Fighting Scots 2005-06 Basketball Game Summaries

Feb. 15 vs. Illinois College, Jacksonville, Ill.
Illinois College 67, Monmouth 61 (OT) (8-13, 4-12)
For the fourth time this season, overtime was not kind to the Fighting Scots who fell on the road to Illinois College 67-61. Trailing 29-25 at halftime, Monmouth did not regain the lead until Chris Hebeler's three-pointer with just under four minutes to go in regulation gave Monmouth a 49-47 lead. IC battled back and took a 53-51 lead with less than 30 seconds left on Pete Jennings' basket, but the Scots David Price drained a bucket in the paint to send the game to the extra session. A Joe Womble bucket early in overtime gave the Blue Boys the lead for good. Hebeler led the Scots with a game-high 23 points, Joe Terwelp added 14.

Feb. 11 vs. Lake Forest College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 69, Lake Forest 63 (8-12, 4-11)
Blaise Rogers and Joe Terwelp combined to score the Fighting Scots' last nine points and preserve a come-from-behind victory. The Scots trailed 36-27 at halftime, but Rogers and Raun Singleton each hit three-pointers early in the second half to get Monmouth going. David Price's three-point play at the 8:04 mark gave the Scots their first second-half lead at 54-53. With under a minute to play, the Foresters missed a go-ahead three-pointer and Anthony Beaird grabbed the rebound. Terwelp scored on the other end to create some breathing room at 67-63, and Rogers sealed the win with two free throws with 11 seconds left. Terwelp led the Scots with 18 points and six assists, and Rogers and Singleton each scored 15. Greg Klos led Lake Forest with 18.

Feb. 8 vs. Knox College, Galesburg, Ill.
Knox 69, Monmouth 65 (7-12, 3-11)
Jason Maclin's three-pointer with 1:27 remaining broke a 61-61 tie and lifted the Prairie Fire to a come-from-behind victory over the Fighting Scots. Monmouth led 33-25 at halftime and extended the margin to 41-27, but Knox fought back from there to tie the game at 44-44. Josh Moten sparked the Fire in the second half, finishing with team highs of 14 points and four steals. For the Scots, Joe Terwelp was solid with 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting, and David Price and Chris Hebeler combined for 21 points and 19 rebounds. Neither team shot well, each making six treys as they combined to go 12-of-50 on three-pointers. Free throw shooting again bit the Scots, as Price was 6-of-6 but the rest of the team made just 7-of-15.

Feb. 4 vs. Ripon College, Ripon, Wis.
Ripon 102, Monmouth 99 (7-11, 3-10)
Bo Johnson's trey with three seconds left off David McMullen's 10th assist gave the Scots nothing to show in the win column after one of their best games of the year. Guards Chris Hebeler and Anthony Beaird combined to shoot 16-of-24 from beyond the arc, and David Price and Joe Terwelp made 14-of-20 shots in the paint, but the Red Hawks were still able to keep their playoff hopes alive. With a three-pointer, Beaird started a 10-point rally with under four minutes to go, and he and Hebeler combined for 15 points in the 19-9 run that knotted the game with 10 seconds left. Hebeler finished with 28 points, Beaird scored 26 and Price continued his strong play with 19 points and 11 boards. Johnson had 26 for the Red Hawks and Paul Wise scored 24 as all five Ripon starters were in double figures. 

Feb. 3 vs. Beloit College, Beloit, Wis.
Monmouth 62, Beloit 60 (7-10, 3-9)
It wasn't easy, but the Fighting Scots avenged a previous loss to the Bucs and earned their first road win of the season. Offensively, all the Scots produced in the final four minutes was a pair of free throws by Raun Singleton with 13 seconds left, but those foul tosses were key, as they put Monmouth up four. Beloit star Josh Hinz made a putback with four seconds left but, after a missed MC free throw, the Bucs could not get off a shot. The game was tied seven times, including at the half, but Andy Moore's dunk broke the final deadlock, and the Scots never trailed again. Joe Terwelp led the Scots with 13 points, David Price had 12 and Moore added 10. Hinz led the Bucs with 16 points and eight boards but was held to 6-of-15 shooting.

Jan. 31 vs. Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell 123, Monmouth 113 (6-10, 2-9)
The Pioneers came from behind in the second half to negate the Fighting Scots' hopes of a .500 conference season. Monmouth rallied from a 15-point first half deficit to go up 95-90 with less than 10 minutes remaining, but a 16-0 run put the hosts back in control to stay. Grinnell put on a very impressive shooting display, making 25-of-60 three-pointers, including a 7-of-10 night for Toby Carlson. Meanwhile, the Scots were only 14-of-25 at the foul line. Anthony Beaird led six Scots in double figures with 27 points and nine assists. Blaise Rogers (21 points) and Kyle Cook (10 points) both established collegiate career highs in scoring. John Grotberg topped Grinnell with 37.

Jan. 28 vs. St. Norbert College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 71, St. Norbert 58 (6-9, 2-8)
The Fighting Scots did what they couldn't two weeks ago, knocking off last-place St. Norbert. The Green Knights stayed within striking range throughout the contest and closed the gap to 59-52 with 6:16 left. But Chris Hebeler sandwiched two jumpers around a basket by Anthony Beaird to keep the Scots in control, and St. Norbert had three-pointers rattle out on two straight trips to seal their fate. Beaird led the Scots with 14 points and David Price added 13 to go with seven boards. Raun Singleton added 12 points, including three-pointers on three straight trips in the second half, and Hebeler added seven assists. Ryan Finnecke led the Knights with 19 points off the bench and Nathan Zepnick had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Jan. 27 vs. Lawrence University, Monmouth, Ill.
Lawrence 75, Monmouth 68 (5-9, 1-8)
There is still an unbeaten NCAA team -- barely. The Fighting Scots hung with No. 3 Lawrence the entire game, and got extremely close at the end, but the Vikings prevailed to improve to 15-0 on the year. Lawrence used an 12-2 run midway through the first half to establish control with a 29-18 lead, but Blaise Rogers' two free throws cut Monmouth's halftime deficit to 45-40. The Vikings led by as many as 10 in the second half, but Rogers' midcourt steal and three-point play brought the Scots within three at 68-65 with 2:13 left. After a defensive stop, Anthony Beaird got free in the lane, but his lefty runner trickled off the rim, and LU made 5-of-6 free throws to hang on. Monmouth received balanced scoring from Rogers (16), Beaird (14), Joe Terwelp (14) and David Price (13). Terwelp also had seven boards. Lawrence All-American Chris Braier had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Ryan Kroeger came off the bench to score 16, including nine straight inside of five minutes to play. The Vikings were 23-of-27 at the foul line, and the Scots made just 4-of-20 three-pointers.

Jan. 24 vs. Illinois College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 70, Illinois College 60 (5-8, 1-7)
One good half was enough to carry the Fighting Scots to their first conference victory of the season. Playing against a Blueboy team that was without two of its three leading scorers, the Scots took advantage early, gaining a 26-15 lead. Anthony Beaird then finished off the half in style, netting a trio of three-pointers to push Monmouth's halftime lead to 37-21. The Blueboys charged back with a 9-0 run to cut the gap to four points, and they hung around for the rest of the contest until Raun Singleton's trey put the Scots up nine with under three minutes left. Beaird, who finished with a game-high 18 points, finished things off from there by going 5-of-6 at the foul line. Monmouth enjoyed a 48-33 advantage on the boards, with Joe Terwelp and David Price combining for 23 rebounds. Price had his second straight double-double, as he added 13 points. Brad Johnson scored 13 for IC and Pete Jennings had 11 points and 11 rebounds.  

Jan. 18 vs. Knox College, Monmouth, Ill.
Knox 80, Monmouth 79 OT (4-8, 0-7)
In a game that featured as many twists and turns as last weekend's fascinating NFL playoff game between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis, the Fighting Scots lost their third overtime game of the new year. Down 24 with less than nine minutes to play, Monmouth staged an improbable comeback, and they did so without four senior regulars who took a seat on the bench midway through the half and did not return. Monmouth scored on 13 of its last 16 possessions of the half, and the Scots had three-point trips on seven of their final 10 possessions, including the last three. Knox was still ahead by 11 with less than two minutes left, but David Price converted a three-point play and Joe Terwelp knocked down a trey to make the score 68-62. Down six with 34 seconds left, Raun Singleton swished a trey and Blaise Rogers hit three free throws to make it a two-point game. After Knox converted a foul toss with 14 seconds left, the Scots worked for a final shot, and Rogers hit a leaning three-pointer at the horn to force extra time. Tied 79-79, Monmouth had four chances to score a go-ahead hoop and, on the final try, Knox's Josh Moten stole an inbounds pass and was fouled on a breakaway with three seconds left. He made his second free throw, and Monmouth's Scott Scholten could only draw iron on a halfcourt heave at the buzzer. Monmouth's amazing comeback was aided by seven missed free throws by Knox in the final 3:12, including three by Jason Maclin, who had gone 14-of-14 at the line in the Prairie Fire's last game. Price had a breakout game for the Scots, leading them with career highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Rogers also scored 19, including 14 in the final four minutes of regulation. Terwelp and Singleton fouled out after scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively, and Andy Moore also picked up five personals. Maclin led Knox with 27 points and Jeff Zick scored 17. 

Jan. 14 vs. Carroll College, Waukesha, Wis.
Carroll 89, Monmouth 77 (4-7, 0-6)
All season long, the Fighting Scots have struggled at one particular juncture of their games. Against league-leading Carroll, that flat spot came in the latter part of the first half, as the Pioneers turned a one-point deficit into a 38-24 lead by going on a 15-0 run. Carroll stretched its 51-35 halftime advantage to a 22-point lead before Monmouth surged back to cut the deficit the single digits with 5:29 to play. The Scots, however, would get no closer, suffering their fourth straight defeat and remaining winless in conference play. Monmouth was just 9-of-35 from beyond the arc and made just 14-of-23 free throws. Joe Terwelp paced the Scots with 22 points, Anthony Beaird scored 12 and David Price had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Jason Scheper led Carroll with 23 points as the Pioneers improved to 11-1 on the year.

Jan. 13 vs. St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wis.
St. Norbert 67, Monmouth 62 (4-6, 0-5)
Seventeen missed free throws were to blame for the Fighting Scots' loss earlier in the week, but the culprits against the Green Knights were the foul shots Monmouth didn't attempt. The Scots were just 1-of-2 at the line, and 21 turnovers were also a factor in a setback that kept Monmouth winless in the MWC. On the bright side, the Scots did charge back from a 54-39 deficit with 9:24 left to close within three points, but Eric Bieniasz's layup with 13 seconds left essentially sealed the game. Another bright spot was Anthony Beaird's shooting. The senior led all scorers with 21 points, making 7-of-12 three-pointers. His first pushed him over 1,000 points for his career, and he became the 20th member of that exclusive club at Monmouth. Chris Hebeler had 13 points and Joe Terwelp grabbed 10 boards.

Jan. 10 vs. Grinnell College, Monmouth, Ill.
Grinnell 128, Monmouth 125 OT (4-5, 0-4)
Too many missed free throws and missed three-pointers on the final plays of regulation and overtime prevented the Fighting Scots from knocking off league-leading Grinnell. Monmouth led by five points at halftime, but shot only 14-of-27 from the foul line the rest of the way. After gradually building their lead to 14 points at 76-62, the Scots witnessed how fast Grinnell's system can turn a game around. In a blitz that included five treys, the Pioneers went on a 19-2 run in the span of just 2:44 to take an 81-78 advantage. The lead seesawed from there, with Paul Nordlund putting the Pioneers up 109-108 with a basket with 1:40 to play. The pace then slowed, and Joe Terwelp's free throw with 1:13 remaining was the last point in regulation. Jim Dibble missed a shot in the lane with less than 10 seconds left and, after Anthony Beaird's hustle rebound, Chris Hebeler was just off-target on an off-balance trey at the horn. Grinnell's John Grotberg, the nation's No. 2 scorer, took over the extra period, scoring 11 of his game-high 45. Hebeler missed another leaner from beyond the arc to end the game. The senior guard was far from the goat, though, scoring 16 points to go with 13 assists and eight rebounds. Terwelp led Monmouth with a career-high 38, and Beaird scored 20, giving him 999 for his career. Nordlund added 15 points and three blocks for Grinnell.

Jan. 7 vs. Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Ill.
Lake Forest 84, Monmouth 77 OT (4-4, 0-3)
Anthony Beaird's three-pointer with three seconds left in regulation provided some heroics for the Fighting Scots, but the host Foresters took charge of the five-minute overtime period and extended Monmouth's Midwest Conference winless string to three to start the season. Jim Dibble hit a pair of three-pointers during a 9-3 run that gave the Scots their biggest lead of the game at 35-24 late in the first half, but the Foresters gradually chipped away and went up 55-54 on Dodd Browning's layup with nine minutes to play. With 1:45 left, the Foresters were up six, but Chris Hebeler converted an old-fashioned three-point play and added a hoop to narrow the deficit to 72-71. Following two free throws by LFC's Brad Wehner at the 0:13 mark, Beaird produced his big basket. Wehner, however, had the final say, making two clutch treys in overtime to single-handedly outscore the Scots. Beaird led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points. Hebeler and David Price each had 13 and Joe Terwelp added 11. Franklyn Beckford and Wehner both had 20 to lead the Foresters. 

Dec. 7 vs. Aurora University, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 87, Aurora 80 (4-3)
Following a disappointing weekend, the Fighting Scots were looking to re-establish themselves as a basketball team against the talented Spartans. Consider Monmouth re-established after a record-setting shooting display, led by point guard Chris Hebeler. The senior drained a school-record 12 three-pointers in the contest to score a career-high 38 points. As a team, Monmouth easily broke its old mark for treys, sinking 20. Anthony Beaird had five of them on his way to 22 points and Raun Singleton made the other three. What made the game even more entertaining was that Aurora was also dialed in from long range, particularly Chad Trudo, who nearly matched Hebeler shot for shot while making 10 of 14 attempts from beyond the arc. The Spartans finished with 16 treys. Preseason All-American Larry Welton also had a solid game, scoring 16 points to go with 13 rebounds and four blocks. Welton was scoreless for the game's first 13 minutes, though, and Monmouth led by as many as 16 points in the first half. The second half was more tightly contested, and the Spartans took a 78-70 lead, but Singleton, Beaird and Hebeler made three-pointers in a 12-0 run, and Beaird closed the contest with four free throws in the final 18 seconds.  

Dec. 3 vs. Beloit College, Monmouth, Ill.
Beloit 86, Monmouth 75 (3-3, 0-2)
A poor performance on the glass and at the foul line were two of the most glaring factors in a loss to the Bucs that completed a disappointing weekend. Coming into Friday, the Scots had won 10 straight at Glennie Gym, but losses to Ripon and Beloit have put Monmouth in an early hole in the MWC. The Scots were outrebounded 44-31 and made just 7-of-18 free throws. Anthony Beaird sparked MC with four straight catch-and-shoot treys early in the second half, turning a five-point deficit into a five-point lead. But Beloit replied immediately with a 19-4 run, and Monmouth could only get as close as five points the rest of the way. The Bucs' Josh Hinz had a double-double in the first half and finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Danny Towns led the winners with 22. For the Scots, Tucker Blaser had 17, Beaird scored 14 and Nick Frericks had a career-high 12. Chris Hebeler dished out nine assists.

Dec. 2 vs. Ripon College, Monmouth, Ill.
Ripon 90, Monmouth 83 (3-2, 0-1)
The Red Hawks seized control of the contest in the first half and never relinquished it, despite a Fighting Scots rally led by Raun Singleton. The former Roseville star knocked down 7-of-10 three-pointers in the game and scored 20 second-half points on his way to a game-high 26. But the Red Hawks got solid performances from several players to keep the Scots at bay. Bo Johnson delivered 14 of his team-high 18 points in the first half to stake Ripon to a 49-39 halftime advantage, and David McMullen scored all but one of his 14 points after intermission. He also had 10 assists. Ripon big man Brian Schmitting contributed 15 points and Paul Wise had 14. The Scots trailed by as many as 15 in the first half, but Singleton's shooting kept them in contention in the second half. Down the stretch, the Scots completed a 7-0 run and pulled within three at 86-83 on an Anthony Beaird trey, but McMullen made four straight free throws to ice the game. Beaird had 11 points and Chris Hebeler dished out six assists. 

Nov. 30 vs. MacMurray College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 89, MacMurray 83 (3-1)
With a heavy barrage of three-pointers, the visiting Highlanders stormed back into the game down the stretch, and it was left to seniors Chris Hebeler and Jim Dibble to make the keys plays that preserved Monmouth's 18th victory in its last 20 home games. Anthony Beaird's lay-in with less than 10 minutes to play put the Scots up 68-53, but MacMurray netted treys on five of its next seven possessions to close the gap to 77-70. From there, the Scots went cold, hitting just one of eight shots, and the Highlanders pulled even at 80-80 at the 2:44 mark. With 1:37 remaining, the Scots' Joe Terwelp missed two free throws, but Dibble came up with a key offensive rebound, and Hebeler drained a clutch three-pointer. Following another big offensive rebound by Monmouth, Dibble was fouled with 26 seconds to play, and he netted both tries for an 85-80 lead. Nick Hipsher's fifth three-pointer of the night cut the lead to two, but Dibble again went 2-for-2 from the line with 14 seconds left to seal the win. Hebeler led all scorers with 19 points and Terwelp had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Tucker Blaser added 11 boards. Hipsher led five Highlanders in double figures with 18.

Nov. 27 vs. Westminster College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 75, Westminster 63 (2-1)
Led by Blaise Rogers, the Fighting Scots went out in a "Blaise" of glory, making their final 16 attempts at the basket -- five field goals and 11 free throws -- to survive a scare and go 2-0 in the Pizza Hut-Econofoods Classic. With the Scots holding a 52-50 lead, the Blue Jays' Andrew Buxton took a three-pointer that would have given his team the lead. Thanks to their perfect finish, though, the Scots would never let the visitors get in that position again. Rogers made two free throws with 5:34 remaining, and his three-point play at the 3:30 mark put the Scots ahead 61-54. Jim Dibble and Rogers then sandwiched two treys around two Joe Terwelp free throws, and Rogers' basket was the game-breaker, putting the Scots up 69-61 with about a minute left. Rogers had 10 of his team-high 17 points in the final 5:34, and Terwelp also netted 17 for the game. Dibble finished with 11, David Price scored eight and the Scots' fifth starter, Chris Hebeler, had eight points, seven boards and three assists. The Bluejays were led by Buxton's 11 points. 

Nov. 26 vs. Eureka College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 100, Eureka 68 (1-1)
A near-flawless shooting performance by Joe Terwelp paved the way for an easy win in the first game of the Pizza Hut-Econofoods Classic. Terwelp netted 15-of-17 shots on his way to a career-high 35 points, including all eight of his first-half attempts. The sophomore started and capped a 20-0 run with two short range jumpers and, in between, he netted all three of his treys for the game. The Scots led 28-7 at that point and extended the margin to 55-28 at the half. The second half was not as well-played initially, but Monmouth finally heated up, netting 12-of-13 shots at one point, including seven baskets for Terwelp. The next best stat line for the Scots came from reserve Tucker Blaser, who nearly logged a triple-double with 10 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, to go with a team-high four steals. Monmouth's third double-digit scorer was Raun Singleton, who had 13. Eureka was led by J.J. Richard's 22 points. Former Monmouth High School player Luke Sottos had seven points and three assists for the Red Devils off the bench.  

Nov. 19 at Central Missouri State Univ., Warrensburg, Mo.
CMSU 90, Monmouth 61 (0-1)
The Fighting Scots were out of their league, literally, falling by 29 points to a CMSU team that was ranked No. 11 in the initial Division II poll of the season. It marked the 17th time in 17 tries since the 1986-87 season that the Scots have lost to the Mules. CMSU has scored 90 points or more in all but four of those contests. Monmouth's total was the third-fewest points it has scored in the series. The Mules' defensive quickness definitely posed a problem, as they recorded 15 steals and forced a total of 28 Monmouth turnovers. Joe Terwelp was the lone MC player in double digits with 14 points. Blaise Rogers and Chris Hebeler both chipped in eight points but were a combined 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.