Beckey Burke’s University of South Carolina Upstate women’s basketball team is 2-3 on the young season.
Abington Journal file photo
George Tinsley and the Binghamton University men’s basketball team are off to a 0-3 start.
Abington Journal file photo
The Maxwell brothers, Evan and Seth, are each ranked among the statistical leaders in their current levels of basketball.
Evan is playing his second professional season overseas while Seth is in his third season at Indiana Wesleyan, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics team where they spent one season as teammates.
The Abington Heights graduates continue to show off the combination of being able to use their height on defense and the boards with a soft shooting touch on the offensive end.
Evan Maxwell leads the British Basketball League in total field goals made and 2-point baskets made. He is third in the BBL with 19.2 points per game, sixth with 7.7 rebounds and tied for seventh with 1.3 blocked shots.
Seth Maxwell leads all NAIA players in blocked shots (54) while ranking sixth in rebounds and 19th in points. He is averaging 14.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and his 4.2 average is third-best nationally in terms of blocked shots per game.
Evan Maxwell is playing for the Newcastle Eagles, who lead the BBL Group 3 standings at 4-2 and are 2-1 in the BBL Cup, a tournament competition played during the same timeframe as the regular season.
The Eagles defeated the Manchester Giants, 96-84, Sunday. Maxwell was limited to nine points, six rebounds, two blocks, an assist and a steal in 22 minutes.
Indiana Wesleyan is 13-0 and ranked third nationally while scoring 104.1 points per game, second-highest among NAIA teams.
Seth Maxwell had 10 points, five rebound and eight blocked shots in just 22 minutes Dec. 9 in a 109-44 rout of visiting Taylor. He went 8-for-13, including 1-for-2 on 3-pointers, while scoring 17 points in 31 minutes during Saturday’s 115-89 Crossroads League win over Huntington.
The Wildcats are headed to Phoenix for three games, beginning with Friday night’s game at Arizona Christian University.
Both Abington Heights graduates in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I basketball lost Sunday in their only appearances of the week. In both cases, the games served as the final tune-up before the start of conference play.
The Binghamton University men, with George Tinsley in the starting lineup, lost at home to fall to 0-3.
The University of South Carolina Upstate women, coached by Becky Burke, are 2-3 after getting beat on the road.
Tinsley played a team-high 38 minutes and finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and two assists in a 79-65 loss to Youngstown State. His offensive game appears to be returning to normal after struggling with his shot for the first 1½ games.
The 6-foot-6 sophomore forward went 5-for-9 from the floor and 2-for-5 on 3-pointers.
“We found more rhythm today,” Bearcats coach Tommy Dempsey said, according to a recap on the school website. “ … and George is playing better. There were steps in the right direction and now we have one more game under our belt to get ready for conference play next weekend.”
Tinsley has grabbed eight rebounds in each of the three games and is also averaging eight points, along with four assists. He is shooting 32.1 percent from the floor, 25.0 on 3-pointers and 40.0 from the line.
After letting a 15-point, first-half lead get away against Youngstown State, Binghamton opens America East Conference play with consecutive home games Saturday and Sunday against rival Stony Brook University.
USC Upstate plays Thursday and Friday at Winthrop to begin its Big South Conference schedule.
The Spartans are picked ninth out of 11 teams in the conference, according to a preseason poll.
Old Dominion defeated USC Upstate, 73-39, Sunday.
