Fighting Scots 2004-05 Basketball Game Summaries

Feb. 19, 2005 vs. Knox College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 77, Knox 65 (12-10, 9-7)
In a packed Glennie Gym Saturday, the Fighting Scots did all they could do to reach the MWC playoffs, using a strong second half to turn back the Prairie Fire. But in Waukesha, Wis., Carroll upset league-leading Lawrence 58-54, and as a result it's the Pioneers, not Monmouth, who claimed the league's final playoff spot. Anthony Beaird has run hot and cold in the Monmouth-Knox rivalry the past two years and, after a 34-34 first half, he picked a great time to heat up again. Beaird's jumper shortly after intermission put the Scots ahead to stay and, a few trips later, he made treys on three out of four MC possessions to extend the lead to 49-40. The Scots led by at least five the rest of the way, and Beaird finished the half with 19 of his game-high 26 points. Monmouth's three seniors all made an impact. In the final game of his brilliant MC career, Travis Miller had 11 points, six boards, four assists and two steals, while classmate Jason Murren added seven points, eight rebounds, three assists and four blocks. Four-year reserve Kyle Wilhelm entered the game with less than a minute to play and brought a roar from the crowd with two free throws. Knox was led by Jared Kelly, who scored 19 points. Jeff Zick had 14 points and 12 rebounds.  

Feb. 12, 2005 at Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Ill.
Lake Forest 78, Monmouth 61 (11-10, 8-7)
With solid contributions in a big game from freshmen Blaise Rogers and Joe Terwelp, the future looks bright for the Fighting Scots. However, Monmouth's playoff chances in the present took a big hit with a decisive loss to one of its main competitors. Lake Forest's Franklyn Beckford and Greg Klos combined to hit 15-of-17 free throws and score a total of 33 points as the Foresters solidified their top four standing in the Midwest Conference race. LFC is now 9-5 in league play and holds a tiebreaker edge over the Scots. In addition to winning their season finale at home against Knox next Saturday, the Scots must now get a lot of help. Rogers netted four treys and led Monmouth with 14 points, while Terwelp led the team in rebounds (6) and assists (5) and scored 12 points. Anthony Beaird saw his consecutive string of games with a three-pointer snapped at 30 as he was held to two points and 0-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.

Feb. 9, 2005 at Illinois College, Jacksonville, Ill.
Monmouth 87, Illinois College 84 (11-9, 8-6)
The Fighting Scots only trailed the host Blueboys for 26 seconds, and fortunately for Monmouth, those seconds didn't come at the end of the game. They nearly did, as IC had the ball with 11 seconds to go, trailing by one, but Dylan Dudley missed a jumper and Travis Miller grabbed the key defensive board. Miller was certainly a hero with 19 points, and so was Anthony Beaird, who lit up IC from beyond the arc. He drained 7-of-9 three-point attempts to finish with a game-high 25 points. Reserve Blaise Rogers was 3-of-4 on treys as the Scots hit 14-of-27 from downtown. Jason Murren suffered major foul trouble and only played six minutes, but Joe Terwelp and Loyd Bowen picked up the slack, combining for 18 points and 13 rebounds. Chris Hebeler added six assists for the Scots, who have now pulled even with Knox at 8-6, a half-game out of the final Midwest Conference playoff spot. Dudley, who led IC with 24 points, netted his 1,000th career point in the game.

Feb. 5, 2005 vs. Ripon College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 76, Ripon 75 (10-9, 7-6)
For the second straight season, Monmouth's home game with Ripon was decided on a foul call with one second left. A year ago, Jim Dibble was fouled on a short jumper, and he sank both free throws for a dramatic 86-85 Scots' victory. This year, Travis Miller was the hero. With the score tied and just one second on the shot clock and two seconds on the game clock, Miller was fouled attempting to convert an alley-oop inbounds play. He made his second free throw, then batted away Ripon's inbounds pass at midcourt. Every starter made a major contribution for the Scots. Chris Hebeler scored 17 points in the second half to lead Monmouth with 23, and Jason Murren was solid once again, posting a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. On consecutive possessions in the final four minutes, Joe Terwelp converted a putback and a three-pointer for his only points of the night, and Anthony Beaird chipped in a trio of three-pointers, in the process breaking the Scots' single-season record. Beaird, who has 72 treys this season, broke the career record last night. Both marks had been owned by the Scots' all-time leading scorer, Lance Castle. Ripon was led by MWC Player of the Year candidate Tommy Becker, who had 28 points. David McMullen added eight points, seven assists and six rebounds. 

Feb. 4, 2005 vs. Beloit College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 85, Beloit 67 (9-9, 6-6)
The Fighting Scots followed a script from a recent home win to post their fifth straight victory at Glennie Gym. Seniors Travis Miller and Jason Murren once again packed a powerful 1-2 punch, with Miller carrying the offensive load and Murren providing plenty of defensive stops. Miller started the game on fire, hitting a layup off the tip, an old-fashioned three-point play and a trey on the Scots' first three possessions. A few moments later, he swished three-pointers on three straight trips down the court to stake the Scots to a 23-8 lead. In seven minutes, he had scored 17 points, but that would be the extent of his first-half production, and Beloit eventually cut the halftime spread to 43-37. Murren opened the second half with two putback hoops, but where he really came through was on the other end, blocking seven shots and altering a half dozen others. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and had two steals. Monmouth led by double digits for all but one possession of the final 18 minutes. The Scots' backcourt of Miller, Chris Hebeler and Anthony Beaird scored 27, 21 and 18 points, respectively. Josh Hinz led the Bucs with 20 points and nine rebounds.

Feb. 1, 2005 at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell 127, Monmouth 110 (8-9, 5-6)
Grinnell College has its well-known goals coming into each game, and their opponents counter with goals of their own. The Fighting Scots fell well short of their expected mark in field goal accuracy, connecting on just 51 percent in a loss that throws a serious wrench into their playoff plans. Monmouth also figured to have ballhandlers Chris Hebeler and Travis Miller on the court for much of the action, but the pair combined for just 41 minutes as they each experienced foul trouble and eventually fouled out. Another factor that didn't help was the Pioneers' ability to knock down three-pointers. After struggling for much of the season, the Pioneers were able to go 18-of-50 from beyond the arc as they snapped a nine-game losing streak. Monmouth had a one-point lead with eight minutes left in the first half, but Grinnell quickly took charge and led by double digits for much of the remainder. The Scots used a 14-0 surge to cut the lead to six at 84-78, but the Pioneers resumed control. Anthony Beaird led five Scots in double figures with 23 points, while Trek Langenhan keyed Grinnell by making 5-of-6 three-pointers.

Jan. 29, 2005 at St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wis.
Monmouth 91, St. Norbert 83 OT (8-8, 5-5)
The Fighting Scots defeated St. Norbert for the second time in eight days, in the process keeping themselves very much alive in their quest to reach the MWC playoffs for the first time since the 1998-99 season. Monmouth's post presence loomed large in the victory, which snapped a 17-game road losing streak. In particular, the Scots' tallest player, Jason Murren, stood out. After earning a starting berth thanks to a 13-rebound effort vs. Lawrence, Murren played 30 minutes and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds to go with 11 points and three blocks. Big men Tucker Blaser and Loyd Bowen had 16 and 10 points off the bench, respectively, and starting power forward Joe Terwelp added nine points and eight boards as Monmouth controlled the glass 50-32. The game was remarkably close throughout, with 13 ties in regulation and neither team able to take more than a six-point advantage. Chris Hebeler and Anthony Beaird hit back-to-back treys to give the Scots a 71-67 lead with three minutes to play, but SNC's Aaron Faulkner hit a trey with 10 seconds left to force overtime. In the extra session, Hebeler hit a pair of baskets and the Scots made 12-of-16 free throws. The Green Knights received 40 points from Brandon Hansen, but the Scots offset that by placing five in double figures. Hebeler led the way with 19 and Beaird added 16.

Jan. 28, 2005 at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wis.
Lawrence 70, Monmouth 60 (7-8, 4-5)
At halftime, the Fighting Scots found themselves trailing the nation's No. 12 team by only a point, but the host Vikings pulled away for the win to remain alone in first place in the Midwest Conference. Lawrence opened the second half with a 16-4 run to grab a 50-36 lead, but the Scots battled back, closing to 59-53 on a free throw by Chris Hebeler with just over five minutes left. Lawrence, however, scored the game's next seven points to end Monmouth's upset hopes. The Scots had no starters in double figures, but two reserves did provide a spark. Loyd Bowen scored a team-high 14 points, while Jason Murren led all players with 13 rebounds and three blocks. All-American Chris Braier had 18 points and 12 boards for LU.

Jan. 22, 2005 vs. Carroll College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 87, Carroll 78 (7-7, 4-4)
The Fighting Scots only scored one field goal in the final 11:32, but that's okay -- they'd made more than enough hoops to secure a sweep of the weekend's homestand. In a first half that saw 13 lead changes, it was Chris Hebeler who ultimately put his stamp on the first 20 minutes, netting 22 points. The Scots trailed 36-31 when Hebeler had a particularly memorable stretch, mixing two treys and two fadeaway jumpers with three-pointers from Blaise Rogers and Anthony Beaird. Loyd Bowen capped the half with two free throws to give the Scots a 50-42 lead. Beaird's sixth three-pointer of the game started a 9-0 run, which also included a great touch pass from Travis Miller to Jason Murren. Tucker Blaser scored inside for a 71-52 lead, forcing a Carroll timeout. From the field, the Scots only got a Joe Terwelp tip-in the rest of the way, but they made 14-of-20 free throws to keep Carroll at bay. Hebeler finished with 27 points and Beaird had 19 to lead MC, and Miller and Blaser each had eight rebounds and combined for 26 points. Ben Hickethier and Paul Toshner had 14 points apiece for Carroll.

Jan. 21, 2005 vs. St. Norbert College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 74, St. Norbert 68 (6-7, 3-4)
Seniors Travis Miller and Jason Murren earned basketball's version of best actor and best supporting actor in a big conference win for the Scots. Miller played his typical all-around game, registering team highs of 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes, while Murren came off the bench to grab seven boards, dish three assists and block two shots in 19 minutes of action. After scoreless first halves, both Chris Hebeler and Jim Dibble also shined, netting 11 points apiece. Hebeler knocked down back-to-back treys to open the half, and Dibble hit consecutive treys six minutes later. Both players also had three-pointers during a decisive 10-0 that broke the game open. Leading 45-37, the pair sandwiched treys around two Miller free throws. Miller then capped the burst of inspired basketball with a nifty lay-in for a 55-37 lead with 8:05 to play. Pour foul shooting by the Scots and some desperation treys by the Green Knights allowed the visitors to make the score respectable at the end. Brandon Hansen led St. Norbert with 22 points and seven rebounds. 

Jan. 15, 2005 at Beloit College, Beloit, Wis.
Beloit 88, Monmouth 86 OT (5-7, 2-4)
A furious rally earned the Fighting Scots an extra playing session, but Monmouth then relinquished a five-point lead and lost a heartbreaker. Beloit grabbed its largest lead at 67-56 with under seven minutes to play, but Monmouth's Anthony Beaird, who had been held in check for most of the game, drained a trio of treys in the final three minutes, with the last one closing the gap to 77-76. Beloit then made 3-of-4 free throws, but that kept the door open just wide enough for the Scots, who got baskets from Joe Terwelp and Travis Miller to tie the game at 80-80. Miller's hoop came with just two seconds to go. Beaird sank another trey, his sixth of the game, to help Monmouth go up 85-80 in overtime, but from there, the Scots committed a turnover, missed 3-of-4 free throws and misfired on four jumpers, including one by Miller that would have tied the game at the buzzer. Beaird and Miller each had 20 points for the Scots, and Loyd Bowen added 10. Josh Hinz led Beloit with 32 points, and the Bucs' other hero was Manuel Fergus, whose only points of the contest came on a game-winning three-point play with four seconds left.  

Jan. 14, 2005 at Ripon College, Ripon, Wis.
Ripon 102, Monmouth 75 (5-6, 2-3)
The nation's 11th-ranked team shot 60.6 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Scots 37-20 en route to a decisive victory. The Red Hawks took a 50-35 halftime lead and were led in the game by Bo Johnson and David McMullen, who each scored 21 points. The Scots were a very respectable 19-of-31 from inside the arc but made just 6-of-23 three-pointers. Anthony Beaird netted half of those treys while scoring 11 points. Monmouth's other double-figure scorers were reserves Loyd Bowen (13) and Wes Wrage (11), who were pressed into action due to Joe Terwelp's foul trouble. Terwelp picked up five personal fouls in just eight minutes of action and did not score.

Jan. 11, 2005 vs. Grinnell College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 116, Grinnell 109 (5-5, 2-2)
It wasn't always pretty, but the Fighting Scots toughed it out against "the system" and earned a much-needed MWC win. It was pretty early on when the Scots used a 19-0 run to take a 26-9 lead, but the Pioneers chipped away until halftime, closing to 55-53 at the break. Grinnell even pulled ahead 65-63 early in the second half, but Tucker Blaser helped the Scots regain control, coming up with several big baskets, including a hoop that put Monmouth up 111-100 with two minutes left. Blaser, who finished with 24 points and six rebounds, was a big part of the story, and so was Travis Miller, who had his second triple-double against Grinnell. The smooth senior scored 16 points, dished out 11 assists and pulled down 10 rebounds. Anthony Beaird added 18 points, Joe Terwelp netted 17 and Loyd Bowen finished with 12. Grinnell continued its recent trend of being very shaky from beyond the arc, converting just 16-of-65 attempts. Overall, the Pioneers shot 38-of-108 from the field.

Jan. 8, 2005 at Knox College, Galesburg, Ill.
Knox 77, Monmouth 58 (4-5, 1-2)
Although the trip was just 15 miles, the Fighting Scots' road woes continued with their 14th consecutive defeat away from Glennie Gym. Monmouth looked like it might snap that school-record streak after a tightly-played first half, which saw neither squad lead by more than six points. Joe Terwelp swished a jumper with 13:27 remaining in the game for a 48-46 Scots' lead, but things went south after that, as the Fire used an 18-6 run to seize control of the game. Knox finished strong, as well, ending the contest on an 11-3 run. The Fire's three-star attack of Jason Maclin (20 points), Jared Kelly (19) and Jeff Zick (18) played as advertised, but Monmouth's leading scorer, Anthony Beaird, hit just 2-of-15 shots, and the Scots were just 21-of-61 from the field overall. Travis Miller (14 points), Terwelp (12) and Chris Hebeler (12) led MC in scoring.  

Dec. 18, 2004 vs. Maryville University, St. Louis, Mo.
Maryville 86, Monmouth 53 (4-4, 1-1)
One week before Christmas the Fighting Scots got coal in their stocking. Maryville University never trailed in defeating Monmouth 86-53. The numbers didn't lie in the game as the Scots could manage only 25 percent shooting from the floor and trailed by 14 at the half, 43-29. Anthony Beaird continued his string of double-digit games, posting 18 points. He has now posted double figures in each of the season's eight games. Travis Miller added ten points for the only Scots in double figures.

Dec. 8, 2004 vs. Illinois College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 76, Illinois College 68 (4-3, 1-1)
The Fighting Scots feel they've added inside scoring punch this year, and that dimension was finally realized in a game that saw every starter score in double figures. Tucker Blaser was very active inside for the Scots, scoring 13 points and hauling down nine rebounds, and Joe Terwelp scored 11 points in his first collegiate start. He also had a team-high five assists. Posts Kyle Cantwell, David Price and Loyd Bowen combined for nine points off the bench. Of course, Monmouth can still score from the outside, and Anthony Beaird drained three more treys to finish with 11. Travis Miller played a solid all-around game, scoring 11 points to go with nine rebounds, and Chris Hebeler scored from outside and off penetration to lead the way with 15. Four three-pointers early in the game, including two by Beaird, helped turn a two-point deficit into a 20-10 lead, and the Scots were up 37-29 at halftime. Monmouth held a double-digit lead throughout most of the second half. Dylan Dudley led Illinois College with 20 points and Evan Arnold scored 15.

Dec. 4, 2004 vs. Lake Forest College, Monmouth, Ill.
Lake Forest 78, Monmouth 72 (3-3, 0-1)
A furious comeback fell just short and the Fighting Scots lost their conference opener. For the first three-quarters of the game, the visiting Foresters had the edge in virtually all departments, especially defensive intensity, limiting Monmouth to just 18 first-half points. Trailing 54-33 with just over 10 minutes to play, it appeared a light went on for the Scots. Chris Hebeler's four-point play at the 10:29 mark got the comeback started, and Monmouth gradually chipped away at the lead. The Scots cut it to single digits for the first time in the second half on Hebeler's three-point play with 3:22 left, and Anthony Beaird's sixth trey of the game brought Monmouth within one at 71-70 with 30 seconds to play. After two Forester free throws, the Scots opted for a two-point try, but Travis Miller's runner rimmed out, and the Foresters sealed the deal by finishing 5-of-6 at the line. Hebeler led Monmouth with 21 points, Beaird added 20 and Joe Terwelp contributed all 11 of his points off the bench in the second half. The Foresters showed great balance, as all five starters netted double figures, led by Eric McDonald's 22 points. Lake Forest was 31-of-37 at the foul line.

Dec. 1, 2004 vs. Webster University, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 75, Webster 63 (3-2)
Neither a zone nor a man-to-man defense could stop the Fighting Scots in their last tune-up before the Midwest Conference season begins. Three-pointers were flying in the first half, as the Scots chose to attack the Gorlok's zone over the top. Anthony Beaird was 5-of-8 from beyond the arc in the game's first 10 minutes as the Scots jumped out to a 25-12 lead. Beaird left the game with two fouls and blood on his chin but, wearing a new uniform, he returned late in the half and knocked down another trey as Monmouth led 42-30 at the break. After its chalk talk, Webster came out man-to-man, but Travis Miller and Tucker Blaser had the answer, combining for the Scots' first 18 points to provide a 60-42 cushion. Webster cut the gap to four late, but Monmouth went 8-for-8 at the foul line in the final 1:53 to secure the victory. Beaird finished with 27 points, while Miller added 23 to go with nine rebounds. Kyle Cantwell was solid off the bench with a basket, six rebounds and six steals. The Gorloks were led by Kaniela Aiona, who scored 17 points.

Nov. 28, 2004 vs. Hannibal-LaGrange College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 81, Hannibal-LaGrange 76 (2-2)
In a game that was close throughout, credit point guard Chris Hebeler with making the difference. Hebeler, a junior transfer from Benedictine University, led the Scots in points (23), rebounds (8), assists (5) and steals (3) as Monmouth held off a strong challenge from the Trojans. Although the Scots led most of the way, it was never by a comfortable margin, as eight points was their largest advantage. That came late in the second half following Hannibal-LaGrange's last lead of the game at 62-60. Tucker Blaser had two baskets in a 12-2 Monmouth run, which was capped by back-to-back three-pointers by Jim Dibble and Andy Moore. Anthony Beaird's scoring was missed for most of the game thanks to a 1-for-9 performance from beyond the arc, but he did go 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final 1:03 to preserve the victory and finish with 13 points. Blaser added 12 points for the Scots. H-LG was led by Phillip Clophus, who had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Antoine Jackson had three rim-rocking dunks in the second half and finished with 11. 

Nov. 27, 2004 vs. William Penn University, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 84, William Penn 75 (1-2)
Playing without four of their top six post players, the Fighting Scots let their guards do the talking on the opening day of the Pizza Hut/EconoFoods Classic. Tucker Blaser's free throw with 1:01 left in the game was the only point not scored by the Scots' backcourt in the second half, as guards Anthony Beaird, Travis Miller and Chris Hebeler dominated the box score. Beaird was unable to reach the 30-point plateau for the first time this season, but he did pour in 20 second-half points to finish with a team-high 26. Miller had his second straight double-double, scoring 20 points to go with a game-high 11 rebounds. Hebeler added 16 points, and he and Beaird combined to make 21-of-25 free throws. The Scots led 37-31 at intermission, then extended the lead with a 26-11 run midway through the second half. Beaird and Miller had the last 22 points of the surge, which ended with the Scots ahead 69-49  with just over eight minutes to play. William Penn big man Danny Lund led the Statesmen with 28 points and five rebounds.

Nov. 24, 2004 at Aurora University, Aurora, Ill.
Aurora 88, Monmouth 80 (0-2)
Another strong showing by Anthony Beaird and a near-triple double by Travis Miller were not enough to keep the Fighting Scots from falling to 0-2 on the year. Beaird knocked down 9-of-19 three-pointers on his way to 31 points, while Miller, the Scots' do-everything forward, had 15 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. Tucker Blaser added 12 points for the Scots on 6-of-6 shooting. Counting last season's finale, Beaird has now scored 30 points or more in three straight games. Capped by Beaird's first trey of the night, Monmouth jumped out to a 7-0 lead and stayed in front for most of the first half before going into the locker room trailing by two, 40-38. With 10 minutes left in the game, the Scots were up 63-61, but a 14-3 run by the Spartans put them in control the rest of the way. Poor shooting doomed the Scots as, other than Beaird, the Scots were just 1-of-16 from beyond the arc, and the team finished an abysmal 4-of-16 at the foul line. Aurora received 29 points from Adam McCoy and 23 from Larry Welton.

Nov. 22, 2004 at MacMurray College, Jacksonville, Ill.
MacMurray 108, Monmouth 104 (0-1)
The Fighting Scots didn't open their season against Grinnell - it only seemed that way. One hundred point games are usually reserved for when the Pioneers are the opposition, but both squads eclipsed the magical century mark without even needing extra time. Monmouth set a school record for points in regulation in a season opener, although the Scots did record a triple-overtime 108-107 win against Eureka to tip off the 2000-01 season. The contest featured some big momentum swings, as Monmouth led by nine and trailed by nine in the first half. In the second, the Scots had a 12-point lead, and they also trailed by six. The game's key play came when MacMurray scored off a missed free throw to go up by four with eight seconds left. Six Scots reached double figures at MacMurray, led by Anthony Beaird, whose 18 three-point attempts was the second-highest total ever for a Fighting Scot. He made seven of them on his way to a 30-point night. Loyd Bowen's Monmouth debut was impressive, as the transfer tallied 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Chris Hebeler (13), Tucker Blaser (12), Andy Moore (11) and Travis Miller (10) also dialed double digits. Hebeler had seven assists and Blaser grabbed eight rebounds. MacMurray was led by Rookie Robinson, who scored 25 points in just 17 minutes. Eleven players logged at least 10 minutes for the Highlanders, who have adopted a spinoff of Grinnell's "system."