ORLANDO, Fla. – The Baldwin Wallace University men's team won the RDV Sportsplex D3 Classic as it defeated host Hope (Mich.) College by a final score of 79-71 in the RDV Sportsplex Athletic Club.
BW (8-2), who was 2-0 in the classic, had four players score in double figures led by junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC guard Jay Battle (Gahanna/Lincoln) as he scored 18 points. Sophomore guard Michael Quiring (Brunswick) poured in 16 points while senior All-OAC guard Cam Kuhn (Vermilion) added 15 points. Senior forward Mike Kaminski (Medina) contributed 11 points. Senior All-OAC forward Jake Fetherolf (Norwalk) grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
With his 15 points, Kuhn moved into ninth on the all-time scoring list with 1,560 points and now needs 68 points to pass Shelley Walters (1978-82) in eighth place with 1,627 points.
Hope (4-5), who went 1-1 during the classic, had three players score in double digits led by senior guard Dante Hawkins as he scored a game-high 25 points. Junior guard Jason Beckman poured in 20 points while freshman center Preston Granger added 13 points.
The Yellow Jackets opened the game on an 10-4 run when Quiring scored on a layup at the 16:23 mark. The Flying Dutchmen responded with a 7-0 run to take an 13-10 lead on a three-pointer by Granger at 13:27. BW fought back with a 6-2 run to regain a 16-15 advantage on a layup by sophomore forward Tyler Colombo (Strasburg/Tuscarawas Central Catholic) at the 10:49 mark. Hope came right back with a 7-2 run to take a 22-18 lead on a layup by junior center Rob McGivney at 8:44. The Yellow Jackets answered with a 6-3 run to cut the lead down to 25-24 when Battle hit a pair of free throws at the 7:37 mark. The Flying Dutchmen 8-3 run to extend their lead to 33-27 on a dunk by Preston at 4:13. BW responded with a 5-0 run to cut the lead down to 33-32 when Kuhn split a pair of free throws with 42 seconds remaining. Hope closed out the first half scoring when junior forward Teddy Ray hit a pair from the charity stripe with 33 seconds left to lead 35-32 at halftime.
The Yellow Jackets opened the second half on an 8-0 run to take a 40-35 lead when Battle knocked down a trey at the 17:25 mark. The Flying Dutchmen responded with a 7-3 run to cut the lead down to 43-42 when Beckman hit a pair of free throws at 15:28. BW came right back with a 5-2 to take a 48-44 lead when junior guard Kyle Nader (Vermilion) buried a three-pointer at the 13:41 mark. Hope fought back with a 4-3 run to cut the lead down to 51-48 on a jumper by junior guard Jeff Goral at 12:08. The Yellow Jackets responded with an 8-1 run to take a 59-49 lead when Kaminski hit a pair of free throws at the 8:33 mark. The Flying Dutchmen cut the lead down to 67-65 when Beckman scored on a layup at 1:47. BW pushed the lead to 71-65 when Battle spilt a pair of free throws with 41 seconds remaining. Hope cut the lead down 73-71 with 22 seconds left in regulation when junior forward Dennis Towns scored on a layup. The Yellow Jackets closed out the game on a 6-0 run all coming from the foul line to secure the win.
BW returns to the friendly confines of the Ursprung Gymnasium for just its second home game of the season when it hosts Bethany (W. Va.) College on Friday, December 29 at 6 p.m. Fans can follow all of the action via live stats at http://www.bwyellowjackets.com/x/a94wt or watch live at http://www.bwyellowjackets.com/x/4l26r.
