February 8, 2001
By Gary Rubin
Keene State wins battle of Little East powers
The two top teams in the Little East Conference faced off last Saturday night with the league lead on the line. Keene State ran away from the Massachusetts-Dartmouth 100-81 and now owns first place by a full game. It was the second defeat of the season for the Corsairs (18-2), who dropped a game behind Keene State in the conference standings.
Despite its loss on Saturday, which snapped its 13-game win streak, UMD is still ranked in the Division III Top 20. The game was a matchup of the top two offenses in the LEC, with Keene State at 87.7 and UMD at 85, and the top defense in the league (UMD, 68.8). Dartmouth head coach Brian Baptiste is in his 17th with the Corsairs and started the year with a career record of 320-109 at the school. Baptiste's teams have earned a reputation as among the best Division III teams in the nation, qualifying for post-season play in 13 seasons, including 10 NCAA Division III tournament appearances. Under Baptiste's guidance, the Corsairs have captured 10 LEC regular season and nine post-season playoff championships in the LEC's 11-year history.
Hobart rises in the East
The Hobart College basketball program has made a complete turnaround this season after finishing last year with an 11-14 record. Despite splitting a pair of games last weekend, the Statesman are ranked No. 1 in the East region for the first time in school history. Head coach Rich Roche's team have four players averaging double figures and own a victory over conference powerhouse Hamilton, their first win against the Continentals since 1988. The Statesman, 13-5 overall and 8-1 in Upstate Collegiate Athletic Conference action, were ranked ninth last week and could move up in this week's poll.
Ohio Northern continues Top 20 climb
The fourth-ranked Ohio Northern men's basketball team clinched at least a share of the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season championship and the top seed in the OAC Tournament with a 74-59 victory at Baldwin-Wallace Saturday afternoon.
Head coach Joe Campoli's Polar Bears (17-2 overall, 13-1 OAC) have a four-game lead over Baldwin-Wallace, Capital and Mount Union with four regular season games remaining to play. Campoli has his sights set on moving up in the Division III poll and making a run for another Division III national crown.
The long-time former ONU assistant coach, Campoli became only the second coach in NCAA Division III history to win the national title in his first season eight years ago. Campoli was voted every coaching award possible that magical season: Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Ohio College Coach of the Year, Great Lakes District Coach of the Year, and the National Coach of the Year. He was also the OAC Coach of the Year in 1994-95 and 1998-99. His overall record currently stands at 179-58 in his eight seasons at the helm of the Polar Bear basketball program.
Victory stands for Kalamazoo
In case anyone hadn't heard yet, Kalamazoo College is again the winner of the Jan. 20, 2001 basketball game against Olivet College that was disputed after a last-second shot and replay by an official. After 13 days of deliberation, Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association commissioner Sheila Wallace-Kovalchik announced last week that the protest by Olivet should not have even been considered according to NCAA rules, and the decision by the officials to award Kalamazoo a 71-70 victory will stand. The NCAA does not recognize protests in men's or women's basketball. When game officials leave the arena, the contest is considered complete and cannot be protested. Therefore, when the officials left the arena with Kalamazoo winning 71-70, the contest was complete and could not be protested.
