NCAA DI: Joni Taylor – University of Georgia

Coach Taylor led Georgia to a pair of victories this past week, including one of the best true road wins in program history. The Lady Bulldogs, ranked No. 14 at the time, began their week by traveling to Raleigh to take on 2nd-ranked NC State. Georgia jumped out to a 12-point halftime lead, but the hosts used a strong second half to get back into the game and eventually take the lead late. With less than a second remaining in regulation, however, Georgia sophomore Sarah Ashlee Barker drilled a three to force overtime. Coach Taylor’s squad was then able to come away with a stunning 82-80 triumph in the extra period, marking the first time Georgia has ever beaten a top-two team in a true road game.  The Lady Bulldogs capped off the week with an 82-45 defeat of St. Francis (PA) on Sunday to extend their winning streak to three. After another blowout victory to start this week (89-50 over South Alabama), the 11-1 Lady Bulldogs now await the start of conference play, which comes on December 30th at home against LSU. 

NCAA DII: Jason Burton – Texas A&M University – Commerce

With two more road victories this past week, Coach Burton’s Lions remained perfect on the season. 3rd-ranked Texas A&M – Commerce defeated Texas Woman’s in a tightly contested 63-60 affair on Monday, before facing off against Midwestern State on Thursday evening. The Lions held just a four-point lead at halftime, but limited the hosts to only seven points in the second half to pull away for an 81-35 triumph. A&M – Commerce did not allow a field goal over the final 16:50 of the contest, and gave up just one point in the fourth quarter. Another win on Monday (99-86 over UAFS) improved the Lions to 11-0 on the season, as they now await a rematch with Midwestern State in the conference opener on December 31st.

NCAA DIII: Kole Vivian – Marietta College

Coach Vivian guided Marietta to two impressive road wins this week, including one over a top-three opponent. The Pioneers leaped out to a 23-point halftime lead en route to a 70-57 triumph over Otterbein on Wednesday, before heading into a matchup with No. 3 John Carroll on Saturday. In a contest that featured 11 ties and 15 lead changes, Marietta was able to pull out a thrilling 81-80 victory, marking the first time in program history that the Pioneers defeated a top-three opponent. Now 8-1 (3-1 OAC) on the season, the Pioneers will host the Jim Meagle Holiday Classic sponsored by BSN Sports beginning on December 29th.

NAIA: Courtney Boyd – Clarke University (IA)

Coach Boyd’s Pride closed out the semester on a high note, winning two more games and extending their winning streak to nine. 15th-ranked Clarke began its week with a dominant conference victory, taking down Mount Mercy by a score of 85-69 on Thursday. The Pride were back in action on Saturday, as they faced off against No. 19 Saint Xavier in a matchup of ranked teams. Clarke dominated from the get-go, taking a 20-point lead into the half and never looking back, coming away with a 94-61 triumph. Now 12-2 on the season, the Pride are off until December 29th, when they take on Bellevue in the first of their two games at the Bruin Classic.

JUCO: Rich Cooper – Rowan College South Jersey – Gloucester

Coach Cooper and his 6th-ranked Roadrunners picked up three more victories this past week, as they continued their perfect start to the season. RC opened the week with a pair of dominant wins, taking down Sussex County Community College, 72-42, on Tuesday and Bergen Community College by a score of 83-38 on Thursday. The Runners’ final game of the week was much closer, as they held off a late rally by Brookdale Community College to come away with a 63-60 victory.

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