OMAHA, Neb. – Mississippi State took the lead on Wes Rea’s two-run double in the eighth inning, closer Jonathan Holder turned back two Oregon State threats, and the Bulldogs beat the Beavers 5-4 on Saturday in the openingFORT WAYNE – A big second half led Bethel College to a 89-73 victory over Saint Francis, ejecting the Cougars from the Crossroads League tournament Wednesday.
The Cougars (18-13) led 43-42 and seemed poised to knock off third-seeded Bethel (22-9) at the Pilots’ place for the second time, but Bethel blew them out 47-30 in the second half at Mishawaka.
Kevin Bloom scored 21 points, Josh Hogan 18 and Brad Sneary 10 to lead Saint Francis, which shot just .357 (10 of 28) in the second half.
Men
HUNTINGTON 81, INDIANA WESLEYAN 69: At Marion, the eighth-seeded Foresters (17-14) stunned top-seeded Wesleyan (25-6) in the Crossroads League tournament behind Shane Merryman’s 28 points.
Merryman made 11 of 18 shots. TJ Short added 16 points and Colin Featherston 12 as Huntington shot .536 (30 of 56).
A 12-0 run for the Foresters in the first half helped send them to halftime with a 39-25 lead, and Wesleyan never recovered.
EVANSVILLE 79, ILLINOIS STATE 62: In Evansville, Colt Ryan poured in 31 points to lead Evansville.
Ned Cox added 16 points for the Purple Aces (15-13, 8-8 Missouri Valley), who never trailed, jumping out to an 11-2 lead en route to a 42-33 halftime advantage.
Tyler Brown scored 21 points for Illinois State (16-12, 7-9).
Women
SIENA HEIGHTS 78, INDIANA TECH 59: Rachael Kruse scored 24 points but it wasn’t enough as No. 21 Siena Heights (23-8) ousted Tech (13-18) in the first round of the WHAC tournament in Adrian, Mich.
Chelsea Carradine added 12 points and 11 rebounds and Ulyssia Richmond 12 for Tech, which shot .303 (20 of 66) and made just 9 of 33 shots in the second half.
BALL STATE 56, EASTERN MICHIGAN 34: The Cardinals (12-13, 9-3 MAC) buried Eastern 43-19 in the second half in Muncie. Ball State had four in double figures, led by freshman Nathalie Fontaine (16 points, 12 rebounds), Shelbie Justice (11 points), Katie Murphy (10 points, 15 rebounds) and Brandy Woody (10 points).
CALVIN 83, TRINE 48: A dismal start in Grand Rapids, Mich., against No. 3 Calvin ended the Thunder’s season in the MIAA tournament.
Calvin jumped out to a 13-0 lead and led 40-11 at the break as Trine made just 3 of 32 shots in the opening half. The Thunder was 1 of 10 from three-point range.
Kelsey Henselmeier led the Thunder with 14 points and senior Megan Loveberry added 10 points and six rebounds.
