George Tinsley is shooting less frequently, but more accurately than ever before.
As the Abington Heights graduate nears the end of a five-year career on the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I level, Tinsley makes the most of his shot opportunities while filling other roles as a starter in each of the 22 games played this season by Mount St. Mary’s.
Tinsley broke out Jan. 5 in a 74-69 victory over Canisius, scoring a team-high 18 points while going 4-for-5 on 3-pointers and 7-for-10 overall.
That effort came in the middle of an eight-game stretch where Tinsley shot less often but made more than half his attempts each time. Through the Jan. 21 game against Niagara, Tinsley was 31-for-44 (70.5 percent) from the floor and 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) on 3-pointers during that time.
Tinsley’s career included three years at Binghamton University and the last two at Mount St. Mary’s where the 6-foot-6 forward is a graduate student.
In 2019-20, Tinsley was America East Rookie of Year while averaging 11.6 points and 7.4 records for Binghamton and playing more minutes than any Division I freshman in 15 years.
This season, Tinsley is shooting 56 percent from the floor overall, 24.1 percent on 3-pointers and 60.0 from the line. He is averaging 5.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 23.5 minutes.
After winning two straight, Mount St. Mary’s is 5-6 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and 9-13 overall going into its Feb. 8 game.
A look at other Abington Heights graduates in college basketball:
DIVISION I WOMEN
The University at Buffalo, coached by Abington Heights graduate Becky Burke, has won its last two games to improve to 6-4 in the Mid-American Conference and 12-8 overall.
The Bulls are led by Chellia Watson, a graduate student guard who is averaging 24.9 points with the help of a 47-point game and three more of at least 30.
Buffalo won at Ohio University 81-63 Jan. 31, then at home over Eastern Michigan 75-63 Feb. 3.
“Proud of our team effort tonight to get another MAC win,” Burke said, according to a story on the Buffalo athletic website, following the win over Eastern Michigan. “Each one is important and hard earned.
“We were well-balanced once again and I think that is the key for us moving forward.”
The Bulls are supporting Watson with four players averaging between 7.6 and 12.1 points per game.
DIVISION III WOMEN
Former teammates Anna Scoblick and Clair Marion collected weekly conference awards during January.
Catholic University’s Scoblick was named Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week for the sport Jan. 22 and 29. Dickinson College’s Marion was named Centennial Conference Athlete of the Week Jan. 16 and 23, giving her a total of three selections this season.
Scoblick helped Catholic win its first 20 games and climb to eighth in the country before losing to the University of Scranton in a meeting of top-15 teams. The start produced the longest winning streak in school history.
The 5-9 sophomore guard averaged 16.6 points for a seven-game stretch that started before and ended after her two award-winning weeks.
Scoblick’s second award came after she scored 19 points each in wins over Susquehanna and Moravian. She also had 15 rebounds in the Susquehanna game and led the team in rebounds and assists against Moravian.
While leading the Cardinals in rebounds with 7.1 per game and blocked shots at 1.2, Scoblick ranks second in points (12.2), assists (2.8) and steals (1.5). She shoots 52.7 percent from the floor without trying a single 3-pointer.
Marion’s honors came during an 11-game winning streak by Dickinson, which is 13-3 in the conference and 16-5 overall.
The consecutive weekly awards culminated in 22 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists in a 49-43 victory over Swarthmore. Marion had six points in the fourth quarter and grabbed two key defensive rebounds in the final minute to secure the win.
Marion has scored more than twice as many points as any teammate at 17.8 per game.
The 5-10 junior guard/forward has hit 51 times from 3-point range while also averaging 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 2.6 assists. She makes 38.8 percent of her shots from the floor, 34.7 from 3-point range and 86.4 percent from the line. Marion’s free throw percentage ranks 15th in the country.
Rachel McDonald is the leading scorer at Marywood University.
The 5-foot-4 junior guard has started all 20 games, averaging 34.0 minutes and recently playing every second of back-to-back games.
McDonald averages 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals for the Pacers (2-5 Atlantic East, 8-12 overall). She has hit 37 times from 3-point range, shooting 31.6 percent from beyond the arc, 32.4 percent overall and 71.1 percent from the line.
Erin Albright, a 5-9 senior guard/forward, is averaging 1.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 26.0 minutes per game while playing in 22 games with 20 starts as one of three captains at Haverford College. Haverford is 4-13 in the Centennial and 7-15 overall.
Caroline Murray has played 11 minutes over four games at Chatham University.
The 5-10 freshman has one point, four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Chatham is 15-2 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and 19-3 overall.
DIVISION III MEN’S BASKETBALL
Corey Perkins is a 6-1 senior guard at Marywood University.
Perkins averages 3.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 18.6 minutes per game through 14 games, including four starts. He is 3-for-7 on 3-pointers while shooting 42.0 percent from the floor and 64.0 from the line.
Hunter Plantz is the leading rebounder and second-leading scorer at Clarks Summit University.
The Pacers are 4-4 in the Atlantic East and 10-11 overall.
Justin Klingman’s Goucher College team has improved to 5-9 in the Landmark Conference and 7-14 in his first season as head coach at the suburban-Baltimore school, which was just 3-21 last season.
Klingman’s team swept its season series over the University of Scranton where he was the school’s all-time leader in 3-point shooting accuracy.