Wasilla’s Sullivan Menard is averaging 13.5 points per game this year. Photo by Caleb Flegel/The Whitworthian
Whitworth University senior Sullivan Menard of Wasilla was so locked in against St. Olaf, the defenders didn’t stand a chance.
Even when they fouled him.
Two times Menard was fouled while shooting and both times he knocked down the shot and subsequent free throw, resulting in a three-point play and a rare four-point play.
He caught fire in the second half to finish with 17 points and fuel an 88-81 victory last weekend in Spokane, Wash., scoring 12 points during a 14-2 run that helped the Pirates take the lead for good.
Menard (Colony) was 5-of-9 from the floor and 4-for-4 at the line to produce his highest scoring game in 27 appearances for the NCAA Division III school.
At the 10:01 mark, he made a 3-pointer to give Whitworth a 65-64 advantage. On the very next possession he sank a 3 plus a free throw as the lead swelled to 69-64.
Two minutes later the 6-foot-3 guard drove in for the hoop and the harm, sinking a free throw to complete an old-fashioned three-point play. Later, he sank another jumper to push the lead to 76-68.
Menard’s previous scoring high at Whitworth was 16 points from last year while his college high is 19 set in 2021 when he played for Western Wyoming of the NJCAA.
Isaiah Moses
At UC Riverside, Anchorage’s Isaiah Moses held his own at the point against an experienced backcourt for Portland in a 76-65 loss in the City of Roses.
The former NJCAA All-American scored 10 points and handed off a career-high six assists with no turnovers in 31 minutes in his third game at the NCAA Division I level.
Portland features a seasoned group of guards, including senior Chris Austin and Hofstra transfer Vukasin Masic.
Moses (Dimond) didn’t have a great shooting night (3-9 FG, 2-5 FT) but managed to be successful in other ways as he had two steals and half his team’s assists.
The 6-foot-1 guard owns a 10-2 assist-to-turnover ratio with the Big West Conference club.
At Montana State University, Patrick McMahon was marvelous for the Bobcats in a 71-68 loss to Seattle in the Emerald City.
McMahon driving it to the hoop!🚗@1PatrickM | #GoCatsGo pic.twitter.com/VcjqdvP0Ye
— Montana State Men’s Basketball (@MSUBobcatsMBB) November 11, 2023
The 6-foot-7 guard posted career highs in minutes (31), points (15), rebounds (6) and free throws (5) to give him double figures in scoring in back-to-back games for the first time in 38 games.
McMahon (Colony) attacked the paint for a short jumper in the lane and on the next possessions he drew a foul and made a pair of free throws to pull Montana State within 52-50.
McMahon assisted on a 3 to make it a one-point game and later converted a layup to stop Seattle’s 7-0 run. A minute later, he canned a jumper to cut the deficit to 66-59.
With 1:07 left, he made his first free throw to get Montana State as close as 69-68 but missed the second (his only miss on six attempts).
McMahon is averaging 14.5 points after posting a 3.9 scoring average in his first 33 games with the Big Sky Conference team.
Brayden Maldonado
At Metro State, Brayden Maldonado of Anchorage started the season by making all 15 free throws and averaging 17.5 points in the first two games.
The 6-foot sophomore bagged 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a 101-84 win over Arkansas-Fort Smith in the RMAC/Lone Star Conference Challenge in Spearfish, South Dakota. The next night he had 15 points in a 74-64 win over Oklahoma Christian.
Maldonado (East) was last year’s RMAC Co-Freshman of the Year and averaged 8.5 points per game.
At Pacific Lutheran University, guard Jason Montes of Delta Junction flirted with a double-double in a 75-62 victory over Northwest with 13 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.
This was his first game for the NCAA Division III squad after transferring from South Puget Sound Community College of the NWAC.