Halsel helps East Central to OT win in NCAA Division II tourney opener
East Central (Okla.) University senior guard Donovan Halsel (Warren Central Class of 2012) helped the Tigers outlast Minnesota State-Moorehead for a 115-106 overtime victory Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo.
Halsel, a starting guard for the Tigers, tallied eight points on 3-of-5 shooting (2-of-4 from 3-point range) and added two assists and a steal in the win.
The victory was the first-ever in the NCAA Central Regional Tournament for East Central (25-6), the champions of the Great American Conference.
The Tigers, the No. 3 seed in the regional field, face No. 2 seed Southwest Minnesota State in the NCAA Round of 32 on Sunday at Bearcat Arena.
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Walters State (Tenn.) freshman Oneisha Turner (Bowling Green Class of 2016) will be playing in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I National Tournament later this month.
Turner helped the Lady Senators earn a spot in the field with a 58-49 win over Motlow (Tenn.) State in Friday’s Region 7 championship game at ‘Z’ Buda Gymnasium in Morristown, Tenn.
Turner came off the bench to contribute seven points, eight rebounds and an assist for Walters State (25-6).
The Lady Senators will learn their seeding and first-round opponent on Sunday for the NJCAA tournament, slated to begin March 20 in Lubbock, Texas.
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Centre College senior left-handed pitcher Trevor Brewer (Greenwood Class of 2013) fired six scoreless innings to earn the win in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Southern Athletic Association rival Berry (Ga.) in Mount Berry, Ga.
Brewer allowed only five hits and didn’t walk a batter while improving his season record to 2-0. He struck out three.
Centre (9-3, 1-1 SAA) completes the three-game series against Berry on Sunday.
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Austin Peay junior Sarah-Emily Woodward (Bowling Green Class of 2014) got her outdoor track season off to a strong start at Saturday’s Gamecock Quad hosted by Jacksonville State in Oxford, Ala.
Woodward finished third in the red division in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 20 minutes, 9.07 seconds.
“… Sarah-Emily is about 40 seconds ahead of where she was last year,” Austin Peay coach Doug Molnar said in a news release.
Austin Peay returns to action March 25 in the Ole Miss Invitational in Oxford, Miss.
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Tennessee-Martin junior catcher Aeron Smith (Greenwood Class of 2014) came through with an RBI single for the Skyhawks in Saturday’s 7-5 loss to Weber State in the Higlander Classic in Riverside, Calif.
Smith finished the day 1-for-3.
UT Martin (17-6) is back in action Wednesday at home against Freed-Hardman.