LACEY LOWDOWN

A career high points haul from Callum McRae highlights the latest news on Kiwi men playing NCAA Division I basketball

The freshman centre recorded his second career double-double posting a career high 16 points to accompany 10 rebounds in his latest outing for the University of California Riverside . Despite the efforts of the former Palmerston North Boys High standout the Highlanders fell 71-67 in overtime to Long Beach State in Big West Conference action.

McRae is having a fine debut season averaging 7 points and 4 rebounds per game. Impressively he has averaged 10 points and 5.6 rebounds since claiming a starting spot ten games ago.

A perfect shooting game from Yanni Wetzell couldn’t prevent Vanderbilt University Commodores falling to its fourteenth straight Southeastern Conference defeat at the hands of Alabama University (68-61). The former Westlake forward compiled ten points on 4 from 4 shooting from the floor plus 2 from 2 free throws – he also totalled 8 rebounds.

Jackson Stent scored 9 points (3/5FG, 3/4FT) as Houston Baptist University Huskies suffered an agonising 119-113 double overtime loss at Sam Houston State. The Huskies are 6-8 in Southland Conference play with four regular season games to play.

Izayah Le’afa scored 8 points as Sacramento State Hornets defeated Weber State 78-76 in a come from behind victory. Sacramento State only led for 2:49 in the game as they secured a sixth Big Sky Conference victory.

Miami University Hurricanes secured its fourth Atlantic Coast Conference win of the campaign defeating Georgia Tech 80-65. Sam Waardenburg scored 7 points and was also a defensive pest snatching a pair of steals and also blocking 2 shots.

Six points (3/4FG) from Matt Freeman helped Oklahoma University Sooners beat Texas 69-67 in an exciting contest. The win also kept the Sooners outside chance of making the NCAA Tournament alive – currently they are 5-9 in conference play and 17-10 overall for the season.

Mary Goulding put together her seventh double-double of the season as Fordham University Rams beat Davidson University 58-42. The Rangiora native had 11 points and 11 rebounds as well as dishing 5 assists. Kendell Heremaia also threatened a double-D totaling 7 points and 9 rebounds. The third Kiwi Zara Jillings produced just 2 points but did snare 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

Fordham followed that with a sixth straight win at St Bonaventure (53-44) – the Rams are 10-3 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. Goulding led all scorers with 14 points to go with 7 rebounds and Heremaia posted 8 points and 6 boards.

It was unlucky thirteen for Krystal Leger-Walker and the Northern Colorado University Bears. She strung together 13 points (6/11FG), 4 assists and a pair of steals for the Bears but they were beaten 76-72 by Eastern Washington Eagles.

Two days later Leger-Walker played all 40 minutes as the Bears beat Idaho 77-72 and are now 11-4 in Big Sky Conference play. 10 points (3/7FG) and 5 assists from the Waikato native helped NCU record its bounce back win.

Michelle Nicholls scored 10 points as La Salle University Explorers (1-12 in conference play) were pipped 64-63 by St Joseph’s in a game that featured 15 ties and 16 lead changes. Nicholls also dished 4 assists, that’s 20 dimes in the last five games.

Freshman Aimee Book, who has started the last five games, had 12 points and 7 rebounds in a 73-64 loss against California State University Northridge Aimee scored all her points from beyond the three-point arc making 4 from 7 threes. Six losses on the bounce see the Titans slip to 3-7 in the Big West Conference.

Joellen How scored 11 points as Wagner College Seahawks beat Central Connecticut State 70-62 to pick up its fourth straight win (the last time they won five consecutive games as in 1998). How was highly efficient making four from 5 shots including 3 from 4 threes in just 12 minutes of court time.

A steal and a pair of free throws inside the final six seconds earned Tulane University Green Wave an exciting 61-59 win against the University of Central Florida, the No 2 team in the American Athletic Conference. Kayla Manuirirangi played her part in the win with 8 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists in 26 minutes of action

Amy West pulled down a career high 6 rebounds, including 3 offensive boards, in just 10 minutes of play as Liberty University Flames fired past Lipscomb 74-60. The Palmerston North native also scored a couple of points as the Flames moved to 6-5 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Freshman forward Esra McGoldrick knocked down her first career three for North Carolina State but the Wolfpack suffered just its third defeat of the season going down 95-72 to No 5 ranked Notre Dame.

Both Akiene-Tera Reed (Virginia Commonwealth) and Shalae Salmon (Brigham Young) have been sidelined in the past week due to injuries.

A career high in points (23) and assists (7) from Michelle Nicholls propelled La Salle University Explorers to a 77-71 win against Rhode Island – it’s first Atlantic-10 Conference win of the season.

Her 23 points, on 7 from 11 shooting, are the most points scored by an Explorer this season and helped end a run of eleven straight losses dating back to mid-December.

At the other end of the A-10 Conference table Virginia Commonwealth University Rams moved to 10-1, its best conference start in programme history. Akiene-Tera Reed’s 9 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists helped VCU to a 58-37 win against Richmond.

Also chugging along nicely in the A-10 behind VCU are Fordham University – four straight wins moves them to 8-3 in conference play. Its latest successes were home wins against George Mason and St Louis with Mary Goulding and Kendell Heremaia prominent.

Goulding put together a destructive 12 points and 13 rebounds – her sixth double-double of the season against St Louis and followed that with a career high 19 points against George Mason. Kendell Heremaia totaled 13 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 assists and a block across the two fixtures.

Amiee Book was another in double-double mode – the freshman guard added a career high 11 rebounds to 10 points for Cal State Fullerton Titans. It was Book’s first double-double in college basketball but unfortunately the Titans were trumped 62-59 on the road by UC Riverside.

Book followed that with 13 points, 5 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block against UC Irvine but the Titans were outscored 23-7 in the final quarter eventually going down 65-61. Three losses on the bounce for the Titans (3-6 in the Big West Conference) in February but all by single figure margins.

Kayla Mauirirangi dropped 11 points for Tulane University but the Green Wave suffered a third straight loss, rolled 72-67 by Tulsa. Tulane have a 4-6 record in the American Athletic Conference.

There was little in the way of startling numbers from the Kiwi men playing Division I hoops this week.

The short-handed University of Miami Hurricanes snapped a five game losing streak beating Notre Dame 62-47. They came close to making it two wins on the bounce but fell 88-85 in overtime to No 8 ranked North Carolina with Sam Waardenburg scoring 8 points on 3 from 3 shooting – landing both efforts from beyond the arc.

In a high octane encounter between the number two and three ranked NCAA Division I college teams it was Duke University that prevailed beating Virginia University Cavaliers 81-71. Jack Salt produced 6 points and two’s in rebounds, assists and steals as Virginia slip to 8-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (20-2 overall).

Another starting centre with 6 points was Callum McRae. The former Palmerston North Boys High big man also added 4 rebounds as University of California Riverside lost 77-54 at home to UC Santa Barbara.

Also on the losing side was Izayah Le’afa as Sacramento State Hornets were stung 65-59 at Northern Colorado. Le’afa collected 5 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals as the Hornets fall to 1-5 against Big Sky Conference opponents.

Sam Timmins scored with his only two shots but Washington University Huskies lost its unbeaten Pac 12 Conference record after a 75-63 loss at Arizona State and Yanni Wetzel also scored 4 points as Vanderbilt University, still looking for its first Southeastern Conference win, lost 77-67 at Alabama.

Tegan Graham

Wellingtonian guard Tegan Graham was one point shy of equalling her career best, scoring 17 points (7/14FG, 3/5 3PG), as she paced Colgate University Raiders to a 70-58 victory over Army at West Point. Graham was in fine form adding a trio of steals and assists plus a block. The Raiders are 4-4 in the Patriot League.

Akiene-Tera Reed scored a game high 18 points (5/11FG, 7/8FT) as Virginia Commonwealth Rams comfortably accounted for St Joseph’s 65-47. She also added 4 rebounds at VCU moved to 8-1 at the head of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Kendell Heremaia dropped a career high 4 triples (made from 9 attempts) on her way to 14 points and 6 rebounds as Fordham University Rams improved to 6-3 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, fourth on the table behind VCU, with a 57-46 win against Duquesne. Mary Goulding filled the stats line with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.

Shalae Salmon scored 13 points (6/12FG) but BYU, after starting West Coast Conference play with nine straight wins, slipped to a 79-65 defeat at Pepperdine. The starting centre also garnered 6 rebounds.

Amiee Book made her third start of the season for Cal State Fullerton Titans in their 59-53 loss to Log Beach State. The former Canterbury Wildcat scored 12 points (4/10FG), 4 rebounds and 2 assists – her 12^thdouble digit return of the season. The Titans slip to 3-4 in the Big West Conference.

It seems a common theme when talking about Krystal Leger-Walker as she once again stuffed the stats sheet as Northern Colorado Bears won 84-73 at Idaho State. The Waikato guard finished with 10 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals as the Bears moved to 9-2 in the Big Sky Conference.

Former Palmerston North Girls High forward Amy West scored a season best 6 points plus 4 rebounds as Liberty University Flames put the Lipscomb fire out winning 77-60. The Flames are 4-3 in the ASUN Conference.

Katelin Noyer has returned to action for Fresno State after undergoing foot surgery prior to the start of the season. She played 4 minutes for the Bulldogs against Wyoming in her comeback game and was then given a start at New Mexico where the Bulldogs went down 82-73. In front of 6,000 fans Noyer scored a couple of points and secured a pair of rebounds in 16 minutes as Fresno State slip to 6-3 in the Mountain West Conference.

Two North Shore boys Sam Waardenburg and Jack Salt squared off at the Paul Jones Arena, home of the University of Virginia Cavaliers, on Sunday (NZ Time).

It was Salt and the Cavaliers that eventually prevailed 56-46 but the University of Miami Hurricanes were far from blown away by their Atlantic Coast Conference rivals in a low scoring encounter.

Former Rangitoto College standout Waardenburg (10 points) reached double figures for the fifth time this season on 4 from 9 shooting. In 36 minutes of action, the most minutes he has played in a conference game, the sophomore forward also added 3 rebounds a steal and a block.

Salt, in his final year at the No 3 ranked Virginia, was his usual rock solid self on defense picking up a season high 9 rebounds to accompany 7 points (3/5FG).

Next up for Virginia (8-1 in conference play and 20-1 overall) is the mouth-watering prospect of entertaining Duke ranked No 1 or No 2 depending on which polls you view. Duke prevailed 72-70 when the teams last met – the game is scheduled for next Sunday (NZT).

In other news former Palmerston North Boys High standout Callum McRae was one of few bright lights for University of California Riverside as they were smacked 71-45 by Cal Poly. The freshman centre had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks, recording his fifth consecutive game in double figures.

Sacramento State Hornets are 6-4 in the Big Sky Conference after a convincing 74-58 win at Idaho State. Izayah Le’afa led the Hornets scoring effort with a season high 16 points on 6 from 10 shooting including 4 from 7 from beyond the arc.

Another former Tall Black Sam Timmins produced 9 points (3/5FG), 6 rebounds and 3 blocks as the University of Washington Huskies (9-0) remain unbeaten in the Pac 12 Conference after a 69-55 home victory against UCLA.

Krystal Leger Walker

The three Kiwis at Fordham University all played a part as the Rams went 1-1 last week (4-3 in the Atlantic 10 Conference). Kendell Heremaia was close to a double-double in the 56-38 win against Rhode Island, she had 10 points, 9 boards and added 4 steals for good measure – Mary Goulding chipped in with 7 points and 6 rebounds.

On Sunday Fordham were beaten 60-56 by Davidson University despite a mercurial effort from Goulding who hauled in 15 rebounds to accompany 16 points – a game high in both categories.

Zara Jillings went quietly about her work with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists across the two games.

Also, in Atlantic-10 action Michelle Nicholls had 10 points and 5 rebounds but La Salle University suffered a narrow 66-62 loss to Duquesne.

The third women’s team with Kiwi representation in the Atlantic-10 are top of the table Virginia Commonwealth (6-1) who produced almost identical score lines for a win against St Louis (57-47) and a loss at George Washington (57-48). Akiene-Tera Reed had 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 dimes and 3 steals in the defeat but didn’t play in the win against St Louis due to injury.

Krystal Leger-Walker was her usual busy self as Northern Colorado Bears recorded wins against Southern Utah (71-44) and Northern Arizona (63-53). Across the two games L-W totalled 18 points, 14 rebounds and a team high 14 assists – she leads the Big Sky Conference with 109 dimes at 5.7 per game and is top-20 in all Division I basketball. The Bears are top of the conference table with an 8-2 record.

BYU stretched its winning run to 11 games (9 in conference games) with a 65-56 defeat of San Diego. Starting centre Shalae Salmon produced 8 points, 6 rebounds and a block for the Cougars.

Joellen How

Taranaki guard Joellen How scored a career high 11 points but it wasn’t enough to prevent Wagner College Seahawks going down 69-46 to Robert Morris University. The Seahawks are 3-4 in Northeast conference play.

Tegan Graham scored 10 points and dished a season equaling high 4 assists but Colgate University fell 86-58 to Lehigh. The Raiders are 4-4 in the Patriot League.

Amiee Book pulled down a career high 8 rebounds but Cal State Fullerton were humbled 75-39 by UC Davis and slip to 3-2 in Big West Conference play.

Sam Waardenburg scored an Atlantic Coast Conference career best 13 points but the University of Miami went down 78-66 against No 23 Florida State on Sunday. Sam was perfect from the floor making all four of his shots including two from beyond the arc. The Hurricanes slip to 1-6 in conference games.

Freshman Callum McRae recorded the first double-double of his college career posting 10 points and 10 rebounds as UC Riverside lost 82-64 at UC Irvine. The Highlanders are 2-4 in the Big West Conference.

St Mary’s Gaels had a couple of tough road losses going down 71-66 at BYU and 84-77 in overtime at Pepperdine. Dan Fotu had 10 points and 6 rebounds against BYU making a couple of triples in the process.

University of Washington Huskies are travelling well in the Pac-12 Conference, the Huskies unbeaten in seven games after road wins against Oregon (61-56) and Oregon State 79-69. Sam Timmins had 7 points in the first game and 2 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks against Oregon State.

Jack Salt claimed a team high 8 boards to accompany 7 points (3/5FG) as No 3 Virginia eased past Wake Forest 68-45 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and then accounted for the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame 82-55.

A 12-day break in the Cal State University Fullerton programme didn’t harm Amiee Book’s fine freshman form as she posted a career high 18 points in the 75-51 loss at UC Davis and followed that with 15 points in the 78-64 victory against Cal Poly.

The former Tasman and Canterbury representative went 12 from 19 from the field across the two games including 6 from 9 (67%) from beyond the arc. Amiee is shooting a highly impressive 50% (29/58) from three-point land overall this season. CSUF are 2-1 early in their Big West Conference programme.

With 2 assists in the 60-56 win against Idaho State Krystal Leger-Walker moved into the top five in Northern Colorado Bears programme history. She has 325 career assist to her name and as we are only just over half-way through L-W’s junior season that total is likely to be extended considerably.

Krystal added 11 points as the Bears moved to second place on the Big Sky Conference ladder.

A fine all-court game from Michelle Nicholls didn’t prevent La Salle University Explorers from slipping to a fifth straight Atlantic-10 defeat going down 60-57 against St Joseph’s. Nicholls had a career high 3 blocks plus 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

Still in the Atlantic-10 it’s a different story for Akiene-Tera Reed and Virginia Commonwealth. The Rams extended their winning run to seven games, the last five all conference games, after slamming Rhode Island 74-39. Reed tied a career high four three-pointers as she scored a team high 16 points along with 5 rebounds. Reid has scored double figures in seven of the last eight games for the Rams.

Also unbeaten in conference play are BYU as they registered an eighth victory on the bounce in West Coast Conference play coming back from a 16 points deficit to beat Portland 79-71. Shalae Salmon (2 points) was active at the defensive end executing 3 blocks in addition to grabbing 3 rebounds.

After a 3-0 start in conference fixtures Fordham University Rams have suffered two straight losses. The latest defeat was a 72-50 mauling at Dayton where Kendell Heremaia posted 9 points and 4 rebounds and Mary Goulding came up with 6 boards, 2 steals and 7 points.

Callum McRae got his first conference start of the season for University of California Riverside and rewarded the Highlanders coaching personnel with a team high 13 points on a perfect 6 from 6 shooting in the 69-61 loss at Cal State Fullerton.

That performance led to a second start a couple of days later and on that occasion the Highlanders (1-3) secured its first Big West Conference victory with a 75-71 home win against Hawaii. Once again the former Palmerston North Boys High big man was highly efficient scoring 12 points (6 from 8 shooting) to go with 5 rebounds.

In the eagerly awaited clash between the No1 ranked Duke University Blue Devils and University of Virginia Cavaliers it was the Blue Devils that prevailed on their home court 72-70. Jack Salt added 5 points to 4 rebounds in 26 minutes as Virginia (16-1) suffered its first loss of the season.

Jackson Stent scored 8 points (2/5FG, 4/4FT) but Houston Baptist came unstuck against Sam Houston State University going down 71-65 and now sit 1-4 in the Southland Conference.

Yanni Wetzell came up with 7 points and 4 rebounds but Vanderbilt University Commodores slipped to a fifth straight loss in Southeastern Conference play with a 71-55 home loss to No 22 Mississippi State.

Sam Timmins produced 6 points, 4 rebounds and a pair of blocks and steals as Washington University Huskies beat Stanford 80-64. Washington are unbeaten with five straight wins in the Pac-12 Conference.

Yuat Alok, the former Rangitoto College forward, has suffered a season ending hand injury. In addition, Alok has moved to Central Florida University from Texas Christian with immediate effect.