CWRU men advance in D-III

For the second straight year, Case Western Reserve University is on to the second round of the NCAA Division III men’s tournament.

The Spartans got there be beating Arcadia (Pa.) University, 80-76, in a firstround game March 3 at Horsburgh Gymnasium.

Playing on their home floor as a first/second-round host after claiming the University Athletic Association regular-season title, the Spartans improved to 22-3.

They’ll host WisconsinWhitewater (22-7) in the second round on March 3. Tipoff is at 6:20 p.m. The Warhawks were a 90-83 winner over Wabash in the other first-round contest at Horsburgh Gymnasium.

CWRU senior forward Cole Frillling led a balanced attack with 20 points and a team-high 10 rebounds as the Spartans held off a late rush by the MAC Freedom Conference champions to

secure the victory.

The Spartans built leads as large as 15 points in the second half before the Knights used a swarming pressure defense to narrow the gap over the final fine minutes.

“We knew it was going to be tough, but all that matters at this time of the year is to get the win,” CWRU coach Todd McGuinness said after his team notched its 10th straight win.

CWRU also got strong performances from graduate guard Danny Frauenheim (18 points, game-high seven assists) and junior guard Luke Thorburn (16 points, six rebounds).

Graduate guard Mitch Prendergast, CWRU’s leading scorer at 17.2 points per game, managed only 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Arcadia got a game-high 24 points from sophomore guard Nas Johnson. Senior forward Jalen Watkins put up eye-opening numbers with 21 points and a gamehigh 21 rebounds.

Neither team shot particularly well in a first half that ended with Arcadia leading, 32-31.

CWRU shot 33.3 percent from the field (10-for30) but stayed close to the Knights by going 10-for14 on free throws. Arcadia managed only 32.4 percent shooting but did go 5-for-14 from 3-point range.

The Spartans picked up their shooting markedly in the second half, making 60.7 percent of their field goals.

“The first half was pretty rough,” Frilling said. We let the game come to us in the second half.”