February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By John Manley
Davidson’s Michael Bree went on a three-point binge from the vicinity of his native Sligo as the Wildcats rocked Wofford, 72-61, in men’s basketball last week. The senior guard posted a career-high 22 points, built on 5-for-9 shooting from the floor (his only two-point try missed) and 7 of 8 from the line. He also added 5 rebounds and 3 assists to the mix.
Bree also hit double figures in an 82-72 victory over Appalachian State, but needed a slew of foul shots to boost his figs. He hit only 2 of 11 from the floor (1 of 6 by airmail) and 5 of 9 from the line. He also dished out 5 assists. Teammate Conor Grace went long, where he found the range on 2 of 3 that he launched, good for 6 points. Grace is a freshman from Dublin.
Most recently, Bree had 9 points in the Wildcats’ 53-48 victory over North Carolina-Greensboro. He shot 2-for-8 from the floor (1-for-4 on 3-pointers) and 4-for-4 from the foul line. He also had 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Davidson is 16-6 overall and 9-2 in the Southern Conference.
Meanwhile, Middlebury’s Simon Behan sees limited action off the bench, but he makes his presence known. In Middlebury’s 100-87 win over Wesleyan, the freshman from Dublin chipped in 10 points, shooting 3-for-6 from the floor (1-for-3 from over the 3-point arc) and 3-for-5 on foul shots. He also grabbed 3 rebounds in 14 minutes. Next up was a 101-66 mauling of Bates. Behan again played 14 minutes, this time scoring 8 points (2-for-6 from the floor, both threes, and 2-for-4 from the line).
Tufts then put Middlebury away, 103-88, but Behan accounted for 9 points in 15 minutes (2-for-7 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the line). Middlebury is 11-12 overall and 3-5 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
Sign up to The Irish Echo Newsletter
Also, Azusa Pacific’s Gary Dredge fouled out of the Cougars’ 82-77 victory over The Master’s, and was limited to only 19 minutes’ playing time. He did put up 6 points on 2-for-3 shooting from the floor and 2-for- 2 from the line. Dredge is a senior from Clondalkin, Co. Dublin. Azusa is 20-4.
Women’s basketball
Susan Moran became St. Joseph’s (Pa.) all-time leading scorer in a 75-61 loss to Xavier of Cincinnati. Moran tied Dale Hodges’s mark of 2,077 points with a free throw in the first half. About a minute later, she drove to the hoop for a layup that gave her sole possession of the record. Moran, a senior from Tullamore, Co. Offaly, led the Hawks with 24 points, hitting 10 of 15 attempts from the floor and all four free throws.
Earlier in the week, St. Joe’s lost to Temple, 77-65, with Moran scoring 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the floor and 3-for-6 from the stripe. The Hawks (17-6) then regained their winning touch with a 56-48 defeat of Dayton. Moran was held to only 8 points (3-for-11 from the floor, 2-for-2 from the line), as she was plagued by foul trouble that limited her playing time to 19 minutes.
McKendree College’s Niamh Dwyer is laying down the foundation for some future record-breaking of her own. The 5-foot-9 freshman from Thurles, Co. Tipperary, was the leading scorer in each of McKendree’s last two outings, an 85-73 loss to Illinois-Springfield, and an 86-75 triumph over Hannibal-LaGrange. Dwyer scored 28 points in the Springfield loss, dropping in 11 of 14 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from long distance, and 3-for-3 from the foul line. She also picked off 4 steals. She flooded the net with 29 points in the victory, nailing 9-for-13 from the floor (2-for-2 from downtown), and 9-for-10 from the line. She was also credited with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. McKendree is 15-11.
Iona’s Michelle Fahy wasn’t going to be denied in the Gaels’ 77-71 victory over Canisius. The Galway sophomore poured in 19 points on 9-for-12 shooting, plus she nailed her lone foul shot. Fahy also had 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Fahy didn’t see much of the ball on offense in Iona’s 74-65 loss to Rider, but she did hit 3 of 4 field goal attempts for 6 points, while also grabbing 8 boards. Foul trouble limited her to only 23 minutes. Iona is 6-16 overall and 4-9 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Kate Maher came off the bench to ignite the Sacred Heart offense in their 54-48 victory over Wagner. The Waterford sophomore put 10 points on the board, connecting on 5 of 8 shots from the floor. She also grabbed 5 rebounds. Sacred Heart is 13-9 overall and 9-4 in Northeast Conference play.
Track and field
Brown’s Enda Johnson placed first in the men’s 1,000-meter run at the Rhode Island Invitational. The senior from County Monaghan was timed in 2:25.22. The Bruins took first place in the team scoring.
Golf
Alabama-Birmingham’s Gr’me McDowell won the Sun Trust Gator Invitational by four strokes at the University of Florida Golf Course in Gainesville. The junior from Portrush, Co. Antrim, signed to scores of 65, 67 and 68 for a cumulative 10-under-par 200. UAB tied for second place among the 15 teams, finishing one stroke behind victorious Louisiana State.
Tennis
Brown’s Nick Malone captured the singles title in the men’s “A” flight at the Harvard Invitational. The senior from Greystones, Co. Wicklow, won every set from four opponents. Malone began with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Harvard’s George Turner. Brown’s Justin Natale then fell to Malone, 7-5, 6-4, followed by Rutgers’ Ashley Jagdale, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Malone, seeded second, then beat top-seeded Jonathan Chu from Harvard, 7-6 (4) 6-2.
Harvard’s Jennie Timoney made it through two levels of the women’s “B” flight in Cambridge. The senior from Celbridge, Co. Kildare handled Brown’s Maria DelValle, 6-1, 6-4, in the opening fray. She then did likewise with Dartmouth’s Lisa Borowsky, 6-2, 7-6, before feeling the sting of Boston University’s Alana Marcu, 6-0, 6-3.