Cairn University poured in 64 points in the second half, with 25 of them coming from the foul line, as the Highlanders (18-9) defeated Centenary University (18-9) 113-105 Saturday night in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) men's basketball championship game at Centenary University. The Highlanders, who were the second-seed in the tournament, won their first CSAC title in men's basketball while Centenary finished as runners-up for the first time in school history. Cairn will advance to the NCAA tournament as it's won the conference's automatic qualifier. Cairn's Julian Collazo (6'0''-PG), named the game's MVP, scored 25 points on 7-for-16 shooting. Collazo was one of four Highlanders in double figures with Jeremiah Harris (6'1''-G) scoring a team-high 25 points. Malachi Hall (6'3''-G) had 24 points., while Kameron Clark (6'6''-C) scored 21 points off the bench. Centenary was led by Chris LaBelle (6'1''-G) who poured in a game-high 43 points, sinking 19-of-23 foul shots. Harrison Lucibello (6'2''-G) scored 14 off the bench for the Cyclones. The game was won at the foul line as Cairn made 36-for-46 foul shots on the night. Centenary went 31-for-40. Both teams shot over 47 percent from the field, with both teams making more than 50 percent of their shots in the first half. Centenary led by as much as 14 points in the first half (35-21), with Cairn taking the lead for good with less than three minutes left in regulation.
CSAC Tournament Final: Centenary - Cairn 105-113 CSAC Tournament Semifinals: Centenary - Wilson College 76-67 Cairn - Rosemont 84-77
All-Tournament MVP: Julian Collazo (6'0''-PG) of Cairn Player of the Year: Chris LaBelle (6'1''-G) of Centenary, NJ Defensive Player of the Year: Malachi Hall (6'3''-G) of Cairn Rookie of the Year: D'Angelo Blackmond (6'5''-F) of Centenary, NJ Coach of the Year: Brian Zoeller of Wilson
O'Connell
