I want to add a little more substance to the results reporting this season by recognizing some of the top games and individual performances each week of the Challenge. Hope you enjoy the additional color. I definitely can't cover everything, though -- feel free to add on with your own observations if you'd like.
Season 66, Week 7 - Overview
CCIW started out of the gate strong by winning 5 of 7 against CUNY. The top four seeds for CCIW -- Martin Luther, North Park, Millikin and Illinois Wesleyan -- all won their games. Martin Luther and North Park were propelled into the Top 10 of the national polls with their respective victories. One bright spot for CUNY is that Baruch won their first Challenge game in three seasons with a commanding victory over CCIW up-and-comers Elmhurst
Game of the Week - Iliinois Wesleyan 90, Hunter 87
Having traded leads for much of the second half, IL Wesleyan edged out to a four point lead with 1:35 left on two free throws from Herbert Lin and a big three-pointer from Adrian Hamm. After trading baskets, Hunter cut the margin to one with 23 seconds left on a clutch three-pointer from Sammy Mehaffy. Hamm subsequently converted two free throws for IL Wesleyan, but that still gave Hunter 22 seconds to get a three-pointer to send the game to OT. Mehaffy had two shots to convert the tying basket, but both were off the mark and IL Wesleyan survived.
Performance of the Week - Larry Burgan, Millikin, PG (22 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast)
Others might have scored more points, but Burgan scored the key points late in the game to help Millikin pull away from Brooklyn. With the game tied at 50 and 4:48 left, Burgan scored six points in the next 90 seconds to give Millikin a four-point lead. In the final minute Burgan assisted on a key basket and converted a free throw to help seal the game for Millikin.
What's next -- CCIW will have to show that their strong start was no fluke by taking on the Challenge kings, Freedom. The tastiest matchup is undoubtedly the tilt between two ranked 6-1 teams -- #13 Wilkes at #9 Martin Luther. Vegas says that one is too close to call. A little further down the table, another matchup that appears tight is PSU-Behrend at N. Central.