CSAC - 2005-06 Men's Basketball Archive

2005-06 PAC Men's Basketball Archives

2005-06 PAC Men's Basketball Standings

Institution	PAC	Overall
(1) Alvernia	17-1	23-5
(2) Wesley	13-5	16-12
(3) Arcadia	13-5	16-11
(4) Eastern	11-7	16-10
(5) Gwynedd-Mercy	9-9	12-15
(6) Neumann	8-10	9-17
Cabrini	8-10	11-14
Misericordia	6-12	6-19
Immaculata	4-14	4-20
Marywood	1-17	4-21

* - Clinched berth in PAC Tournament, number at left indicates seed;
PAC Tournament Champion in Bold

Poll

November 7, 2005
Alvernia Picked As Preseason Favorite

Aston, PA – Alvernia College’s men's basketball team has been selected as the pre-season favorite in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) coaches poll. The Crusaders received eight of ten first-place votes and earned 98 points in the poll to outpoint defending-champion Gwynedd-Mercy College.

Gwynedd-Mercy earned one first-place vote and 90 points in the poll, while Wesley College received the other first-place vote.

Eastern University (59), Misericordia University (58), Wesley (58), Cabrini College (54), Neumann College (45), Marywood University (43), Arcadia University (24) and newcomer Immaculata University (21) rounded out the voting.

Institution (First Place vote)	Points
Alvernia (8)	98
Gwynedd-Mercy (1)	90
Eastern	59
Wesley (1)	58
Misericordia	58
Cabrini	54
Neumann	45
Marywood	43
Arcadia	28
Immaculata	21

CyberSports for Basketball - League Leaders (Media)
Pennsylvania Athletic Conference

Scoring		G	FG	3FG	FT	PTS	Avg	Field Goal %		G	FG	FGA	Pct
1. Rashawn Johnson	Wes	27	137	67	102	577	21.4	1. Zach Straining	Alv	28	192	339	.566
2. Zach Straining	Alv	28	173	19	102	505	18.0	2. Tyrell Brown	Wes	28	94	174	.540
3. Bobby Black	Eas	26	108	69	27	450	17.3	3. Corey Brown	CM	25	128	241	.531
4. Chris Talley	Alv	28	146	26	75	445	15.9	4. Damon Bogan	Alv	7	38	72	.527
5. Adam Wildasin	Mar	25	102	36	67	379	15.2	5. Andre Wright	Neu	25	139	268	.518
6. Chris DelBrocco	Gwy	25	69	56	70	376	15.0	6. Dave Boettcher	Arc	22	59	115	.513
7. Anthony Bennett	Cab	25	110	9	116	363	14.5	7. Josh Slee	Mar	25	84	164	.512
8. Eric Elliott	Arc	27	52	70	70	384	14.2	8. Ben Easley	Eas	13	60	119	.504
9. Kyle Finklea	Imm	22	102	24	37	313	14.2	9. Bryan Nadelhoffer	Eas	25	51	101	.504
10. Damon Bogan	Alv	7	32	6	17	99	14.1	10. Eugene Moore	Arc	17	41	83	.493
11. Corey Brown	CM	25	128	0	91	347	13.9
12. Jim McMahon	Cab	24	87	37	48	333	13.9	Three Pt FG %		G	3Pt	3PA	Pct
13. Andre Wright	Neu	25	135	4	62	344	13.8	1. Eric Lawton	Neu	25	25	55	.454
14. Tim Smallwood	Mar	19	66	22	57	255	13.4	2. Julius Lopez	Imm	24	33	81	.407
15. Lenny DiMaria	Eas	26	80	38	70	344	13.2	3. David Volpe	Eas	26	26	65	.400
16. Tony Rezykowski	CM	25	75	34	78	330	13.2	4. Kyle Finklea	Imm	22	24	60	.400
17. Dan Lepone	Imm	22	81	26	47	287	13.0	5. Bobby Black	Eas	26	69	178	.387
18. Nick Minor	Wes	26	99	30	48	336	12.9	6. Jeff Dailey	Cab	25	69	178	.387
19. Kevin Lauer	Gwy	18	86	0	59	231	12.8	7. Vinny Baumunk	CM	23	32	83	.385
20. Ben Easley	Eas	13	57	3	42	165	12.7	8. Eric Elliott	Arc	27	70	186	.376
								9. Damon Bogan	Alv	7	6	16	.375
								10. Matt Flanagan	Eas	25	32	86	.372
Rebounding		G	Off	Def		Rebs	Avg	Free Throw %		G	FT	FTA	Pct
1. Anthony Bennett	Cab	25	83	138		221	8.8	1. Lenny DiMaria	Eas	26	70	81	.864
2. Zach Straining	Alv	28	69	147		216	7.7	2. Kevin Lauer	Gwy	18	59	73	.808
3. Randy Reid	Cab	25	67	125		192	7.7	3. Ben Easley	Eas	13	42	52	.807
4. Kevin Lauer	Gwy	18	52	85		137	7.6	4. Tim Smallwood	Mar	19	57	71	.802
5. Lawrence Tompkins	Mar	25	37	151		188	7.5	5. Eric Elliott	Arc	27	70	88	.795
6. Cody White	Wes	27	70	129		199	7.4	6. Adam Wildasin	Mar	25	67	86	.779
7. Corey Brown	CM	25	60	116		176	7.0	7. Colin Fitzgerald	Cab	13	38	49	.775
8. James Swigget	Neu	20	44	91		135	6.8	8. Damon Bogan	Alv	7	17	22	.772
9. Damon Bogan	Alv	7	24	23		47	6.7	9. Chris DelBrocco	Gwy	25	70	91	.769
10. Anthony Williams	Gwy	7	19	26		45	6.4	10. Anthony Bennett	Cab	25	116	154	.753
11. Jim McMahon	Cab	24	39	111		150	6.3
12. Josh Kendrick	CM	4	9	16		25	6.3	Assists		G		Asst	Avg
13. Andre Wright	Neu	25	50	99		149	6.0	1. Matt Chapman	Mar	22		115	5.2
14. Nick Minor	Wes	26	54	98		152	5.8	2. Kevin Brown	Arc	27		92	3.4
15. Chris Talley	Alv	28	35	123		158	5.6	3. David Volpe	Eas	26		87	3.3
16. Tyrell Brown	Wes	28	68	88		156	5.6	4. Mike Wright	Wes	28		88	3.1
17. Chris DelBrocco	Gwy	25	27	101		128	5.1	5. Gregory Cunningham	Neu	26		80	3.1
18. Chris McMonagle	Eas	26	41	88		129	5.0	6. Lenny DiMaria	Eas	26		76	2.9
19. Francis Bowe	Gwy	27	52	81		133	4.9	7. Mike Brock	Alv	27		76	2.8
20. Kyle Finklea	Imm	22	36	72		108	4.9	8. Zach Straining	Alv	28		78	2.8
								9. Rashid Santiago	Gwy	27		74	2.7
								10. Tim Smallwood	Mar	19		51	2.7
Blocks		G	Blks	Avg				Steals		G		Stls	Avg
1. Vinny Baumunk	CM	23	34	1.5				1. Nick Minor	Wes	26		70	2.7
2. James Swigget	Neu	20	23	1.2				2. Sean Fordham	Imm	24		48	2.0
3. Matt Hornak	CM	23	26	1.1				3. Lamar Brickus	Alv	20		38	1.9
4. Mike Johnson	Eas	25	25	1.0				4. Anthony Williams	Gwy	7		13	1.8
5. Andre Wright	Neu	25	24	1.0				5. Rashawn Johnson	Wes	27		47	1.7
6. Andrew Martin	Arc	15	14	0.9				6. Garrett Etzel	Alv	28		48	1.7
7. Anthony Bennett	Cab	25	23	0.9				7. Chris Talley	Alv	28		48	1.7
8. Nick Minor	Wes	26	22	0.8				8. Damon Bogan	Alv	7		12	1.7
9. Randy Reid	Cab	25	20	0.8				9. Matt Chapman	Mar	22		37	1.7
10. Josh Kendrick	CM	4	3	0.8				10. Tim Smallwood	Mar	19		32	1.7

2005-06 Men's Basketball Awards

March 1 , 2006

2005-06 All-PAC Men's Basketball Teams

First Team
* Zach Straining, Alvernia
* Chris Talley, Alvernia
Eric Elliott, Arcadia
Andre Wright, Neumann
Rashawn Johnson, Wesley

Second Team
Anthony Bennett, Cabrini
Jim McMahon, Cabrini
Corey Brown, Misericordia University
Bobby Black, Eastern
Chris Del Brocco, Gwynedd-Mercy

Honorable Mention
Lamar Brickus, Alvernia
Garrett Etzel, Alvernia
Jeff Dailey, Cabrini
Lenny DiMaria, Eastern
Kevin Lauer, Gwynedd-Mercy
Dan Lepone, Immaculata.

Player of the Year: Zach Straining, Alvernia
Rookie of the Year: Rashawn Johnson, Wesley
Coach of the Yea: Pat Dorney, Arcadia

* Repeat selection

All-PAC Men’s Basketball Sportsmanship Team
Mike Brock, Alvernia; Derek Vornish, Arcadia; Bruce MacLelland, Cabrini; Bryan Nadelhoffer, Eastern; Francis Bowe, Gwynedd-Mercy; Kris Behm, Immaculata; Lawrence Tompkins, Marywood; Matt Hornak, Misericordia University; Nafis Brown, Neumann; Greg Cooke, Wesley

2005-06 Men's Basketball Player of the Week

Cabrini College’s Randy Reid (So, F, Philadelphia, PA/Monsignor Bonner) was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending February 19. Reid averaged 18 points, nine rebounds and two assists per game as the Cavaliers went undefeated in two Conference contests.

Honor Roll
Chris Talley, Alvernia (Sr, F, Royersford, PA/Spring-Ford) – Had 30 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocks in 1-0 week.
Corey Brown, Misericordia (Sr, F, Bronx, NY/St. James Island) – Had 19 points and 11 rebounds in final collegiate game.

Players of the Week

February 14
Alvernia College’s Zach Straining (Sr, F, Paxtang, PA/Central Dauphin East) was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending February 12. Straining averaged 24.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game as the Crusaders went undefeated in three Conference contests. Straining shot 68 percent from the floor, making 25 of his 37 field-goal attempts during the week.

February 6
Eastern University’s Bobby Black (Sr, G, Philadelphia, PA) was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending February 5. Black averaged 21.3 points as the Eagles went 2-1 on the week. He converted 67 percent of his attempts from behind the three-point arc on the week (12-for-18).

January 30
Alvernia College’s Garrett Etzel (Jr, G, Shillington, PA/Governor Mifflin) was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending January 29. Etzel averaged 22.3 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists per game as the Crusaders went 3-0 on the week, defeating Arcadia, Misericordia and Wesley.

January 23
Alvernia College’s Zach Straining (Sr, F, Paxtang, PA/Central Dauphin East) was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending January 22. Straining averaged 22.3 points and six rebounds per game in a 2-1 week for the Crusaders. Straining connected on 59 percent of his field-goal attempts on the week, and he shot an even better 64 percent from beyond the arc.

January 16
Wesley College’s Rashawn Johnson (Fr, G, Selbyville, DE/Indian River) was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending January 15. Johnson averaged 28 points, three rebounds, three steals and 2.5 assists per game for the Wolverines in a 2-0 week. This was the second straight week Johnson received the award.

January 9
Alvernia College’s Zach Straining (Sr, F, Paxtang, PA/Central Dauphin East) and Wesley College’s Rashawn Johnson (Fr, G, Selbyville, DE/Indian River) were named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week for the week ending January 8. Straining averaged 16.3 points and 7.7 rebounds as the Crusaders won all three of their contests on the week. Over the weekend, he surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career. Johnson averaged 24.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 assists per game for the Wolverines, who went 1-2 on the week. Included in his totals was a 46-point performance in Wesley’s 100-86 win over Cabrini College on Saturday.

January 2
Marywood University’s Lawrence Tompkins (Sr, Montrose, PA/Blue Ridge) was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending January 1. Tompkins averaged 16.5 points and 10 rebounds per game as the Pacers dropped a pair of contests. Tompkins was named to the All-Tournament Team at the South Padre Island (TX) Shootout.

December 12
Cabrini College’s Anthony Bennett (Sr, F, Philadelphia, PA/Monsignor Bonner) was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending December 11. Bennett averaged 18.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game as the Cavaliers split four games on the week. Bennett was named to the All-Tournament Team at Messiah College, after averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds in a pair of games over the weekend.

December 5
Alvernia College’s Chris Talley (Sr, G, Royersford, PA/Spring-Ford) was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending December 4. Talley averaged 21.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game as the Crusaders swept three contests against PAC competition. Included in Talley’s performance on the week was a career-high 34-point effort in Alvernia’s win over Immaculata University on Monday.

November 28
Wesley College’s Rashawn Johnson (Fr, G, Selbyville, DE/Sussex Tech) was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending November 27. Johnson averaged 26.3 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals per game for the Wolverines, who opened their season 1-2. Johnson had 30 points and four steals in 77-75 loss to Penn State-Behrend, 29 points and eight rebounds in an 85-78 loss to St. Lawrence University, and 20 points, five rebounds and three assists in the team’s 76-65 win over Gwynedd-Mercy College. He was selected to the All-Tournament Team in the Penn State-Behrend Tournament.

2005-06 Men's Basketball Championship Results

Date	PAC Men's Schedule/Results
Feb. 18	PAC Quarterfinals
	#5 Gwynedd-Mercy 78, @ #4 Eastern 74
	@ #3 Arcadia 67, #6 Neumann 60
Feb. 21	PAC Semifinal
	@ #1 Alvernia 89, #5 Gwynedd-Mercy 78
	@ #2 Wesley 68, #3 Arcadia 67
Feb. 23	PAC Final
	@ #1 Alvernia 66, #2 Wesley 63

Latest News | Championships PAC | NCAA | ECAC

2006 Men's Basketball PAC Championship

Thursday, February 23- Championship
7:00 p.m. - #1 Alvernia 66, #2 Wesley 63
READING, Pa. — Senior forward Zach Straining (Paxtang, PA/Central Dauphin East) recorded game highs with 23 points and 13 rebounds to lead top-seeded Alvernia College to a 66-63 win over #2 Wesley College Thursday evening in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Final at the Physical Education Center. Straining was named the PAC Championship Most Valuable Player.

Alvernia (23-4) built a 33-16 lead at the break in party by holding Wesley College freshman Rashawn Johnson (Selbyville, DE/Sussex Tech), the leading scorer in the conference, to zero first half points on 0-for-4 shooting. Wesley needed just over 12 minutes in the second half to erase the Alvernia lead, and the Crusaders needed a 13-4 run over the final 2:58 to claim their third PAC Title.

Johnson nailed his second 3 in as many possessions to double the Wolverines’ lead to six with just under four minutes remaining. Straining scored on a layup with 2:58 to play and junior Garrett Etzel (Shillington, PA/Governor Mifflin) scored a fast break layup to cut the gap to two points 20 seconds later. Wesley freshman Mike Wright (Dover, DE/Dover) , who totaled half of his team-high 16 points during the second half comeback, scored twice from the free throw line for a 61-57 Wesley lead with 2:24 to play.

Senior guard Mike Brock (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford) missed from the arc on the Crusaders’ next possession, but Straining corralled the rebound and put it back to cut the lead in half. Etzel stripped the ball from Johnson and converted on a breakaway to knot the score at 61-all with 1:48 to go.

Straining, who finished 9-of-16 from the stripe hit one from the line for the slimmest of leads and Johnson’s teardrop jumper from the right side fell to Etzel who also hit 1-of-2 free throws to push the gap to two, 63-61 with 32 ticks left. Wesley threw the ball away with 12 seconds left and fouled Etzel who was good just once again from the line.

Wright pushed the pace on the rebound and flung in a shot from near the top of the arc that was ruled a two, leaving Alvernia with a narrow one point lead with five seconds to play. Brock was fouled on the inbounds and his first free throw was all net. The second teetered on the rim before falling through and the Wolverines could not get off a shot as the horn sounded with the ball in Straining’s hands at mid-court.

Alvernia will receive the PAC’s automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III Championships. The pairings and locations of first round games for the 59-team tournament will be released on Monday morning. Alvernia, ranked third in the latest NCAA regional ranking, improved to 18-11 all time in PAC tournament games and claimed its third title in nine finals appearances. Wesley was making its first appearance in the title game.

Alvernia started Thursday night’s game with back-to-back layups from senior Chris Talley (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford). The 6-2 guard also closed the first half scoring with a layup that made him the 19th men’s player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.

Wesley answered Talley’s early scoring with seven straight for a three point lead, but Alvernia countered with 13 of the next 15 for an eight point lead, 17-9, with 10:46 left in the half. Straining scored the first six straight points for the hosts to start the run and Etzel nailed his only 3 of the night midway through.

Wesley scored to pull within six points, but Alvernia pushed the gap to 10 points twice and all the way up to its 17-point halftime lead with the final eight points of the half. Talley scored four points on back-to-back layups and following a Straining field goal, picked up a loose ball near mid court and swooped it for the left-handed finish prompting both a Wesley timeout and a raucous celebration.

Junior guard Ryan Finger (Lancaster, PA/Lampeter Strasburg) blanketed Johnson for 18 minutes during the first half and held the Wolverines’ best scoring threat to just four shots over the opening 20 minutes. The rest of the Alvernia defense was almost as effective holding Wesley to 29 percent from the floor and forcing nine turnovers while the offense ran at a somewhat efficient 47 percent clip. The hosts could have expanded the halftime lead, but a 2-for-11 effort from behind the arc in the first half kept the score within a reasonable comeback range.

Wesley opened the second half with a free throw, but three straight points from Talley gave Alvernia its largest lead of the night, a 19 point gap with 18:24 on the clock. Freshman Alphonzo Wright (Dover, DE/Polytech) scored on a putback that sparked a string of seven straight for Wesley as the guests started to mount the comeback. Johnson started to get hot during the streak scoring his first points of the night to cut the Crusaders’ lead to 12 points, 36-24 with 16:41 to play.

The lead was 13 after a Straining free throw at 15:31 and another seven point Wesley streak cut it to six. Mike Wright scored on back-to-back floaters in the lane to cut it to four, but the Crusaders countered that with a pair of layups from Straining to reset the eight point gap.

Johnson’s first of three 3s pulled Wesley to within three points, 48-45 with 8:23 left and when senior Nick Minor (Gambrills, MD/Anne Arundel) threw down a dunk on the break, Wesley had its first lead since it was 9-8 early in the first.

Johnson followed a Straining free throw with a jumper and reserve Dana Clark (Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass) scored on a tip-in for a four-point Wesley lead. Finger hit his only two free throws of the night on Alvernia’s next possession to cut the lead in half, but Johnson sandwiched a Talley layup with a pair of 3s for a six point edge, the second of which landed at 3:40 to give Wesley it’s 59-53 lead.

The Wolverines (17-10) will await a potential bid from the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) into its South Region Tournament. Despite playing just twice in the past 10 days the Crusaders will take a much-needed breather and resume preparations for the NCAA Tournament this weekend.

Saturday, February 18-Semifinals
1:00 p.m. - #5 Gwynedd-Mercy 78, #4 Eastern 74
ST. DAVIDS, Pa. — The two-time defending PAC Champion Gwynedd Mercy College Griffins came back from a six point halftime deficit to advance to the semifinal of the PAC Championships with a 78-74 win at Eastern. The Griffins jumped to an early 17-9 lead in a game that was played almost entirely in the half court. The Eagles chipped at the lead, and worked to get the game in the open court, but the patience of the Gwynedd offense and the steady ball handling of their guard corps kept the game at a walking pace.

Two consecutive three point baskets and a three point play from senior guard Chris McMonagle vaulted the Eagles into a 24-23 lead with seven minutes remaining in the half. Eastern held that lead into the half and built a five point advantage behind eleven points from Bobby Black and eight from Corey Copeland. Kevin Lauer put up nine first half points and his three offensive rebounds helped the Griffins to earn 12 second chance points on the half. The second half saw the Eagles hold their lead until the final two minutes of the contest, but hot three point shooting from the Griffins helped the visitors to close the gap.

With the Eagles up one, McMonagle stepped off his man to block Lauer’s lay up attempt. The play looked to be a big momentum turning moment, but an Eagle turnover at the other end gave the Griffins another chance with just over a minute and a half to play. Chris DelBrocco, smothered all day, turned playmaker to set up two critical field goals that swung the game. First he found Lauer underneath to give the Griffins a 70-69 lead. Then after Lenny DiMaria scored on a put back of his own miss down at the other end, the junior guard found senior reserve Rick Haas in the corner for an open three. Down two with a 43 seconds remaining, an Eagle turnover at the other end gave the Griffins the ball and a two point advantage with no shot clock in play.

Gwynedd-Mercy made its free-throws, and despite another DiMaria three-pointer, Eastern could not get the game back to a one possession affair. Black led all scorers with 18 points. DiMaria and McMonagle chipped in with 15 and 12 for the hosts. Lauer led the guests with 17 points and Haas hit for 16 including 13 points in the second half. DelBrocco, who was held below his average for the day still made a contribution with 10 points and five assists. The Griffins advance to face #1 Alvernia on Tuesday night.

3:30 p.m. - #3 Arcadia 67, #6 Neumann 60
The third-seeded Arcadia University men's basketball team shrugged off a slow start to pull away #6 from Neumann College 67-60 in first round action of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Championships. Neumann jumped out to an early 11-2 lead before Arcadia slowly began chipping away laregely on the shoulders of Kevin Brown '08 and Sterling Green '08.

The two guards knocked down jumpers as Arcadia closed to 21-17. Arcadia got its first lead late in the half at 28-26 and take a 30-28 lead into the locker room.

The second half saw neither team able to pull away. Arcadia's largest lead was 10 early in the half and Neumann rallied for a five point lead with five minutes remaining. Arcadia would respond to tie the score with 2:56 left in the half on a basket by Green. Arcadia would then pull away for the 67-60 win.

Arcadia was led by Green who finished with a game high 15 points and Brown who chipped in with 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists. With the win, Arcadia advances to the second round of the PAC Championships Tuesday at Wesley College. Game time is 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, February 21- First Round
8:00 p.m. - #1 Alvernia 89, #5 Gwynedd-Mercy 78
Reading, PA (Feb. 21, 2006) – Senior Zach Straining (Paxtang, PA/Central Dauphin East) totaled 20 points and Chris Talley (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford) scored a game-high 23 points to lead top-seeded Alvernia College to an 89-78 win over #5 Gwynedd-Mercy Tuesday evening in a Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball semifinal at the Physical Education Center.

Talley scored 13 points in the first half and pulled within 10 points of 1,000 for his career. Straining tallied 12 points after the break and was one of three Crusaders to pull down six rebounds. Alvernia (22-4) will host #2 Wesley College, a 68-67 winner over #3 Arcadia in the other semifinal, Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

Alvernia stormed out to a 24-6 lead behind torrid offense, but Gwynedd-Mercy (12-15) got just as hot on its end taking a 41-37 lead less than a minute before the half. Junior guard Garrett Etzel (Shillington, PA/Governor Mifflin) nailed one of his two first-half 3s and Talley hit a free throw to knot the score at 41-all at halftime. GMC took a pair of four-point leads early in the second half, and Straining snapped a 54-all tie with three straight layups to give the hosts a lead it did not relinquish.

Neither team shot particularly well from the free throw line. The Griffins finished 12-for-21 from the stripe and Alvernia knocked down 23-of-39 from the charity stripe. By contrast, both teams were tremendous from the floor. Alvernia shot over 60 percent, and GMC finished with a 53-percent effort.

Alvernia, a two-time PAC Champion, is in the Final for the ninth time. Wesley is making its first Finals appearance. This is the second meeting between Alvernia and Wesley in the PAC Championships. Alvernia won the first meeting, 88-50 in the 2002 quarterfinal. The Crusaders swept both meetings with the Wolverines this season.

Alvernia started Tuesday’s game with a layup from Ryan Finger (Lancaster, PA/Lampeter Strasburg) and following a Talley 3 and a layup, the hosts were up 7-0 with only 48 seconds gone. Etzel’s layup at 16:21 put Alvernia up 11 points, 15-4, and following a Rashid Santiago (Allentown, PA/George School) jumper, Etzel, senior Lamar Brickus (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville), and Straining each connected from downtown to push the gap to 18 points, 24-6.

Alvernia hit 6-of-10 from 3-point range in the first half and 10-of-18 for the night with five different players hitting two each from long range.

GMC burned its second time out of the game at the 13:56 mark and came out of the stoppage with 10 straight points to cut the gap to eight. Senior Rick Haas (Wildwood, NJ/Wildwood Catholic), who scored all 12 of his points in the first half, started the streak with a jumper and a 3 and sophomore forward Kevin Lauer (Philadelphia, PA/St. John Neumann) capped it with a layup.

Alvernia came back with four straight to push the gap to 12 and had it back to a dozen on Straining’s second 3 of the night. Santiago answered with a jumper that started a stretch of seven straight for the guests and following Haas’ layup at 4:18, GMC was within three, 34-31. Straining hit a pair from the stripe, but the Griffins answered with five straight capped by a Francis Bowe (Phoenixville, PA/St. Pius X) 3 from the right corner to tie the score at 36-all.

Haas answered a Talley free throw with a jumper to give the visitors their first lead of the night, 38-37 and Frank Barder (Harleysville, PA/Souderton) hit a long 3 with the shot clock running down to push the gap to four, 41-37, 50 seconds before the break.

Lauer scored on back-to-back possessions coming out of the break as the Griffins pounded the offensive glass early in the second half.. The 6-6 sophomore scored again inside for a 47-43 lead, but Alvernia responded with a pair of 3s around a Chris DelBrocco (Philadelphia, PA/St. John Neumann) jumper to knot the score at 49-all.

GMC got three straight from freshman forward Haven Wroten (Philadelphia, PA/Prep Charter) and Alvernia answered with five straight to regain the lead, 54-52. DelBrocco scored on a reverse layup for the final tie of the night before Straining scored six points on the block for a 60-54 lead.

Finger’s layup pushed the lead to eight and Straining’s free throws at 10:40 put Alvernia up 64-54. DelBrocco nailed one of his two 3s on the next GMC possession to spark six straight points, but Brock and Brickus connected from downtown during a 10-4 Alvernia run that pushed the gap back to 10 points with 3:49 to play.

DelBrocco, who reached 1,000 career points on a second half free throw, hit his second 3 from the right corner as GMC scored five straight to cut the lead in half, but Alvernia made enough free throws down the stretch to deny any comeback.

DelBrocco finished with a team-high 16 points for the Griffins, Wroten added 15, Haas 12, and Lauer and Bowe added 10 points each.

7:00 p.m. - #2 Wesley 68, #3 Arcadia 67
DOVER, De. - #2 Wesley College (16-10) defeated #3 Arcadia University (16-11) in the semifinal round of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Basketball Tournament, by a final score of 68-67 on Tuesday night at Jim and Shirley Wentworth Gymnasium. Wesley will be making their first ever appearance into the conference championship game. Wesley will be taking on #1 Alvernia College, on Thursday, February 23rd with tip-off set for 7:00 PM. Alvernia defeated #5 Gwynedd-Mercy College by a final score of 89-78.

In Wesley's game, Rashawn Johnson (FR, Selbyville, DE/Sussex Tech) paced the Wolverines with 22 points, 11 rebounds and four assists on the night. Nick Minor (SR, Gambrills, MD/Arundel) and Greg Cooke (FR, Wilmington, DE/Hodgson) added 14 and 13 points respectively, with Minor adding four steals and Cooke dishing out four assists.

Wesley jumped out to an early 10-3 lead off a 3-point basket by Cooke and pushed the lead to 16-5 with 12:30 remaining before halftime. The Knights chipped away going on an 11-3 run pulling to 19-16 with just over nine minutes to play in the half. Arcadia took its first lead at 28-27 with 3:37 left in the first half on a basket by Kevin Brown (SO, Trenton, NJ/Burlington Township), with the lead changing three more times before Wesley went into halftime up 34-32.

The Wolverines started the second half on a 9-2 run to push the lead to 43-36. Minor, who spent most of the 1st half on the bench due to foul trouble, had four points, two rebounds, one steal and one block during that span. The Knights answered right back taking a 51-49 lead with 12:07 left in the game, but Wesley would push ahead on an old-fashioned three-point play by Alphonzo Wright (FR, Dover, DE/Polytech), to help put the Wolverines up 54-51.

Wesley went up 8 (63-55) on a 3-point basket by Minor with 6:48 remaining. Arcadia would make one last attempt pulling within three of Wesley (66-63) with 55 seconds remaining. Cooke, who was 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, drained two key free-throws to put Wesley up 68-63. After a Cooke foul, Arcadia's Brown hit 1-of-2 free throws to pull the Knights within four at 68-64 with 15 seconds remaining. The Knights hit one last 3-point attempt for the final margin. Wesley shot 22-of-54 (40.7%) from the field and committed only 13 turnovers in the game. The Knights held a 37-31 advantage in rebounds.

2006 Men's Basketball NCAA Division III Championship

Saturday, March 3- First Round
6:00 p.m. - Messiah 83, Alvernia 77 (OT)
Lincoln University, PA (Mar. 3, 2006) – Senior guard Quinn Mccullough, scoreless through nearly 30 minutes of play, tallied a team-high 18 points including 11-of-12 free throws to lead Messiah College to an 83-77 overtime win over Alvernia College in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship at Lincoln University. Messiah advances to the second round and will meet the winner of the Lincoln-Christopher Newport game on Saturday at Lincoln at 7:00 p.m.

Mccullough scored his first points on a jumper with 11:09 left in regulation that pushed the Messiah (19-9) lead to six, 49-43. He scored five times from the line during a 7-2 stretch that tied the game at 63-all with 2:04 to play, and nailed a huge jumper from the right baseline that double Messiah’s lead to four, 81-77 with 17 seconds left in overtime.

Six players reached double figures for the Falcons while the Crusaders placed three in double digits led by senior forward and Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Zach Straining (Paxtang, PA/Central Dauphin East), who totaled a career-high 29.

Messiah used a decisive edge in rebounds, 45-25, and second chance points, 22-4, to win a hard-fought, physical game.

Alvernia opened up its largest early lead with a 7-3 advantage through the first 3:21. Messiah’s Steve King, who buried a fading 25-footer to win the Commonwealth Championship, stroked his first of two from long range and added a layup for an 8-7 Messiah lead. Both teams held a three point advantage twice during the remainder of the half with Messiah clinging to a one point lead at the break, 26-25.

Alvernia held a 14-12 lead in points in the paint and the Falcons had only mustered three of their 22 second chance points at the break. Messiah’s leading scorer, Zach Wiernicki, who averages 16.8 points, totaled just five points before the break and picked up his third personal foul of the night on, oddly enough, an offensive rebound by Alvernia freshman, Tyrone Bradley (Chester, PA/Chester).

Both teams shot poorly from the arc in the opening half. Messiah hit two, both from King, in 11 attempts while the Crusaders hit just once in nine attempts. Messiah’s advantage on the boards was only 18-17 at the break as both teams seemed content with one shot to deny any fast break offense.

Junior forward Jared Yoder asserted himself on the block with Wiernicki still sitting out in foul trouble early in the second. Messiah built a five point lead behind four from Yoder and two from Dan Snyder in the first two minutes of the second half. The lead was down to three with 15:30 to play before a pair of King free throws and a long 3 from freshman reserve Drew Sneeringer gave the Falcons the largest lead of the night, an eight point edge, 43-35 with 14:35 on the clock.

Alvernia senior Lamar Brickus (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) scored two of his 10 to stop the mini run, but Yoder answered with another post move to reestablish the eight point lead. Alvernia junior Garrett Etzel (Shillington, PA/Governor Mifflin) hit his only 3 of the night to cut the gap to five, and a 3-point play from Straining had Alvernia within four at the 11:22 mark.

Mccullough’s first bucket ensued and Alvernia answered with a free throw from junior Ryan Finger (Lancaster, PA/Lampeter Strasburg). Finger followed with a steal and a layup on the inbounds and Alvernia was back within three, 49-46 with 10:36 to play.

Neither team could put anything together over the next two minutes until Straining’s layup at 8:18 cut the gap to one. Straining missed a chance to tie the game at 49 with a free throw, but after a Snyder miss on the other end, Brickus pushed the tempo and found a cutting Chris Talley (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford) who gave Alvernia its first lead, 50-49 since it was up 23-22 late in the first.

The lead exchanged hands four times with Talley scoring four straight to give the Crusaders a 58-54 lead with 4:40 left in regulation. Wiernicki cut the lead in half with a second chance layup, but Straining’s 3-point play gave Alvernia a five point lead with 3:13 on the clock.

Mccullough was fouled on a 3 from the right elbow and calmly sank all three to cut the gap to two. Etzel followed with a pair from the stripe, but there was Mccullough again at the line sinking two more making it 63-61 Alvernia with 2:23 left in regulation.

Matt Henninger stole the ball on the perimeter and Wiernicki converted a 3-point play on the other end to swing the lead back to Messiah. Straining hit a pair for the line, but Wiernicki answered. Talley’s layup and free throw coming out of a timeout gave Alvernia a two point lead at 1:06 and Yoder and Brickus traded single free throws to leave Alvernia up 69-67 with 37 ticks to go.

Brown missed a short jumper, but Wiernicki emerged from a pile of hands under the hoop to drop in layup that tied the score with 18 seconds on the clock. Alvernia called timeout with 13 ticks left, but Mike Brock’s (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford) fadeaway jumper from just outside the lane rang out as the horn sounded forcing overtime.

Messiah won the tip and scored as Mccullough assisted Brown underneath to open the extra frame. Mccullough hit two of three free throws at 3:31 for a three point lead that Alvernia trimmed to two three times, the last one on Straining’s layup with 47 seconds left.

Alvernia played solid defense on Messiah’s next possession, but Mccullough had just what the Falcons needed as his jumper found nothing but net with 17 ticks left to push the lead to four. Brickus turned the ball over trying to push it up the right side and Mccullough’s two free throws with nine seconds left were the final points as the Falcons advanced.

2006 Men's Basketball ECAC South Region Championship

Wednesday, March 1- Quarterfinals
7:00 p.m. - #3 Penn State Behrend 68, #3 Wesley 60
The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team dropped Wesley (DE) 68-60 in the ECAC Southern Region Tournament first-round on Wednesday, March 1. Behrend has posted a stellar 13-2 mark on their home floor this season and advances to Friday night's semi-finals in La Plume, Pennsylvania.

Behrend (20-7) raced out to a 38-30 halftime lead behind 17 first-half points from 6-7 sophomore Kevin Buczynski (Erie/Villa Maria). Buczynski, the AMCC Player of the Year, had his way on the interior connecting on seven-of-eight from the floor and made three free-throws in eighteen minutes of work. Tom Newman (Girard/Northwestern) added eight first-half points including a pivotal steal and lay-up with only 24 seconds remaining in the half to send the Behrend Lions into the break with the eight-point advantage.

The two squads played to a 30-30 tie in the second frame with rebounding and free-throws proving to be the difference for Behrend. David Gahan (Erie/East) hauled down a game-high 14 rebounds, while Buczynski added 10 as the blue and white out boarded the Wolverines by a dozen. Also Behrend hit 18 of 22 from the charity-stripe led by Drew Seeker (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) who hit eight of nine.

Wesley was led offensively by Rashawn Johnson with sixteen points on six-of-seventeen from the floor and Greg Cooke added 11 as the Wolverines finish the year at 16-12.

"We are excited to get the win and advance," said Behrend head coach Dave Niland. "It was key that we made our free-throws down the stretch. Buczynski played exceptionally well and Gahan did a great job on boards."

Buczynski led all scorers with 24 points. Behrend advances to the semifinals on Friday, March 3rd at Keystone College. The host team and #1 seed Keystone College (22-5) will face the winner of the #4 DeSales (16-9) vs. #5 Albright (16-9) game while in the other semifinal, Penn State Behrend will battle #2 Pitt-Greensburg (16-9) . The semifinal winners will meet on Saturday, March 4th at Keystone for the ECAC Division III Men’s Southern Basketball Championship.

Earlier this season Behrend and Wesley met on November 19 at the Junker Center when the Behrend Lions pulled out a 77-75 victory in the first day of the Behrend Tip-Off Tournament.