Feb. 27, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

MOUNTAIN STATE HOLDS ON IN TOP 5
Mountain State will attempt to close the season on a high note and in the Top five this week, as the Cougars are ranked No. 5 in the second-to-last NAIA men's coaches poll, released Feb. 27 by the NAIA Headquarters in Kansas City.

The lone undefeated team in all of NAIA men's basketball, Georgetown (Ky.), is the No. 1 team for the second straight week. The Tigers picked up all 11 first-place votes and boast a 28-0 mark.

GC has two remaining games in the regular season, first with a home game against West Virginia Tech on Feb. 28 followed by a road contest at Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) on March 1 - LWC is receiving votes in the latest poll. Georgetown is attempting to better the start of Oklahoma City last year - the defending national champion Stars went 29-0 before finishing at 35-2.

Winners of six straight and holding a 26-1 record, No. 2 Lee (Tenn.) moves up two spots for its highest ranking this year. No. 3 Lambuth also leaps to its highest ranking in 2007-08 as the Eagles sport a 10-game winning streak. LSU-Shreveport is No. 4.

Two teams enter the Top 25 after receiving votes last week, No. 22 Mobile (Ala.) and No. 25 Vanguard (Calif.). Mobile has won six of its last seven including an upset of then-No. 13 Xavier (La.) 65-64, last Saturday. Vanguard is making a move in the always tough Golden State Athletic Conference taking five of its last six games (as of Feb. 24). The Lions are currently tied for fourth in the league standings.

In the women's poll, Brescia was among those receiving votes, getting five points in the next-to-last rating of the season.

Conference tournaments get underway this weekend, with the 2008 Independent Region Tournaments getting started March 7-9 in Orangeburg, S.C. Brackets for the Tournament will be available on the Independent Region homepage at www.naia.org beginning Sunday night.

MERIWEATHER, SPENCER SHARE MEN'S AWARD; RICKS NAMED WOMEN'S POW,br> Mountain State leading scorer James Spencer and Park University junior forward Jon Meriweather are Co-NAIA Division I Independent Players of the Week after each player posted a 30-point outing in the second-to-last regular season week of the 2007-08 campaign.

Cherrale Ricks was named the women's player of the week after a big night on the road in women's play.

Spencer scored 31 points to open the week in a 19-point win over Voorhees College, a game in which he also had four rebounds and went 11-of-16 from the floor. Spencer then picked up 25 in a 109-70 win over Northwestern Ohio, and he finished 7-of-15 with 22 points in the Cougars' loss to Lee.

Meriweather posted an equally as impressive week, playing in one game and moving the Pirates to a 102-77 win over Brescia University. Meriweather had 30 points and 10 boards for the Pirates, finishing 13-of-20 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the line.

Ricks nearly missed the second Park double-double of the weekend, scoring 27 and grabbing eight boards in a 75-54 loss to Brescia.

Ricks, a senior from Lawrence, Kan., finished the game 12-of-18 from the floor with an assist.

The final NAIA Division I Independent Player of the Week Awarding will come Monday, prior to the teams departing for Orangeburg, S.C., for the Independent Region Tournament March 7-9.