[caption id="attachment_69191" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Dara McKeon."]
A career-high 25 points from Dara McKeon wasn’t enough to help Drew’s men’s basketball team snap a 7-game losing streak, as the Rangers lost to Misericordia, 83-76, in Lancaster, Pa. recently. McKeon, a senior forward from Dunboyne, Co. Meath, shot better than 50 percent from 3-point range, knocking down seven of 12 such shots. He was 9-for-19 overall, and distributed a team-high five assists. Drew is currently 3-13 overall and 1-4 in Landmark Conference play.
Apparently, what happened in Las Vegas stayed in Las Vegas, at least where the Ursinus men’s basketball team is concerned. The 2-9 Bears suffered two blowout losses in the D3hoops.com Classic there in the week between Christmas and New Year’s, and then returned to their home court to take on 7-2 Johns Hopkins. Would you believe a 71-55 Ursinus victory? Cork freshman Jermaine Kamara had something to say about the outcome, recording a double-double – 10 points and 13 rebounds. He shot 5-for-7 from the field, to which he added a pair of assists and two rejections.
After stubbing their toes with a 54-47 loss to Gettysburg, Ursinus rebounded to defeat McDaniel, 63-51. Kamara scored 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor and 2-for-4 from the foul line. He also got credit for six rebounds. Ursinus is now 5-10 overall and 4-4 in Centennial Conference play.
Elmira College’s Neil Randolph, a freshman from Co. Wicklow, scored six points for the Screaming Eagles in a recent 71-60 loss to Hartwick in Elmira, N.Y. Randolph nailed one of two 3-pointers that he launched and visited the foul line on four occasions, redeeming three of those opportunities. He also grabbed two rebounds in his 17-minute stint. Elmira, at 0-12, has a tough row to hoe, as none of their remaining rivals wants to be the first school to lose to them this season.
WOMEN’S HOOPS
Orla O’Reilly scored 22 points to help Binghamton defeat Maine, 72-54, in Vestal, N.Y. recently to open the America East portion of the season. O’Reilly, a senior from Cork, connected on eight of 15 field goal attempts, including two of five from downtown, and four of five from the foul line. She also swatted a pair of opponents’ shots and earned credit for five assists.
The Bearcats then defeated Stony Brook, 44-32, in a road contest better viewed as a defensive struggle. O’Reilly put 13 points on the scoreboard, shooting 4-for-10 from the floor (1-for-3 from long range) and 4-for-4 from the victim’s compensation line. She stole the ball six times, grabbed seven rebounds and meted out three assists. Her sister, Sinead, also a senior, took down five rebounds and scored a point on a foul shot.
Orla O’Reilly followed that with a 15-point performance in a 60-48 road loss to Boston University. Six of her 17 field goal attempts, including two of five from Faneuil Hall, found their mark, as did one of three free throws. Her four assists were a team high and she came down with five rebounds. Binghamton is 8-8 overall and 2-1 in the America East.
MacMurray College’s Fionnaula Toner pulled off a game-high four steals in a 66-43 loss to St. Mary of the Woods in Jacksonville, Ill. recently. Toner, a senior from Belfast, scored six points on 3-for-11 shooting from the floor and grabbed four rebounds. The Highlanders are 4-4.
SQUASH
Yale’s Belfast trio were all victorious in a recent 9-0 shutout of Amherst on the latter’s courts. Senior John Roberts, playing in the fifth spot, posted a 3-0 victory over Charles Loesch-Quintin (11-6, 11-8, 11-6). Neil Martin, slotted sixth, cruised past Todd Levine, 3-0 (11-1, 11-7, 11-2). Joseph Roberts held down the nine spot, defeating Peter Mack, 3-0 (11-2, 11-9, 11-2).
