Cabrini Tops Neumann, 89-76, to Capture CSAC Men's Basketball Championship - Feb 26, 2018
The top-seeded Cabrini University Cavaliers (24-3) defeated the third-seeded and defending champion Neumann University Knights (20-8) by a final of 89-76 Saturday evening to capture the 2017-18 Colonial States Athletic Conference men's basketball championship. CSAC Championship Most Valuable Player Anthony Wright-Downing (6'1''-G) carried the load for the Cavaliers by hitting 14-of-15 from the field for a game-high 32 points to lead three Cavs in double figures. Keith Blassingale (5'11''-PG) registered 18 points, including three three-pointers, while Tyheim Monroe (6'6''-F) finished with 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. The rivals split their two regular season contests but this rubber match would determine the CSAC's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III tournament. Neumann was making its fifth straight appearance in the title game while Cabrini made its first trip to the conference final since the 2014-15 season. Neumann jumped out to a 12-6 lead following a Billy Cassidy (5'9''-PG) triple. From there the Cavs put together a 21-4 run over a span of 6:04 to assume a double-figure advantage (27-16) capped by a conventional three-point play by Wright-Dowling. Cabrini would not relinquish its lead the rest of the half and took a 42-36 edge into the locker room. The Knights closed to within two (54-52) at the 12:32 mark of the second half on a layup by Aaron Johnson-Chavis (6'8''-F) but the Cavs hot seven of their next nine field goals and built a 15-point edge (70-55) with 9:57 remaining in regulation. The Knights were unable to cut into the double-figure deficit the rest of the way. Cabrini won its first CSAC men's basketball title since 2013-14 and 14th overall. Neumann finished as the CSAC runner-up for the sixth time in program history. Four Knights netted double-figure scoring totals including Cassidy (16), Aaron Johnson-Chavis (16), Raquan Brown-Johnson (6'5''-G) (14) and Tyaire Hudson (5'11''-PG) (13). Cabrini shot 50 percent from the field (32-of-64) and nearly 80 percent from the foul line (19-of-24). Neumann outrebounded the Cavaliers 49-42 and 20-7 on the offensive glass.
McDonald
