Men's Basketball 2011-2012
Wooldridge drops 33 points vs. Calumet
Tyler Wooldridge (Bakersfield, CA) scored a game high of 33 points and Jerome Murray (Orlando, FL) added 15 more as the Andrews University Cardinals (5-1) travelled to Hammond, Indiana to take on the Crimson Wave of Calumet College. Stephan Blackwood (Irvington, NJ) contributed 10 points, while Ronaldo Green (Fort Pierce, FL) added 9 of his own. Rounding out the scores were Junior Orelus (Delray Beach, FL) with 3 points and Clifford Allen (St. Joseph, MI) with 2.
The Cardinals got off to a hot start, connecting on 6-of-10 from beyond the three-point line shooting 60% overall in the first half, en route to a 33-30 lead at the half.
In the second half, the Cardinals increased their lead to 12 at the 17 minute mark due to the high percentage shooting of Wooldridge, Murray and Green. They managed to give up their lead as Calumet’s #12 Roddy Richardson lit up the 3 point line taking the lead by 1 with 3:52 left in the game. Calumet’s lead was short lived as Cardinal point guard Tyler Wooldridge answered the call and dropped a 3 pointer of his own to regain the lead, 61-59 with 3:35 left on the clock.
The Cardinals defense kicked into high gear as forwards Stephan Blackwood and Jerome Murray caused 2 crucial turnovers in the last 2 minutes of regulation to give the Cardinals a 7 point lead. Down by 7 with 1:21 on the clock the Crimson Wave was forced to foul and sent the Cardinals to the charity stripe. Wooldridge12-13 from the free-throw line and Murray 7-9 drained their free-throws leading the Cardinals on to victory.
Coach Jardine commented after the game. “We did some great things defensively tonight especially down the stretch. Our free-throw percentage was much better than in previous games and really was one of the major contributing factors in tonight’s win.”
The Cardinals host South Bend’s Holy Cross College on Saturday November 19, 2011 at 7:00 PM in the Johnson Gymnasium.
Cardinals defeat Lake Michigan College
Lake Michigan College was unable to solve that defense Thursday night, shooting 31 percent and committing 29 turnovers as Andrews posted a 67-44 win.
"Our guys take a lot of pride in their defense," said Andrews coach David Jardine. "Our match up zone is difficult to penetrate and our guys execute it well.
Andrews, the defending United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division II national champion, is off to a 4-1 start and the most points the Cardinals have allowed is 51.
"They beat us really soundly in every phase of the game," said LMC coach Sam Cornett. "I'm impressed with their execution this early in the season.
"Their 2-3 zone gave us fits. We had trouble scoring and they created a lot of turnovers."
Andrews led nearly the entire game, trailing only at 4-2 before Stephan Blackwood scored a tying bucket and then had a 3-point play to make it 7-4.
The Cardinals led by as many as 10 points in the first half but didn't pull away until after the break.
The Indians (0-2) trailed 33-27 at halftime but trimmed the lead to two at 36-34 less than two minutes in the second half, forcing an Andrews timeout.
The Cardinals responded with the next five points on a 3-pointer by Matt Little and an alley-oop dunk by Daniel Foster.
Andrews went on to outscore LMC 31-10 in the game's final 18 minutes.
Darren Phillips-Herald Palladium Sports Writer
Cardinals defense too much for Holy Cross
The Holy Cross College men's basketball team hosted the Cardinals at the Pfeil Center in South Bend, Indiana. The Cardinals began the game with a 7-2 run within the first few minutes of play. The Cardinals 2-3 zone proved to be detrimental to the Saints offense as they were only able to score 3 points midway through the 1st half. Sophomores Tyler Wooldridge and Matt Little teamed up to score 19 of the Cardinals 32 first half points. They closed out the half up 17 points with the score 32-15. 
The second half continued to be much of the same as Holy Cross found it difficult to get into a rhythm offensively. Woolridge finished the game with 19 points going 8-13 from the field and 3-5 from behind the arc. Little would finish with 16 points going 6-8 from the field and 4-6 from the behind the arc. The Cardinals went 13-23 in the second half and 27-50 for the game for an overall shooting percentage of 54 percent. The telling stat would be behind the arc as the Cardinals went 7-11 as they hit 67 percent of their shots from the 3 point line. The two teams face off again on November 19, 2011 at 7:00 PM in the Johnson Gymnasium. Coach Jardine stressed to his team that Holy Cross will be well prepared for our next match. "This is a team that has the capacity to do a lot of damage." "They are not to be taken lightly".
Cardinals lose 50-51 at the buzzer.
After introducing the players, the crowd settled down, and the teams prepared for tip off. From the beginning it was clear that neither team would have an easy road to victory. Both teams played tight defense, and both struggled to score. After several well-executed plays that led to lay ups for sophomore Tyler Wooldridge, the Cardinals led the game by four, but the Ambassadors fought back, and by halftime the score was 25-24 in favor of Oakwood.
After halftime, the teams came back to continue the fight for victory, but for the first few minutes, Oakwood seemed to have the edge. They scored nine unanswered points, but the Cardinals would not give up. Andrews came back over the next few minutes to tie the game, but struggled to get the lead, and Oakwood soon went on another run to put them up by eight.
With the minutes on the clock running out, the Cardinals proved why they are defending national champions, and put together another run to tie the game at 49-49 with less than a minute to play. The Cardinals ran a play to try to take time off the clock, and with 16 seconds left, Oakwood fouled Cardinals captain Jerome Murray to put him on the free throw line for two shots. Murray hit the first shot to overjoyed cheering from the Andrews bench and crowd. Murray, who had struggled on the free throw line all night, missed his second shot, and with time running out Oakwood grabbed the rebound, powered up the floor and threw up a last second shot for the win. As the ball slipped through the net and the Oakwood crowd exploded in frenzied cheering, the Andrews fans stood in shocked silence.
Despite the unexpected and disheartening end of the game for the Cardinals fans, all had to admit that the close game had been a treat to watch. Bethany Rose, a former Andrews student commented, “It was so intense. I couldn’t sit down all game.” Many others who were sitting around her agreed wholeheartedly.
Although the Cardinals were disappointed about the end of the game, Captain Jerome Murray commented, “We have some things to improve on, but overall not a bad game for the team. There’s a lot of games left and still some good teams to play.” Coach Dave Jardine agreed, and added, “We had an off-shooting night, but it was good to see us match up well against a good team like that.”
Cardinals hold Purdue University to 45 Points
Cardinals win home opener
After the Lady Cardinals’ game, the gym began to fill for the highly anticipated men’s opener. The fans were anxious to see the defending national champions take the court again, and the team was ready to show their fans what they could do.
The game started a little bit chaotically, with both teams scoring baskets early. Nerves seemed to be a problem for the team in the beginning, but after a timeout called by Head Coach Dave Jardine, the team settled into a rhythm. The tight Cardinals defense began limiting the other team to one shot, and several times the home team forced steals that led to easy baskets. Both teams struggled to score early, and for the majority of the half the score was under 20 for both teams. The Cardinals kept the edge, however, and went into halftime leading by double digits.
The second half of the men’s game quickly turned physical as Great Lakes Christian College fought to get back in the game. Several times outraged cries came from the bench as they noticed uncalled fouls being committed out of the refs’ lines of sight. The Cardinals kept their heads in the game, however, and did not allow the other team’s aggressive play to derail their offense. The team executed their plays and did not let up on defense, and went on to win the game 71-48.
Cardinals Host Alumni
As soon as the men’s game tipped off, it became clear to the assembled fans why the Cardinals are the defending champions of the USCAA. The alumni scored first but those points became two of very few the alumni would score through the first half. Playing for the alumni was reigning tournament MVP and All-American Ryan Little, but even with his game-high 24 points, he was not enough to hold off the onslaught of the Cardinal’s offense.
The team moved with and without the ball, cutting and playing tight defense. The Cardinals also showed a selflessness in their play, many times setting up a teammate for a lay up when they could have taken an outside shot. In the end 12 out of the 14 players on the Cardinals roster had scored, and the team finished with a commanding 87-56 victory over the alumni team.
If this first game is any indication, the Men’s Cardinal team will be a force to be reckoned with. They showed their fans a deeper bench than last season, and a passion and desire to win. In the upcoming season players and coaches alike encourage the fans to come support their teams as they seek to not only win games, but play with a Christian attitude that will hopefully be a witness to other teams as they compete.
Emily Leffler