Fighting Scots 2007-2008 Basketball Game Summaries

Feb. 18, 2008 vs. Grinnell College at Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell 114, Monmouth 113 (OT) (6-15, 6-9)
The Scots nearly pulled off an upset of Grinnell in Darby Gym, but couldn't quite get a barrage of shots in the final seconds of overtime to fall in a 114-113 loss to the Pioneers. Scott Scholten's two free throws with 17 seconds left in regulation forced the extra period. The game was close throughout with 12 ties and nine lead changes. The Pioneers hit their free throws at the start of overtime, making 4-of-4 to built a modest lead 111-107, but failed to convert a pair in the waning seconds to make it an interesting finish. In OT, a jumper by Joe Terwelp and a layup from Kyle Weyeneth knotted it at 111-111 with 3:29 left. After Grinnell's Keith Chamberlain got a bucket in the paint to regain the lead, Weyeneth connected on two more charity tosses to tie the game for the final time at the 1:52 mark. A Bobby Long free throw put Grinnell up 114-113 with just over a minute left, but when Grinnell's John Grotberg missed two free throws the Scots still had a chance with :27 left. A pair of Scots' shots in traffic failed to find the mark, ending Monmouth's upset bid. Terwelp led six Scots in double figures with 18 points. Corey Turner added 15, Corey Gruber and Kyle Weyeneth each collected 14, Scott Ubbenga chipped in with 13 and Alex Tanney posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Feb. 16, 2008 vs. Illinois College at Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 77, Illinois College 66 (6-14, 6-8)
At least this win wasn't quite as stressful as Wednesday's victory. Monmouth took the lead five minutes into the game and never relinquished it in a 77-66 win over Illinois College. Playing their final game at Glennie Gym, seniors Joe Terwelp, Scott Scholten, Bob Hoffman, Brett Peurach and Wes Wrage started the game and went out in style. Terwelp scored a game-high 27 points and Scholten poured in 19 as the Scots connected on 52-percent of their first half shots. The Scots committed just eight turnovers while forcing 18 Blueboys miscues. Monmouth, who led by as many as 17 with a minute to go in the game, fought off an IC challenge late in the first half. IC's Joe Womble trimmed Monmouth's lead to five, 38-33 with 1:36 left in the first half, but the Scots countered with a Scholten free throw and a Wrage jumper to take a 41-33 halftime lead. The Blueboys never got closer than eight in the second half.

Feb. 13, 2008 vs. Knox College at Galesburg, Ill.
Monmouth 58, Knox 52 (5-14, 5-8)
You can excuse Monmouth coach Mark Vershaw if he turns prematurely gray. The Scots made it dramatic in 58-52 win over Knox. Trailing for the first 34 minutes of the game, the Scots staged a comeback to knock the arch rival Prairie Fire out of the MWC race. Eric Grant's two free throws with 6:09 left produced the game's first tie since the opening tip. Less than a minute later, Alex Tanney made 1-of-2 free throws to give the Scots their first lead of the night. After the Fire's Josh Moten scored a basket in the paint to reclaim the Knox lead, Tanney drained a 3-pointer to give the Scots the lead for good, but it wasn't easy. With the Fire trailing 53-52, a Knox turnover gave Monmouth the ball with :37 left. Twenty seconds later, Scott Ubbenga supplied the dagger with a trey and followed that with a pair of free throws for a 58-52 lead with six second left. Joe Terwelp led the Scots with 14 points. Ubbenga added 12.

Feb. 9, 2008 vs. Carroll College at Waukesha, Wis.
Carroll 85, Monmouth 77 (4-14, 4-8)
The Fighting Scots nearly pulled off the upset, but ran out of time in an 85-77 loss to the Pioneers. Trailing by 19 with 3:04 to go, Monmouth put on a 3-point barrage to get as close as six, 83-77, with :33 left before Carroll's free throws and the clock combined to hold off the Monmouth threat. A pair of Scotts (that's no typo) powered the late Monmouth surge. Scott Scholten drained a three and scored five points and Scott Ubbenga scored nine of his 20 points on three treys during the Scots' stretch drive. Joe Terwelp poured in 24 points and 13 rebounds and Alex Tanney added 17 points.

Feb. 8, 2008 vs. Lawrence University at Appleton, Wis.
Lawrence 105, Monmouth 68 (4-13, 4-7)
After nearly two weeks off, the Scots showed a little rust in a 105-68 loss to 23rd ranked Lawrence. Monmouth, who shot 38-percent from the floor, couldn't overcome a pair of Lawrence runs.  The Vikings went on an 18-2 run late in the first half to break open a close game and opened the second half with a 21-5 run to ensure the victory. Four Scots scored in double figures, led by Joe Terwelp's 15, but it wasn't enough to silence the red-hot Vikings. Lawrence shot over 50-percent from beyond the arc, connecting on 15-of-29 treys. Corey Turner and Scott Ubbenga collected 11 points each. Corey Gruber added 10 to round out the Scots double digit scorers.

Jan. 26, 2008 vs. Beloit College at Monmouth, Ill.
Beloit 67, Monmouth 60 (4-12, 4-6)
A week after the Scots hammered the Bucs in Wisconsin, Beloit exacted revenge with a 67-60 win at Monmouth. The Scots got off to a good start and led by by six early in the game, but the Buccaneers pulled even midway through the opening half and had a 37-27 lead at intermission. Trailing by nearly double-digits most of the second half, the Scots got within two, 56-54, on Kyle Weyeneth's layup with just under six minutes to go. Beloit then hit five of their next six free throws to regain a six-point edge before Blaise Rogers and Joe Terwelp combined to pull Monmouth back to within two, 61-59, with just under three minutes remaining. Beloit responded with a pair of treys to hold on for the win. Terwelp led with a game-high 25 points before fouling out with 1:59 left.

Jan. 25, 2008 vs. St. Norbert College at Monmouth, Ill.
St. Norbert 73, Monmouth 58 OT (4-11, 4-5)
A 9-0 run by St. Norbert in overtime doomed the Fighting Scots in a 73-58  loss to the Green Knights. The defensive struggle in the first half found Monmouth trailing by just four, 28-24, at the break. Playing from behind for most of the second half, Alex Tanney's old-fashioned three-point play with 2:22 left gave the Scots their first lead since late in the first half, 49-48. A trey by the Green Knights Eric Bieniasz put St. Norbert in the lead 55-53 with under a minute to go, but the Scots' Blaise Rogers scored in the paint with :33 left to force a tie. St. Norbert's final shot of regulation missed the mark to send the game into the extra period. St. Norbert hit 75-percentof their shots in the extra session and coasted to the win. Joe Terwelp scored a game-high 22 points for the Scots. 

Jan. 19, 2008 vs. Ripon College at Ripon, Wis.
Ripon 85, Monmouth 80 (4-10, 4-4)
Monmouth's four-game winning streak came to a close in the final seconds of an 85-80 loss at Ripon. The Scots trailed 37-33 at the half, but Alex Tanney's 3-pointer with 13:14 left in the game gave Monmouth their first lead since the game's opening minute. Neither team could deliver the knockout punch the rest of the way. With Ripon nursing an 83-80 lead and 13 seconds left, a Monmouth offensive foul put the Red Hawks at the charity stripe where two Scott Gillespie free throws iced the game. Joe Terwelp lead the Scots with 22 points, Tanney added 15, connecting on all five of his 3-point attempts, and Blaise Rogers chipped in with 11.

Jan. 18, 2008 vs. Beloit College at Beloit, Wis.
Monmouth 74, Beloit 50 (4-9, 4-3)
Do not adjust your set, what you see is correct - the Fighting Scots won their fourth straight and this time they had room to spare. After winning their last three games by an average of just over two points, the Scots gave head coach Mark Vershaw some breathing room with a 74-50 win over Beloit. The Scots went on a run late in the first half to open up a comfortable 34-17 lead at halftime. The Scots second half lead never dipped below 15 points and they led by as much as 29 points. Monmouth, who shot over 50-percent for the game were led by Blaise Rogers' 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, Joe Terwelp and Corey Gruber chipped in with 10 each as 12 different Scots cracked the scoring column. The win vaulted the Scots into third place in the Midwest Conference standings.

Jan. 15, 2008 vs. Knox College at Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 55, Knox 52 (3-9, 3-3)
Monmouth survived a five minute scoring drought to open the game and didn't score in the first four minutes of the second half, but were able to score just enough to pick up their third straight win, a 55-52 victory over Knox. The Scots spotted the Prairie Fire a 7-0 lead before Blaise Rogers scored the first of his 10 points on the night. Monmouth took their first lead of the night on Alex Tanney's 3-pointer with just under 10 minutes left in the first half, but trailed 28-26 at intermission. Knox increased their lead to 9, 35-26 before Kyle Weyeneth's layup broke the Scots second long drought of the night. Another Tanney trey gave Monmouth the lead for good 48-45 with just under six minutes to go. With Knox threatening 53-52, Rogers canned two free throws with four seconds left for a 55-52 lead and held on when Peter Cain's desperation 3-pointer missed its mark. Tanney and Weyeneth matched Rogers 10 points to lead the Scots.

Jan. 12, 2008 vs. Illinois College at Jacksonville, Ill.
Monmouth 70, Illinois College 67 (2-9, 2-3)
The Scots recorded their second straight win with a 70-67 come-from-behind win at Illinois College. Monmouth trailed for most of the game before a Kyle Cook free throw with 5:29 left in the game gave the Scots the lead for the first time. Blaise Rogers and Alex Tanney combined to go five-for-six from the free throw line in the final 14 seconds to preserve the road win. Monmouth, who trailed 37-23 at halftime, were led by Rogers 25 points and Joe Terwelp's 12. Rogers connected of 11-of-13 from the charity stripe in his third game back after a preseason injury.

Jan. 8, 2008 vs. Lake Forest at Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 68, Lake Forest 67 (1-9, 1-3)
Free throws played a critical role in the Scots end of a nine-game losing streak. Tyler Morrow hit two free throws for his only points on the night after time had expired in the first half to give Monmouth just enough breathing room in the Scots' 68-67 win over Lake Forest. Morrow made the charity tosses after being fouled on a rebound as time expired in the half. The Scots had led by 14 with five minutes left in the first half before the Foresters roared back to cut the deficit to one with 1:05 remaining before intermission. Monmouth put on a surge to start the second half, building a 16 lead just five minutes into the period. Lake Forest staged their second strong comeback of the night, but couldn't quite overtake the Scots. With the Scots leading by one with 11 seconds left, a missed Monmouth free throw opened the door for the Foresters, but they were unable to get a shot off as the Scots gave head coach Mark Vershaw his first career win. Joe Terwelp poured in 20 points (13 in the first half) and Blaise Rogers, playing his first game at home after suffering a broken foot in the preseason, added 13 points. Alex Tanney chipped in with 13.

Jan. 4, 2008 vs. Minnesota State at Mankato, Minn.
Minnesota State 87, Monmouth 62 (0-9)
Monmouth's first game after the holiday break at Division II Minnesota State may have been an 87-62 loss, but it should be a good warmup for the remainder of the season. The Scots never led in the game, but kept pace with the Mavericks in the final 30 minutes. MSU opened the game with a 10-0 run before Joe Terwelp scored his first of a game-high 26 points. Alex Tanney's trey with 12:10 left in the first half closed the gap to seven, but the Scots would get no closer. Kyle Weyeneth scored 13 for the only other Scot in double figures. Blaise Rogers, making his senior debut after a preseason injury, collected four points in 20 minutes of work.

Dec. 20, 2007 vs. Robert Morris College (Chicago) at Chicago, Ill.
Robert Morris 91, Monmouth 53 (0-8)
The Scots didn't fair any better the second time around against the NAIA's 9th ranked Eagles. A month after Robert Morris handed Monmouth a loss at Glennie Gym, the Eagles posted a 91-53 victory over Monmouth in Chicago. Robert Morris opened the game with an 11-0 run before Brett Peurach's jumper broke the ice for Monmouth. The Scots took advantage of 15 offensive rebounds, outscoring the Eagles 19-17 on second chance points. While Monmouth kept the turnovers down, just eight for the game, their shooting was the Achilles' heal converting only 30-percent of their shots from the floor. Joe Terwelp led Monmouth with 19 points.

Dec. 8, 2007 vs. Central College at Monmouth, Ill.
Central 85, Monmouth 61 (0-7)
The Scots were as cold as the weather, hitting just 36-percent of their shots in an 85-61 home loss to Central College. The Scots led briefly in the early minutes before the Dutch gradually pulled away in the first half to open a 45-27 lead entering the locker rooms. Kyle Weyeneth scored four of his eight points in the first minute of the second half and Jesse Haskett hit four of his six points at the start of the second half as the Scots began trimming the deficit. The Dutch responded after Haskett's jumper pulled Monmouth within 12 and held a comfortable lead the rest of the way. Scott Scholten and Joe Terwelp led the Scots with nine points each.

Dec. 5, 2007 vs. Grinnell College at Monmouth, Ill.
Grinnell 100, Monmouth 80 (0-6)
Monmouth's tough stretch to open the year continued with a 100-80 loss to Grinnell. The Scots couldn't keep up with the Pioneers frenzied tempo trailing 62-38 at the half. Grinnell slowed the pace in the second half as the Scots outscored the Pioneers 42-38 in the second half. The Scots could only get as close at 15 with one minute left when Ron Snisky came off the bench and hit his first of two 3-pointers. Joe Terwelp posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Kyle Cook added 14 points while hitting 5-of-6 from the floor.

Dec. 1, 2007 vs. Lawrence University at Monmouth, Ill.
Lawrence 90, Monmouth 75 (0-5)
Alex Tanney hit a career-high 21 points, but it wasn't enough in Monmouth's 90-75 loss to Lawrence. Lawrence built a 15-point lead late in the first half before the Scots closed the gap to four with two minutes remaining in the half on a Tanney jumper. The Vikings answered with six unanswered points to regain a double digit lead before the intermission, 50-40. The Scots rallied to start the second half, cutting the deficit to five on Kyle Cook's layup with just under 15 minutes remaining. The Vikings again countered, increasing their lead to 18 with just under five minutes to go. Monmouth's last gasp rally ended after Fletcher Morgan's jumper in the lane pulled the Scots into a three possession game 84-75 with just under a minute left. The Vikings then hit six consecutive free throws to ice the game. Scott Scholten added 16 points including four 3-pointers.

Nov. 30, 2007 vs. Carroll College at Monmouth, Ill.
Carroll 83, Monmouth 78 (0-4)
In a game that produced 13 ties, the Fighting Scots couldn't quite overcome a cold stretch in the final two minutes as Carroll knocked off the Scots 83-78. With the score tied 73-73, the Pioneers outscored Monmouth 10-5 thanks in part to a 10-for-10 performance by the Pioneers from the free throw line. The Scots forged their last tie on a Joe Terwelp jumper in the paint with 2:31 left, but that's when the Pioneers caught fire. Monmouth led 38-32 at the half, but a pair of treys and a free throw gave Carroll the lead to begin a seesaw second half. Neither team led by more than six in the last half. Alex Tanney's knee injury last weekend wasn't as serious as first thought, he came off the bench to lead the Scots with 19 second half points, Terwelp finished with 17, Kyle Cook added 12 and Scott Ubbenga chipped in with 11.

Nov. 25, 2007 vs. Robert Morris College-Chicago at Monmouth, Ill.
Robert Morris 79, Monmouth 52 (0-3)
Monmouth thought they would have their hands full battling the No. 7 ranked team in the NAIA, and they were correct in a 79-52 loss to Robert Morris. After the Scots won the opening tip and Joe Terwelp scored the first points of the game, the Eagles took charge and slowly built a 41-20 halftime lead. The Scots stayed relatively even with the Eagles in the second half, but could not get out of the first half hole. Terwelp's 10 points led the Scots scoring. Jesse Haskett came off the bench to pull a team-high six rebounds.

Nov. 24, 2007 vs. St. Ambrose University at Monmouth, Ill.
St. Ambrose 80, Monmouth 76 (0-2)
The Fighting Scots achieved two of the three goals coach Mark Vershaw laid out for them, but the third goal proved to be the Scots' undoing in an 80-76 loss to St. Ambrose University in the Pizza Hut/County Market Classic. Vershaw wanted his team to limit turnovers - they did - just 14 for the game; be strong on the boards - they out-rebounded the Bees 41-34; and limit transition points - the Bees used an up tempo late in the game to get to the foul line and connected on five of their last six free throws to hold off a Monmouth charge. In a game with 11 ties, St. Ambrose edged out to a second half lead and held off the Scots the rest of the way. Corey Gruber's trey with 5:00 left cut the Bees' lead to three, 73-70. Scott Scholten then connected on a three of his own with eight seconds remaining to get the Scots within striking distance 78-76, but the Bees' Brett Cole iced the game with a pair of free throws for the final margin. Joe Terwelp led the Scots with 22 points, Eric Grant added 17 and Alex Tanney finished the Scots double digit scoring with 14.

Nov. 17, 2007 at Central Missouri State at Warrensburg, Mo.
Central Missouri State 87, Monmouth 60 (0-1)
Mark Vershaw's head coaching debut may have been an 87-60 loss, but there were still plenty of positives in the 2000th game in Fighting Scots history. Monmouth held the Division II Mules to their second-lowest point total against the Scots in eight years. Monmouth led early thanks to a pair of Scott Scholten three-pointers and Monmouth held a 7-5 lead at 16:59 of the first half before the Mules took the lead and slowly pulled away. After CMSU built an 11 point lead midway through the opening half, the Scots went on a 10-0 run on Joe Terwelp's layup sandwiched between a pair of threes by Kyle Cook and Scholten, Corey Gruber's jumper then pulled Monmouth within one before the Mules kicked their way back to a double digit lead and were never threatened in the second half. Scholten led the Scots with 12 points.