Fighting Scots 2006-2007 Basketball Game Summaries

Feb. 14, 2007 vs. Lake Forest College, Monmouth, Ill.
Lake Forest 69, Monmouth 59 (11-11, 7-9)
Lake Forest's Brad Wehner was the difference in a tight, slow-paced game that featured 14 lead changes. Around the five-minute mark, Wehner knocked down three-pointers on three consecutive possessions, and his personal 9-1 run extended the Foresters' advantage to nine points. Monmouth would get no closer than six points the rest of the way. Wehner finished with 14 points and Laird Walker led the Foresters with 16 points and 12 rebounds. For Monmouth, Raun Singleton scored 17 points in his final game as a Fighting Scot and Blaise Rogers added 15. Singleton made both of his foul tosses in the game, in the process becoming Monmouth's career leader in free throw accuracy (85.0 percent).

Feb. 10, 2007 at Illinois College, Jacksonville, Ill.
Monmouth 82, IC 70 (11-10, 7-8)
The Fighting Scots extended their postseason chances a few hours by beating the Blueboys in their 1 p.m. game, but they were knocked out about three hours later when Lawrence prevailed over Beloit. Joe Terwelp didn't miss much from the field or the foul line, going 9-of-11 on his way to a game-high 22 points. He also was 4-of-5 on free throws and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. Blaise Rogers was deadly at the foul line, making 12-of-13 free throws en route to 16 points. Corey Turner added nine points off the bench as the Scots shot the ball well from all distances and outrebounded Illinois College 45-34. The Blueboys received 20 points from Joe Womble.

Feb. 7, 2007 vs. Knox College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 73, Knox 70 (10-10, 6-8)
Basketball games don't get much closer than the one the Fighting Scots and Prairie Fire staged before a spirited crowd at Glennie Gym. The contest featured 15 ties and 24 lead changes, and in the second half, neither team held more than a two-point lead for a 16-minute stretch. The Scots entered the half leading 44-38 thanks to back-to-back three-pointers by Raun Singleton, but the Fire scored the half's first six points to begin the back-and-forth struggle. For the second time in less than a week, Caleb Bennett sank the game's biggest basket, swishing a three-pointer with 2:13 to play to break a 68-68 tie. Knox's Jason Maclin, who led all scorers with 21 points, answered with a lay-in and the Fire then shot for the lead on their next two trips. Following the second miss, Bennett made a free throw with nine seconds to play to go with the single toss he had made at the 0:32 mark. Trailing by three, Knox went to Maclin to try to tie the game, but his contested three-pointer was off the mark, and Joe Terwelp grabbed the defensive board. Terwelp and Blaise Rogers led five Scots in double figures with 13 points and both players grabbed 11 rebounds. Singleton, Bennett and Josh Reschke all added 10 points.

Feb. 3, 2007 vs. Carroll College, Monmouth, Ill.
Carroll 81, Monmouth 59 (9-10, 5-8)
File this one away under "forgettable games." The Fighting Scots flashed a brief spark early, when Blaise Rogers and Raun Singleton hit back-to-back three-pointers for a 14-13 lead, but Carroll regained control immediately with a 9-0 run. The Pioneers took a double-digit lead to stay on a Nathan Drury trey late in the first half and gradually pulled away from there, eventually leading by 32 on a three-point play by Drury with 5:48 left in the game. Drury led all scorers with 23 points and added seven assists and three steals. Joe Terwelp was the lone Monmouth player in double digits with 14 points.

Feb. 2, 2007 vs. Lawrence University, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 71, Lawrence 63 (9-9, 5-7)
Even more impressive than defeating a program that was ranked No. 1 in the nation last year is the way the Fighting Scots defended against a team ranked third in the nation in field goal percentage this year. Lawrence entered the game shooting 52.6 percent, but Monmouth limited the Vikings to just 24-of-63 accuracy (38 percent). The Scots combined that rugged defense with solid three-point shooting (10-of-23), and no shot beyond the arc was bigger than the one Caleb Bennett hit at the two-minute mark that made the score 66-58. Andy Moore knocked down the most triples for the Scots, sinking four on his way to a team-high 18 points. Joe Terwelp and Raun Singleton both scored 13 points, and the Scots also got great minutes from Luke Reschke, who had seven points, 10 rebounds and two assists off the bench. His brother, Josh Reschke, hit back-to-backs treys late in the first half, which ended with Monmouth ahead 36-28. Lawrence was led by Ryan Kroeger, who scored 21 points.

Jan. 30, 2007 vs. Grinnell College, Monmouth, Ill.
Grinnell 127, Monmouth 111 (8-9, 4-7)
Had the teams' free throw percentages been reversed, the Fighting Scots might have had a chance against league-leading Grinnell. But the Pioneers augmented their helter-skelter, three-point attack with an outstanding 30-of-34 effort from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, the Scots were a dreadful 10-of-24 on free throws in the first half and settled for a 25-of-41 performance. That poor shooting allowed the Pioneers to take a 70-58 halftime lead, which they quickly expanded to 19 points by opening the half with a 7-0 run. The Scots fought an uphill battle from there, getting within eight points a few times, but no closer. John Grotberg, the nation's second-leading scorer, did not disappoint, scoring a game-high 43 points for the Pioneers. Bobby Long scored 22 and David Arseneault and Trek Langenhan, who was 6-of-7 on treys, added 18 apiece. For the Scots, Joe Terwelp led four players in double figures with 26 points. Raun Singleton had 23, Andy Moore scored 20 and Blaise Rogers added 19. Terwelp also contributed 11 rebounds and six assists.

Jan. 23, 2007 at Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Ill.
Monmouth 55, Lake Forest 53 (8-8, 4-6)
A game that was already low on scoring saw the Fighting Scots hold the hosts to just two points in the final 4:50. Monmouth trailed throughout the first half, even facing an 11-point deficit at one stage. Thanks to a great defensive effort, the Scots slowly battled back and took their first lead of the night on Scott Scholten's three-pointer with nine minutes left. After the Foresters had taken a 51-50 lead, Raun Singleton made a jumper and two free throws on consecutive trips. The free throws came with 3:51 left, and the only point the rest of the way was a foul toss at the 1:19 mark by Joe Terwelp, who netted a game-high 17 points. Following Terwelp's miss on the second attempt, the Foresters had two possessions. Blaise Rogers made a key steal to end the first one, and the Foresters then failed to get off a shot on their other, despite getting the ball with 15 seconds left. Singleton chipped in 12 points and Rogers scored 10. Lake Forest was just 7-of-24 from the field in the second half after taking a 33-25 intermission lead.

Jan. 20, 2007 at Beloit College, Beloit, Wis.
Beloit 74, Monmouth 67 (7-8, 3-6)
Other than location, there was one major difference between the Fighting Scots' seven-point win over Beloit eight days ago and its seven-point loss to the Bucs Saturday. That was the red-hot shooting of Beloit's Mike Dowden, who played the key role in a 19-4 surge that gave the Bucs control of the game in the second half. Dowden, who finished the game 7-of-12 from the beyond the arc, scored 13 points during the decisive run, which snapped a tie and gave Beloit a 56-41 advantage. Monmouth later closed within five points, but the Bucs sealed the season split by making 7-of-8 free throws, including five by Dowden, who finished with 34 points. The southpaw guard had scored just 12 points in Monmouth's 80-73 win on Jan. 12. The Scots were led by Blaise Rogers and Joe Terwelp, who each scored 20 points and combined for 15 rebounds. Terwelp was 8-of-9 from the floor in 30 minutes of action.

Jan. 19, 2007 at St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wis.
St. Norbert 68, Monmouth 56 (7-7, 3-5)
The Fighting Scots scored just six points in the final 7:55 to lose the first game of their weekend doubleheader. Although leading scorer Joe Terwelp did return to action, logging 26 minutes, it was clear he had not yet fully recovered from illness. He was held to seven points, and no other Scots stepped up offensively to fill his void. Raun Singleton and Blaise Rogers netted 15 and 11 points, respectively, but the Scots had only other player with more than seven points. Additionally, Monmouth was beaten 39-28 on the boards and committed five more turnovers than the Green Knights, who were led by Nathan Zepnick's career-high 21 points. The Scots trailed 31-30 at halftime but held a 50-48 lead before hitting their second-half dry spell.

Jan. 13, 2007 vs. Ripon College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 80, Ripon 79 (7-6, 3-4)
In a game they likely wouldn't have won a year ago, the Fighting Scots upset league-leading Ripon to cap an impressive weekend homestand. While losing a handful of heartbreakers last year, Monmouth shot just 59.7 percent from the foul line. But a sensational job on free throws allowed the Scots to pin the first MWC loss on Ripon. The Scots went 19-of-20 at the charity stripe, and the only player who missed, Caleb Bennett, made up for it by hitting four in the clutch. Monmouth had taken a 45-43 halftime lead on Scott Scholten trey at the horn, and the Scots kept the lead for nearly all the second half. Bennett allowed Monmouth to stay ahead by two with a pair of free throws at the 3:26 mark, but Ripon grabbed its first and only second-half lead on two Brian Schmitting free throws with 49 seconds to play. Bennett was fouled at the other end at the 0:26 mark, and his free throws pushed the Scots back in front by one. Ripon's Paul Wise, who had made the buzzer-beating game-winner the night before at Lake Forest, tried to repeat his feat, but his off-balance leaner drew back iron, and Bennett corralled the rebound. Blaise Rogers led five Scots in double figures with 17 points. Raun Singleton scored 13 and Bennett, Josh Reschke and Andy Moore added 10 each. Wise and Schmitting had 19 points apiece for the Red Hawks.

Jan. 12, 2007 vs. Beloit College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 80, Beloit 73 (6-6, 2-4)
In a loss three nights earlier, the Fighting Scots failed to have any new players step up to carry the scoring load of all-conference center Joe Terwelp. With Terwelp still out of the lineup with the flu, three Scots picked up their scoring pace to lift Monmouth to victory. Andy Moore and Corey Turner, who would each score career highs, filled that role well in the first half, each scoring 11 points as Monmouth took a 40-30 halftime lead. Josh Reschke, who had eight points in the game, kept the Scots ahead by double digits by sinking two early treys, but the Bucs eventually closed within a point at 59-58 with under seven minutes to play. When the going got tough, the Scots turned to senior star Raun Singleton, and his three-pointer on a broken play as the clock shot sounded put Monmouth ahead 70-62 with two minutes left. Singleton, who led the Scots with 16 points, added six late free throws as Monmouth made 12-of-13 foul shots in the final 3:12. Turner finished with 15 points off the bench and Moore and Blaise Rogers each scored 13. Rogers added five assists and Moore grabbed eight boards. Beloit's Andy Horton starred with 29 points, seven rebounds and five blocks.

Jan. 9, 2007 at Knox College, Galesburg, Ill.
Knox 70, Monmouth 63 (5-6, 1-4)
Playing without leading scorer Joe Terwelp, the Fighting Scots struggled offensively for most of the game against the arch-rival Prairie Fire. Monmouth's best moments came midway through the first half, as the Scots turned an early five-point deficit into a 27-17 lead with nine minutes to play. The Scots scored just seven points the rest of the half, though, and they struggled mightily from the floor over the final 20 minutes, hitting just 10-of-39 field goals. The most unfortunate miss came with a minute to play, when Raun Singleton's three-pointer was off the mark. It would have cut the Knox lead to one. After the Fire, who struggled at the foul line late, failed to convert two free throws, Singleton and Josh Reschke then missed field goals that would have trimmed the margin to two, and the Fire finally sealed the game at the charity stripe. Singleton and Blaise Rogers led the Scots with 18 points apiece, while Jason Maclin paced four Knox players in double figures with 17.

Jan. 6, 2007 vs. Illinois College, Monmouth, Ill.
IC 84, Monmouth 71 (5-5, 1-3)
A tremendous second-half shooting display by Raun Singleton was not enough to dig the Fighting Scots out of the big hole they dug in the first 20 minutes. Monmouth trailed 38-22 at intermission after shooting 6-of-28 from the field and being outrebounded 26-15. Before forcing a desperation trey late in the game, Singelton went 6-for-6 from beyond the arc in the second half on his way to 25 of his team-high 27 points. Monmouth got as close as 51-46 on two Blaise Rogers free throws with 11:24 left, and the Scots hung around from there, but IC always had a reply. Their player with the most answers was Pete Jennings, who netted 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Rogers scored 14 points for the Scots, and Andy Moore had eight points and eight rebounds. Carthage product Joe Reed scored nine points for the Blueboys, all in the second half.

Dec. 12, 2006 at Robert Morris College, Chicago, Ill.
RMC 92, Monmouth 52 (5-4)
The No. 1-ranked team in NAIA moved to 13-0 on the season with a decisive victory over the Fighting Scots. It was the first time the two teams had ever met in men's basketball, and it was the 400th career victory for RMC coach Al Bruehl. “Does the word ‘Custer’ mean anything to you?” quipped MC coach Terry Glasgow, also a 400-game winner, when asked to summarize the contest. Although the Scots had trouble stopping the Eagles at a number of turns, two players, in particular, did the damage. Six-foot-10 center Reggie George, an Iowa State transfer, made 8-of-9 field goals in the first half and blocked six shots on his way to a stat line of 22 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks. Six-foot-6 forward Taylor Freeman also filled up the stat sheet, accumulating 14 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. The Scots were led by Joe Terwelp, who scored 15 points. Raun Singleton added 13 and Andy Moore scored 12.

Dec. 9, 2006 at Central College, Pella, Iowa
Monmouth 88, Central 82 (5-3)
Down by as many as 13 points in the second half, the Fighting Scots battled back for a big non-conference victory on the road. The Scots made five treys, including two by Corey Turner, during a 17-5 run that tied the game at 64-64. The Dutch jumped out ahead again by seven, but the Scots again scored points in threes, with Raun Singleton sandwiching a pair of treys around another by Turner and an old-fashioned three-point play by Joe Terwelp. The 12-2 run gave the Scots their first lead since the five-minute mark of the first half. Monmouth then turned to the foul line to hang onto the win, making 8-of-10 in the final 4:35, including four straight by Andy Moore in the final minute. Singleton made six treys and led the Scots with 25 points, while Blaise Rogers chipped in 21. Moore and Turner both added 12. For the Dutch, Clint Driftmier poured in a game-high 37.

Dec. 6, 2006 at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell 143, Monmouth 125 (4-3, 1-2)
Red-hot shooting from beyond the arc basically sealed the Pioneers' victory by halftime. Grinnell hit 20-of-39 treys while opening up an 84-63 lead through 20 minutes. The Scots held a 21-19 advantage, but in the span of three minutes, the Pioneers went 6-of-8 from downtown, including three straight by Mike Schmidt, to take a 37-25 lead. Once Grinnell took that double-digit lead at the 10-minute mark, Monmouth would get no closer than 10 points the rest of the way. The Scots were led by Blaise Rogers, who became the third player in team history to record a triple-double. Rogers scored a career-high 33 points, had 15 rebounds and dished 11 of Monmouth's school-record 40 assists. Joe Terwelp scored 28 and Raun Singleton added 23.

Dec. 3, 2006 at Carroll College, Waukesha, Wis.
Monmouth 83, Carroll 81 (4-2, 1-1)
Coach Terry Glasgow promised a different story for this year's Fighting Scots, and his team delivered in a big way at Carroll. Led by unlikely hero Scott Scholten, Monmouth recorded its most significant road victory in years, knocking off a team that started the season ranked in the nation's Top 20. Coming into the game, Scholten's numbers in two-plus seasons with the program totaled 53 minutes of court time and eight points. But the reserve point guard came up with big minutes (25) and, more importantly, big points for the Scots, hitting back-to-back three-pointers in the final three minutes to break a 73-73 tie and give Monmouth a six-point lead. Poor free throw shooting by the Scots kept Carroll in the game, but the Pioneers could not convert on a game-tying attempt in the final seconds. The Scots were just 2-of-6 at the line in the final 42 seconds, including a miss by Raun Singleton that snapped his consecutive free throw streak at 21. Singleton finished with 15 points and Scholten had 11, but the Scots were led by Joe Terwelp, who scored 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out four assists. Carroll led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but the Scots rallied quickly to start the second half, which featured five ties and nine lead changes. If Carroll, as predicted, does qualify for the MWC playoffs, this would be Monmouth's first road victory over a top-four team since the 1999-2000 season.

Dec. 2, 2006 at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wis.
Lawrence 91, Monmouth 63 (3-2, 0-1)
The first leg of the Fighting Scots' toughest road trip of the year was just that -- tough. Playing the nation's 17th-ranked team, Monmouth stayed in the game for a while, closing the gap to 47-38 at halftime. But a 9-0 Vikings run early in the second half pushed their lead to 63-42, and the Scots would get no closer than 18 the rest of the way. Raun Singleton made four three-pointers to finish with a team-high 13 points for the Scots, while Joe Terwelp added 12. Three Lawrence players scored in double figures, led by Ryan Kroeger, who made 6-of-10 shots from beyond the arc on his way to a game-high 20 points.

Nov. 26, 2006 vs. William Penn University, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 86, William Penn 73 (3-1)
Technically, Raun Singleton's greatest game as a Fighting Scot also featured the greatest single-game free throw performance in school history. The senior from Roseville knocked down all 15 of his free throw attempts on his way to a 36-point performance in the final game of the Pizza Hut Classic. Eight of his free throws came on technical fouls, including four at the 4:10 mark when WPU coach John Henry was slapped with back-to-back Ts and ejected from the game. That Singleton quartet pushed Monmouth's lead to 68-59, and the Statesmen would get no closer than five the rest of the way despite a one-man show by Ryan Norman, who scored 18 of his team's final 26 points on his way to a 20-point performance. Less than 24 hours earlier, Singleton was told "It's not your night" by MC coach Terry Glasgow as he came off the floor mired in a 2-for-11 slump. But with five treys and three other field goals to go along with his 15 free throws, Singleton regained his touch and carried a Monmouth attack that also featured 23 points from Joe Terwelp and 15 from Blaise Rogers.

Nov. 25, 2006 vs. Hannibal-LaGrange College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 61, HLG 58 (2-1)
With wins expected to be at a premium during the 2006 portion of the Fighting Scots' schedule, the opening game of the Pizza Hut Classic was one that Monmouth didn't want to let get away. Thanks to some clutch shooting by reserve Josh Reschke and a 6-for-6 effort at the line down the stretch, the Scots were able to move above .500 for the year. Both teams struggled offensively for large chunks of the first half, which ended with the Trojans holding a 24-23 advantage. A three-pointer by Joe Terwelp to open the second half put Monmouth up, but it would prove to be the first of seven lead changes over the final 20 minutes. Both of Reschke's three-pointers put the Scots ahead, and his second one with less than six minutes to play made it 53-50. He added a runner on the next trip for a five-point cushion, but that was Monmouth's final field goal. The rest of the scoring came at the line, starting with two Blaise Rogers free throws at the 2:49 mark that snapped a 55-55 tie. Two foul tosses by Caleb Bennett with 1:48 left put the Scots up three, as did two by Terwelp with 16 seconds left. HLG created a good look for Wayne McPike for a game-tying trey, but his attempt bounced high off the rim, and the buzzer sounded before the Trojans could get off another shot. Terwelp led the Scots with 17 points and Rogers added 11 to go with seven rebounds. Josh Reschke had eight points and his brother Luke Reschke added nine points and four steals. The Trojans received 14 points from McPike. 

Nov. 21, 2006 at MacMurray College, Jacksonville, Ill.
Monmouth 92, MacMurray 86 (1-1)
The Fighting Scots rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit to pick up their first victory of the year. A balanced attack from the starting five keyed the Scots, as they all finished in double figures, led by Caleb Bennett's 23. Joe Terwelp had 18 points and Raun Singleton hit four treys on his way to 17. Blaise Rogers chipped in 13 points and Andy Moore posted a double-dozen with 12 points and 12 boards. The Scots enjoyed a 39-35 lead at the half, but the Highlanders quickly turned things around to take a nine-point advantage seven minutes into the half. Monmouth won the next 10 minutes, though, outscoring their hosts by 18 points to take a nine-point lead of their own with three minutes to play.

Nov. 18, 2006 at Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, Mo.
CMSU 81, Monmouth 53 (0-1)
Are the Fighting Scots improved defensively? Judging by the outcome of their season opener, the answer is "Yes." Monmouth has never beaten the Mules and fell to 0-18 all-time against them, but the Scots surrendered the second-fewest points they have allowed in the rivalry. Only in 1988, when they lost 71-57, have they allowed fewer points. Offensively, the story wasn't as good, as only Joe Terwelp was able to find his way into the scoring column with any consistency. Terwelp netted 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting and added a game-high nine rebounds. Blaise Rogers and Andy Moore had three baskets apiece and combined for 20 points. CMSU took a 49-22 halftime lead and eventually led by 42 before the Scots went on a late 19-4 run. Monmouth was outrebounded 44-27 and had eight of its shots blocked.