3 (W3) - 11am

6) PSU-Beaver-79

11) Central Maine Community College-53

6) PSU-Beaver controled the entire game, as they down 11) Central Maine in the opening round of the USCAA Women's Basketball National Championship.  PSU-Beaver was led by Honorable Mention All-Americans, Heather Sandusky and Jasmine Green.  Sandusky and Green had 18 points respectively.  Tiffany Seams paced CMCC with 17 points.  PSU-Beaver advances to play Apprentice School on March 5th at 3pm (Location: Fayette).

Game 4 (W4) - 1pm

10) IU Northwest- 78

7) Briarcliffe- 62

All-American, Sharon Houston was two blocks shy of a triple-double, as she led 10) IU-Northwest past 7) Briarcliffe.  She recorded game-highs with 32 points, 19 rebounds and eight blocks.  All-American, Leana Virgo led Briarcliffe with 12 points.  IU-Northwest will play Spalding March 5th at 3pm (Location: Greater Allegheny).  Briarcliffe will play Central Maine March 5th at 11am (Location: Greater Allegheny).

Game 2 (G2) - 3pm

4) Southern Virginia University- 79

5) Florida College- 72

4) Southern Virginia advanced to the Division I Final Four after defeating 5) Florida College.  Ade Swann led all scorers, with 29 points.  Teammates Corey Evans posted 14 points and Bryce Pendleton added 11 points.  Florida College was led by Jesse Hastings (22 points) and Stanley Kelley (18 points).  Southern Virginia is set to play 1) Talladega on March 6th at 1pm (Location: Fayette).  Florida College plays Marygrove March 5th at 6pm (Location: Fayette).

Game 4 (G4) - 6pm

2) Oakwood- 74

7) Johnson & Wales- 56

Game 13 (G13) - 8pm

8) University of Maine-Augusta- 69

9) Penn College- 64

Game 17 (G17) - 10pm

6) UC Clermont- 52

3) Andrews University- 51