BEREA, OHIO -- Senior center Andrew Bene (Hinckley/ Medina Highland) scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds as the Baldwin-Wallace College men's basketball team defeated Thomas More (Ky.) College, 69-66, tonight (Saturday, December 27, 2008) in a first round tournament game at the Otterbein College 'O' Club Classic in the Rike Center in Westerville.
In addition to Bene, who tallied his sixth double-double of the season, senior two-time Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference guard Dennis Santiago (Brook Park/ Middleburg Heights Midpark) had 14 points and junior All-OAC forward Kyle Brown (Strongsville) had 12. Thomas More was led by senior forward Mark Tinklenberg with 14 points and sophomore point guard Kurt Bovard and sophomore guard Eddie Brown had 11.
With its win, B-W improves to 3-7 overall and plays North Central (Ill.) College, a 73-56 winner versus host Otterbein, in the championship game tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. With its loss, Thomas More is now 5-4 overall and plays Otterbein in the consolation game at 3:00 p.m.
In the first half, the Yellow Jackets jumped out to an 8-2 lead at the 16:43 mark when junior All-Ohio Athletic Conference forward Brown made a jump shot in the lane. The Saints then went on a 9-0 run to take an 11-8 lead at the 14:44 mark when senior guard Matty Owens hit a three-pointer. Thomas More would extend its lead to four points at 16-12 with 10:46 left when senior guard Daniel Ellis made a three-pointer. The Yellow Jackets went on a 5-0 run to take a 17-16 lead at the 9:31 mark when senior center Bene made a jumper. Thomas More then outscored the Yellow Jackets 10-4 to build its lead to five points at 26-21 with 2:46 left when Bovard made a three-pointer. Following a rebound basket by junior guard Louis Tumblin (Elyria/ Senior), the Saints built their largest lead of the half at 29-23 when Tinklenberg made a three-pointer at the buzzer.
In the second half, the Yellow Jackets clopsed to within 29-25 with 19:09 left when Bene made a layup. The Saints went on a 9-4 run to lead 38-29 with 16:43 left when Kurt Bovard made two free throws. The Yellow Jackets countered with a 13-4 run to tie the game at 42-42 when junior forward Paul Glass (Medina/ Senior) made a jump shot at 12:03.
The tie was short-lived as Thomas More went on a 7-2 run to lead 49-44 with 10:28 left when Tinklenberg made two foul shots. B-W then went on a 6-0 run to take its first lead of the second half at 50-49 with 8:31 left when sopohomore guard Zane Meeder (Erie, Pa./ Fairview) made a layup.
Undaunted, Thomas More went on a 14-4 run two rebuild its lead to back to nine points at 63-54 with 4:29 left when junior guard Romell Salone made two free throws. B-W countered with its own 13-3 run two retake the lead at 67-66 with :23.8 left when Santiago (Brook Park/ Middleburg Heights Midpark) picked up a loose ball and drove the length of the floor and made a layup. Following a missed Saint shot, Glass gathered the rebound, was fouled and made both free throws to give BW a 69-66 lead with :6.4 left. Thomas More had one last chance to tie, but an Ellis three-pointer was off the mark.
Following play at Otterbein, the Yellow Jackets return to Ohio Athletic Conference action on Wednesday, January 7, 2009 when it returns to Westerville to play Otterbein in an Ohio Athletic Conference game at 7:30 p.m.
Media and fans are reminded that they can listen to almost every B-W men's and women's basketball games LIVE on campus radio station WBW, 88.3 FM, and via the WBW Internet web site at www.wBW.com.
Media and fans are reminded that two more B-W men's basketball games will be televised by SportsTime Ohio (www.sportstimeohio.com). They are the January 17, 2009 home game versus Muskingum College at 3:00 p.m. and its February 18 contest at cross-town rival John Carroll University at 7:30 p.m.
FOR MORE 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 Duane Sheldon, please call 440-826-2115 or e-mail at dsheldon@bw.edu. You can get all of the latest BW athletics information by visiting our Web site at www.bw.edu/athletics.
