Tournament Website
Three of the four teams competing in the 2011 Max Ziel Men's Basketball Classic earned berths into the 2011 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament. However, all three, including Wells College, Ithaca College, and Oswego State, dropped season openers this past week to enter the tournament at 0-1. The fourth competitor in the field is Fredonia.
The 18th-ranked Lakers stumbled out of the gates Tuesday with a 66-62 road loss to St. Lawrence. Oswego State trailed by 11 early in the second half, but rallied back to tie the game with 5:05 to play. However, the Lakers were unable complete the comeback for the victory. Preseason All-American pick
Chad Burridge poured in 19 points to go along with seven rebounds, while
Hayden Ward added 13 points.
Sean Michele also contributed nine points and eight assists in the loss. Oswego State is coming off one of its best seasons in program history with an overall record of 24-5 to earn its first NCAA tournament berth.
2011-12 Roster
2011-12 Schedule
2011-12 Statistics
Ithaca College opened the season with a 92-67 loss to Hobart, which was 13-for-18 from long range. The Bombers put four in double figures, but were unable to find a spark as Hobart took a commanding lead early and did not allow Ithaca to get within striking distance. Andrei Oztemel and Frank Mitchell recorded team-best performances of 11 points each, while Christian Jordan and Sean Rossi each tallied 10. The Bombers were picked to finish fourth in the Empire 8 Preseason Coaches Poll after finishing 20-7 last year and making their ninth trip to the NCAA tournament.
2011-12 Roster
2011-12 Schedule
2011-12 Statistics
Wells College, a member of the North Eastern Athletic Conference, opened the season with a 65-63 loss to fellow NCAA qualifier Hartwick. The Express found themselves trailing by as many as 11 points before pulling to within a basket with five seconds to play, but were unable come away with the win. Terry Harrison posted a double-double with a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Dave Foltz added 16 points and five assists. Last season, Wells recorded an overall mark of 17-12, falling to Oswego State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
2011-12 Roster
2011-12 Schedule
Conference foe Fredonia opened the season with a 61-50 victory over NCAA qualifier Penn State-Behrend. The veteran-laden Blue Devils erased an early 8-0 deficit before building a 32-26 halftime lead that they did not relinquish. Three players reached double-digits, including Damien Goodwin II, Kevin Mitchell and Julius Bryant, who scored 15, 11 and 10 points, respectively. Fredonia is hoping its eight seniors will help the Blue Devils improve upon last year's 6-18 overall record.
2011-12 Roster
2011-12 Schedule
2011-12 Statistics
