February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The Wildcats then traveled to Missouri, where they once again overcame a halftime deficit to knock Southwest Missouri State out of the event by an 82-71 score. Davidson set a school record for successful 3-point attempts with 15. The hot outside shooting prompted Grace, a 6-foot-8 forward who plays down low, to limit his shot selection and he tried just one field goal attempt, which he hit for 2 points. He also had 5 rebounds. Davidson (23-8) now takes on Maryland (17-12) Wednesday night in a 7 p.m. tipoff at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md.
Winthrop and Jason Killeen now get to wait until next year. The Eagles were defeated by Gonzaga, 74-64, in a first-round NCAA Tournament game that was closer than the score indicates. Killeen, a 6-10 center from Limerick, didn’t play as Winthrop’s 18-game winning streak came to an end. The Eagles will return all but one player (a guard) next year, which could mean another year of limited playing time for Killeen.
GOLF
Bethune-Cookman’s Maria Dunne won medallist honors in the women’s division of the North-South Invitational, played at Jacksonville Beach Golf Club in Jacksonville, Fla. The junior from Skerries, Co. Dublin, finished 7 over par at 151 (75-76) for the 36-hole event, one stroke better than teammate Fiona Brunton. Dunne’s 76 was the low score for the second round. Bethune-Cookman won the team trophy by 12 strokes over Longwood.
Bethune-Cookman’s Thomas Kearney earned a piece of fourth place in the men’s division of the North-South. The sophomore from County Donegal was 2 under par at 142 (69-73) for the 36-hole event. He was six strokes behind the medallist, Murray State’s Michael Craft.
To call Kenneth Fahey’s senior season to date a disappointment would be a huge understatement. The Rhode Island senior from Clifden, Co. Galway, finished just behind Bill Haas in last year’s NCAA East Regional; Haas has since turned pro and made two cuts on this year’s PGA Tour, with earnings in excess of $92,000. Fahey, meanwhile, has rarely come close to breaking par. But whatever was bedeviling him eased up and he finished second in the El Diablo Intercollegiate at the El Diablo Golf and Country Club in Citrus Springs, Fla. He carded a 4-over-par 220 (76-70-74), bettered only by teammate Jay Pannone, who came in at 219. The Rams finished fifth among 19 teams, with Oklahoma City leading the pack.
“Kenny asked to play as an individual this weekend because he didn’t think his game was up to par and wanted to work on it under competition,” said Tom Drennan, Rhode Island’s golf coach. “It turns out it was way up to par. We’re very happy that Kenny is back to his old self again.”
Pfeiffer’s Nikki Taggart grabbed a part of fourth place in the Lady Falcon Invitational at Old North State Club in Badin, N.C. The freshman from Belfast shot 162 (82-80) to finish five strokes in back of Catawba’s Paige Haverty, the medallist. North Carolina State’s Dawn-Marie Conaty, a freshman from Dublin, shot 165 (85-80) for a share of ninth place.
East Tennessee State’s Cian McNamara tied for 14th place in the Gen. Jim Hackler Invitational at the TPC of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. McNamara, a freshman from Limerick, finished 9 over par at 225 (73-75-77), which was 11 strokes behind the medallist, teammate Rhys Davies. Also on course for the Buccaneers were Gareth Shaw, a freshman from Lisburn, Co. Antrim, who placed 56th at 242 (78-79-85), and Noel Kavanagh, a junior from Westport, Co. Mayo, who was 59th at 245 (77-87-81). ETSU finished seventh in the 12-team tournament, which was led by Coastal Carolina.
Southeastern Louisiana’s Peter O’Keeffe, a freshman from Cork, shared 35th place in the Carter Plantation Intercollegiate at Carter Plantation in Springfield, La. His 236 (80-77-79) was 20 over par and 19 shots behind the low man, Tim Kunick from Louisiana-Monroe. Southeastern took second place behind Monroe in the team scramble.
High Point’s Jenna Kinnear tied for 51st place as her team took top honors in the NIU Invitational at Springlake Golf Club in Sebring, Fla. The Belfast sophomore carded an 18-over-par 162 (82-80), which was 16 strokes higher than Creighton’s Leigh Sutton, the low individual.
TENNIS
Emma Murphy was perfect in holding down the first singles slot for San Diego last week. The Cork junior won three matches, beginning with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Yale’s Reshmi Srinath. Murphy and Lauren Perl also came through at second doubles, defeating Olivia Nix and Stephanie White, 9-8 (4), to boost the Toreros to a 5-2 triumph. Next down was Washington State’s Ekaterina Burdeli, 6-4, 6-2. Murphy and Perl also handled Chris Martinez and Orsolya Sallai, 8-2, in doubles play, although San Diego left as 5-2 losers. Murphy then defeated Marshall’s Lille Nzudie, 6-4, 6-0, to key a 5-2 San Diego victory.
Mark Finnegan came through with some crucial victories as Memphis defeated South Alabama, 4-3. The senior from Kill, Co. Kildare, was triumphant at sixth singles, where he defeated Mark Gellard, 6-2, 6-1, and third doubles, where he teamed with Alex Jago to ambush Tiago Espirito-Santo and Sam Huffman, 8-2.
Indiana freshman Dara McLoughlin saw action at sixth singles as the Hoosiers defeated Southern Indiana, 7-0. The Dubliner took out Kyle Taylor, 6-4, 6-1, and teamed with Tom Bagnato at third doubles for an 8-4 win over Taylor and Evan Luttrell.
Yale freshman Rory Green went 1-2 in the sixth singles slot on the Elis’ recent trip to Boise, Idaho. The freshman from Dublin began with a victory over Portland’s Scott Kennel, 6-7, 7-5, 10-7, with Yale losing the match, 4-3. Green then fell to UNLV’s Martin Relelinghuys, 7-6, 4-6, 6-0, in a match won by the Rebels, 4-3. Boise State then downed Yale, 6-1, with Green losing to Ehren Vaughan, 5-7, 6-1, 10-2.
Georgia Southern sophomore Ciara Finucane finished the weekend with one victory against two defeats. The Dublin lass polished off Gardner-Webb’s Molly Hoeffner, 6-4, 6-3, at second singles, and joined Szilvia Zsakay for an 8-4 doubles victory over Hoeffner and Melissa DeJong, as GSU won, 7-0. Finucane and Zsakay were winners in doubles play over South Carolina State’s Milana Borisev and Gisel Brito, 8-5, although Finucane lost to Marcela Rodezno, 6-2, 7-5, in singles action. GSU lost this match, 6-1. Finally, Finucane lost to Charlotte’s Kathy Robey, 6-4, 6-1, with Charlotte prevailing, 5-2.