The Playoff Chase 1/31

January comes to a close with a full slate of women's action in the Conference tonight. The "five-star" matchup takes place in Westminster as Dickinson (12-5, 9-3 CC) comes a-callin' to McDaniel (15-4, 9-3). The Red Devils won the first meeting of the year by a 70-62 count at the Kline Center in December and look for their first season sweep of the Terror since 1993-94. Of course, to do so means winning at the Gill Center - something that Dickinson has not done since 1996.

The other top teams in the CC would be considered favorites in their matchups tonight - Swarthmore at Johns Hopkins; Haverford at Muhlenberg; Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall; and Bryn Mawr at Ursinus. But as the Diplomats showed us last Thursday against the Mules, on any given night ...

A Full Saturday Slate

It is a busy Saturday across the Centennial Conference with key contests on the basketball court, in the swimming pool, and on the wrestling mat. Gettysburg and Muhlenberg play important roundball games with playoff implications at Bream Gym and Memorial Hall. Dickinson and Franklin & Marshall duel for first place in the pool in Lancaster, while Muhlenberg and Ursinus take on newcomers Kings Point and Stevens on the mat.

The Centennial Conference Basketball Network is live at Helfferich Hall in Collegeville for the F&M-Ursinus doubleheader. Follow all the day's hoop action via our Men's and Women's Gameday links. Keep everyone up-to-date on the latest scores by contributing to our "Score blog" like our hard-working SIDs. Hope you enjoy what promises to be an exciting day of Centennial competition.

Hoops Tonight 1/26

Women's basketball action highlights the Thursday schedule with the spotlight on Baltimore. Johns Hopkins (13-4, 10-1) puts its share of first place in the Conference on the line against visiting Dickinson (11-4, 8-2). The Red Devils have not won at Goldfarb Gym since 1993 - a span of 12 games. Check out all the updates here on our blog.

Hoops Tonight 1/25

The top two men's teams in the Conference - Johns Hopkins and Ursinus - look to protect their share of first place when they take to the road tonight. The Blue Jays (13-3, 9-1 CC) travel to Gettysburg to take on Matt Whelan (pictured) and the Bullets (9-8, 5-5). Gettysburg is 7-2 at the friendly confines of Bream Gymnasium this season. The Bears (13-4, 9-1) hit the Main Line to take on Haverford (6-9, 5-5). The teams have split the season series in three of the past four years. You can follow all the action of tonight's games at our Gameday link or get score updates here on our blog. Please note that Blogger will be unavailable at 7 p.m. this evening for service for (we hope) about 15 minutes.

Hoops Tonight 1/24

The women take center stage tonight in the Conference with the spotlight shining on Allentown. Muhlenberg (14-1, 9-1 CC) puts its share of first place on the line against Dickinson (11-3, 8-1). The Red Devils swept the season series a year ago, winning at 'Berg's Memorial Hall for the first time since 1994. Defense should be the name of the game, as both teams are ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense, permitting under 50 points per game. Catch all the action on WMUH-FM 91.7 beginning at 7 p.m. Or you can follow the Washington-Hopkins or F&M-McDaniel games by following our Gameday link. As always, our Sports Information professionals will keep you updated on the latest scores from around the Conference right here on our blog.

Hoops Today 1/21

Now that we've reached the halfway mark of the Centennial basketball season ... some things are beginning to come into focus. On the men's side, it looks as if Johns Hopkins and Ursinus are the class of the Conference, while Franklin & Marshall would be the surprise of the CC. For the women, it looks like a great race for the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for next month's tournament. Muhlenberg (13-1), Dickinson (10-3) and Johns Hopkins (11-4) are all tied with 8-1 CC records, while Gettysburg (11-6) is a half-game back at 8-2.

The Centennial Conference Basketball Network will be broadcasting the Gettysburg-McDaniel doubleheader from Bream Gym. The men's tilt features two teams tied for fifth place in the CC, while the women's contest sees the two-time defending champion Green Terror (12-4, 6-3) trying to get back into the Centennial title chase. Pat Cummings and Gordon Mann will be on the call. As always, our Gameday links for the men and women will get you inside the action with live audio and stats. And check back here for updates throughout the day.

Rivalry Night

It's the first of two nights that teams in the Centennial Conference look forward to every season - Rivalry Night. Nothing gets the blood boiling more than to play a rival ... and have we got matchups for you -- Gettysburg at Dickinson, McDaniel at Washington, Muhlenberg at Ursinus, Franklin & Marshall and Johns Hopkins ... and Swarthmore at Haverford. You can catch the Diplomats and Blue Jay men on WJHUradio.com or the Garnet and the Fords' doubleheader on WHRCradio.com.

As always, get the information you want from our Men's Gameday or Women's Gameday sites. And get score updates throughout the evening here on our score blog.

Hoops Today 1/14

Two big games are on the docket on this Saturday afternoon in the Centennial Conference. The Johns Hopkins women (10-3, 7-0 CC) put their unbeaten CC mark on the line in Allentown against Muhlenberg (11-1, 6-1). You can catch all the action of this one at 4 p.m. on the Centennial Conference Basketball Network. Also, the McDaniel men (6-8, 4-3 CC) go for a season sweep of defending CC champion Ursinus (10-4, 6-1). Catch up on all the action here with our score blog.

Hoops Tonight 1/12

If there is ever a night to skip or record CSI, it's tonight. First place is on the line in Baltimore as the defending champion Ursinus men (9-4, 5-1 CC) come calling to Goldfarb Gym to take on Johns Hopkins (10-2, 6-0). The matchups are intriguing - Mike McGarvey vs. T.J. Valerio ... Matt Fabian vs. Danny Nawrocki ... Will Furey vs. Matt Griffin ... but maybe it will be Brian McEvily or Doug Polster that will make the difference? On the ladies' side, the premier matchup features Muhlenberg (10-1, 5-1 CC) in Westminster to do battle with McDaniel (9-3, 4-2). The Green Terror has won six straight in the series and has not lost at the Gill Center to the Mules since 2000.

The Centennial Conference Basketball Network will be in Lancaster tonight for the Washington-Franklin & Marshall men's game. CCBN will be in Allentown on Saturday for the Johns Hopkins-Muhlenberg twinbill.

Thanks to the Conference SIDs and you for tonight's score updates.

Muhlenberg's Coluccini Leads on Court and in Classroom

by Andre D. Williams, Allentown Morning Call

"Muhlenberg senior Stephanie Coluccini, who has already
interned at Columbia and Universal Records, would like to do promotional
work in radio and television after graduating. If she works as hard in
the work force as she does on the court, Mules coach Ron Rohn believes
she'll be very successful. Rohn has been amazed with Coluccini's work
ethic and leadership skills ever since the 5-11 forward came into the
program. That's why she's a team captain." Story

Hoops Tonight 1/10

Tonight begins a busy week of basketball for the CC members. Highlighting the women's slate is Dickinson's trip to Collegeville as the Red Devils (7-2, 5-0 CC) put their undefeated CC mark on the line against Ursinus (6-5, 4-2). Dickinson has won five straight in the series and holds a 12-5 all-time lead. Four of those losses have come at Helfferich Hall, where the Bears are 4-1 this season. The spotlight game on the men's side is Johns Hopkins (9-2, 5-0 CC) at Haverford (4-6, 3-2). Hopkins holds a 53-33 all-time lead in the series, but Haverford has won three of the last four, including a 71-53 triumph at home in the 2005 CC tournament first round. For information on radio or internet broadcasts ... click here for our women's Gameday site and here for our men's Gameday site. As always, you can get the most up-to-date scores here on the Centennial blog, thanks to our Conference SIDs and you.

CCBN Correction

The correct link for Saturday's Centennial Conference Basketball Network broadcasts between Dickinson and Swarthmore is www.broadcastmonsters.com. You can also access CCBN through the BroadcastMonsters home page. We apologize for any confusion. Enjoy the games.

Weekend Hoops 1/7

It's the first full weekend of Centennial basketball action for 2006 and there are some interesting games on the docket. The Centennial Conference Basketball Network (CCBN) will broadcast the women's/men's doubleheader at Tarble Pavilion between Dickinson (Patrice Johnson, pictured) and Swarthmore. Keep an eye on the battle between the Devils' Ally Teatom and the Garnet's Karen Berk on the inside. Are the Ursinus women for real? We'll find out when the Bears (5-4, 3-1) visit McDaniel (7-3, 2-2). Elsewhere on the women's side, Bryn Mawr (2-7, 0-4) is at Johns Hopkins (7-3, 4-0), Muhlenberg (8-1, 3-1) visits Haverford (2-10, 0-5), and Washington (3-8, 1-4) travels to Gettysburg (6-6, 3-2).

On the men's slate, two big games jump off the schedule in Lancaster and Chestertown. Ursinus (7-4, 3-1) visits Franklin & Marshall (7-4, 2-2) in a rematch of the 2005 Centennial title game, while front-running Johns Hopkins (8-2, 4-0) is at Washington (5-6, 3-1). The CCBN is at Swarthmore for the Garnet's (0-10, 0-4) clash with Dickinson (3-7, 2-2). Elsewhere, Gettysburg (5-6, 1-3) is at Muhlenberg (5-5, 1-3), and Haverford (3-6, 2-2) visits McDaniel (4-7, 2-2).

For more information on the weekend's games ... click on our Gameday site. You can also get up-to-the-minute updates below.

Hoops Tonight 1/4

Five games are on tap for today as the Conference looks to rebound from a 1-3 Tuesday night. Johns Hopkins (7-2) plays host to Buffalo State in the final of the JHU tournament this afternoon, while Washington (5-5) welcomes another Empire State foe - Hamilton - to the House of Cain - for an evening tilt. Muhlenberg (5-4) looks for the CC's fourth-ever win against a Division I opponent when it visits Lehigh. Haverford travels to Drew and Gettysburg welcomes Hood to the Battlefield for the rest of the Wednesday night slate.

Live updates will be available for the Hopkins and Washington games, while you can listen to the Muhlenberg-Lehigh game on the radio or your computer. Just log on to our Gameday site for more information. And follow along with the scoring updates via our "score blog."

Hoops Tonight 1/3

Sure Penn State is playing tonight ... but there's a lot of Centennial Conference basketball action on tap as well, including a CC-NESCAC battle between Ursinus and Trinity - the first 2006 broadcast for the Centennial Conference Basketball Network. Follow along with all the action right here on our blog.