Cabrini Crowned CSAC Champions for Fifth Straight Year with 96-79 Win Over Neumann - Mar 2, 2014
The top-seeded and No. 6-ranked Cabrini College Cavaliers (25-1) defeated third-seeded Neumann University (19-9), 96-79, in the 2014 Colonial States Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship held at Nerney Field House Friday evening.
CSAC Championship Most Valuable Player and CSAC Player of the Year, Aaron Walton-Moss (6'1''-G), registered a double-double of 26 points and 10 boards to go along with seven assists for the Cavaliers while Vinny Walls (6'1''-G) led all scorers with 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting. Fran Rafferty (6'4''-F) also reached double figures with 13 points on an efficient 6-of-7 from the field as the Cavaliers shot 58 percent from the floor on the night.
All-CSAC second team honoree Reggie Coleman (5'9''-PG) paced the Knights with 22 points while CSAC Rookie of the Year DeShawn Lowman (6'1''-G) tallied 17 points and all-CSAC first team selection Mark Blount (6'6''-F) contributed a double-double of 12 points and 10 boards.
The Cavaliers, who made their sixth straight appearance in the CSAC title game, won their 13th CSAC men's basketball championship all-time. With the win, Cabrini secured the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. Neumann played in its first title game since 2009-10 and finished as conference runner-up for the third time (2009-10, 2002-03, 2001-02).
The offense was clicking early on for both Cabrini and Neumann as the two teams combined for 20 points in just the first 3:42 of the contest. A putback by Rafiq Williams (6'3''-G) gave the Knights a 12-8 edge at the 16:18 mark, but from there the Cavaliers used a 10-0 spurt, capped by a Walton-Moss three-point play, to assume an 18-12 lead less than three minutes later and Cabrini would not trail again, taking a 46-36 advantage into the locker room.
Walton-Moss and Walls combined for 39 of Cabrini's 46 first-half points while Lowman and Coleman teamed up for 26 of Neumann's 36 first-half points.
Neumann trimmed the lead to seven on two occasions early in the second half but Cabrini was unrelenting, using a 17-2 run to stretch its lead back to 22 midway through the stanza and went on to win by 17.
Cabrini made 10 three-pointers, five in each half, and had 11 players contribute to the scoring. Neumann outrebounded the Cavaliers, 40-36, and held the upperhand in points in the paint, 50-44.
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Kahn
