Lycoming Claims 2020 MAC Commonwealth Men's Basketball Title - Mar 1, 2020
Freshman Mo Terry (6'1''-G) (Severn, Md./Severn School) hit a go-ahead free throw with 38 seconds left, took a charge with 11 seconds left (and with four fouls to his credit) and junior Darius Dangerfield (5'8''-PG) (Abingdon, Md./Harford Tech) did the rest, hitting a three free throws to lift the underdog Lycoming College men's basketball team to a come-from-behind 68-64 win over No. 3 seed Arcadia in the MAC Commonwealth Championship final on Saturday night, Feb. 29, at Alumni Gym. The fourth-seeded Warriors (20-8 overall), who finished last in the MAC Commonwealth with a 5-11 conference record in 2018-19, rolled through their final MAC Commonwealth Championship title by finishing in a tie for second in the regular season with a 10-6 record before beating the preseason MAC Commonwealth favorite, Hood, 80-78, in the first round before taking out the MAC Commonwealth regular-season champion Widener, 90-77, in the semifinals to set up Saturday's game with the defending champions. "It's just pure joy," second-year head coach Mike McGarvey said. "The result of tonight's game wouldn't define our season. We exceeded expectations. To go out with something as special as this for the players in our locker room, it's something that they'll take with them for the rest of their lives." "It hasn't really set in," Darius Dangerfield added. "I don't know when it will. It feels awesome. Staying committed was the biggest thing for me. Adversity will hit you in all different ways. When you love something, you just need to keep going and work hard." Terry hit a free throw to give Lycoming a 65-64 lead with 38 seconds left. Freshman Jon-Marc Flores-Diaz (6'3''-G/F) (San Antonio, Texas/William Howard Taft) came up with a steal off a loose ball on Arcadia's next possession and the Warriors' pulled the ball out before Darius Dangerfield was fouled. He hit one free throw, and Terry took a charge with 11 seconds left. A loose ball on the inbounds found the hands of Darius Dangerfield, who was fouled, and he hit both free throws with seven seconds left to ice the game for Lycoming. "It's just being tough," Darius Dangerfield said of the defensive stands at the end of the game. "We just wanted it. We were all committed to do the right things. If you make the winning play, the right things happen." Darius Dangerfield, the tournament MVP, posted 22 points in the championship game to go along with four assists, as he hit 4-of-7 from 3-point range and 8-of-9 at the line. "No one made better plays down the stretch than Darius," McGarvey said. "He has been our MVP all-year long." Sophomore D'Andre Edmond (6'6''-F) (Pflugerville, Texas/Pflugerville) posted 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks and freshman Dyson Harward (6'7''-C) (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) added nine points and seven rebounds. Senior Ryan Hollis (5'10''-PG) (Centreville, Md./Saints Peters & Paul) also notched nine points. Arcadia scored four points to take a 55-51 lead before Hollis hit a corner 3-pointer to tie it at 55 with 5:24 to play. After each team got a pair of points, both made defensive stands, with Darius Dangerfield drawing a charge as the clock ticked under 2:30 left, setting up a go-ahead layup from Edmond. Steve Pendleton (6'1''-G) tied it with a pair of free throws and Darius Dangerfield responded with a 3-pointer with 1:44 left before a wild Arcadia shot was sent back to him and he was fouled to get to the line, where he hit a pair of free throws to make it 64-59. Da'Kquan Davis (6'1''-G) responded with the next five points for Arcadia (16-11 overall), hitting a deep 3-pointer to tie it with a minute left. The Warriors opened the second half with seven straight points, the last four from Harward to take a 31-29 lead, but Arcadia countered with 11 straight points, taking a 40-31 lead with 15:06 left. The Warriors fought back within two points with 13:39 left after a 3-pointer from Ilodigwe and again with 9:31 left after a 3-pointer from Hollis. Two minutes later, Darius Dangerfield drove in and was fouled for an old-fashioned three-point play to get the lead within a point at 51-50 before he hit two free throws to make it 52-51 with 7:11 to play. Both teams struggled through a low-scoring first half, with the Warriors shooting just 32 percent and turning the ball over nine times and Arcadia shot 41 percent (11-of-27) to go with eight turnovers. Arcadia also struggled with 11 personal fouls. Lycoming started the game by hitting three 3-pointers to take a 9-6 lead before Arcadia fought back to take a 15-11 lead with 7:55 left in the half. An old-fashioned three-point play by freshman Tobias Walden (5'10''-PG) Jr. (New York, N.Y./Southern Columbia) ignited Lycoming on an 11-2 run, as a 3-pointer from Darius Dangerfield helped Lycoming take a 22-17 lead with 4:49 left in the half. Arcadia closed the half on a 10-2 run, though, hitting its last four shots of the half to take a 27-24 lead at the break. Davis finished with 23 points and Pendleton had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Knights.
All-Tournament MVP: Darius Dangerfield (5'8''-PG) of Lycoming Player of the Year: Connor Laverty (6'5''-G/F) of Widener Defensive Player of the Year: Avery Walker (6'0''-PG) of Alvernia, PA Rookie of the Year: Dyson Harward (6'7''-C) of Lycoming Coach of the Year: Chris Carideo of Widener
Honorable Mention Elijah Boyd (6'3''-G/F) of Widener Keon Taylor (6'0''-PG) of Alvernia, PA Zach Tucker (5'11''-PG) of Lebanon Valley
Stevens Captures 2020 MAC Freedom Title - Mar 1, 2020
Senior Spencer Cook (6'1''-G) finished one shy of a career high with 32 points as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team won its first-ever conference championship with a 77-59 victory over Eastern University Saturday to capture the MAC Freedom title at Canavan Arena. The victory guaranteed the Ducks a berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Year shot 10 for 20 from the floor, including 6 for 11 from behind the arc, while adding six free throws to post his second game with 30 or more points this season. Cook added six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals for the Ducks, who reached the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history. The senior guard averaged 24 points and 5.5 rebounds over the two-game tournament to earn Most Valuable Player honors. Cook set his career-high with a 33-point effort against Hartwick College on Jan. 13, 2018. Freshman Matt Crowley (5'11''-PG) added 14 points and six assists for the Ducks, who won their 10th straight game to improve to 23-4 on the year to match the program record for wins in a single season. Stevens' 10-game winning streak is the longest for the program since the Ducks reeled off 11 in a row during the 2006-07 season, which resulted in the Ducks' first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. William Blet (6'8''-F) had 14 points and Draig Ruff (6'3''-G) and Victor Pena (6'6''-F-98) added 13 each for Eastern, who fell to 17-10. The setback snapped the Eagles' three-game winning streak. After the teams spent the first 90 seconds of the game feeling one another out, Pena scored the first basket of the game to give Eastern its only lead of the contest. Cook answered with his first 3-pointer of the game off a perfect feed from Crowley. Graduate student Kevin Florio (6'0''-PG) sank a triple on the Ducks' next possession to push Stevens' lead to four. Junior Alec Dipietrantonio (6'6''-F/C) and senior Dylan Walsh (6'3''-G/F) connected for back-to-back baskets in the paint to force a timeout. Walsh's bucket came after offensive boards by Crowley and Florio kept possession with Stevens. One of the stingiest defenses in the nation kept Eastern in check over the game's first 20 minutes. The Eagles shot 38% from the floor, but were just 2 for 8 from behind the arc. Meanwhile, Crowley and Florio combined for a perfect 3 for 3 on 3-point attempts as the Ducks opened a 14-point lead at the intermission. An Eastern run was to be expected, and after the Ducks opened an 18-point lead following a Crowley three, the Eagles went on a 12-0 run to trim Stevens' lead to just six. However, Cook dashed any hopes of an Eastern comeback with 11 straight points to put the Ducks back in front by 12. Cook's 32-point performance moved the Washington Township, New Jersey native into seventh place on the program's all-time career scoring list. His 518 points this season are the sixth-most in any single season in program history.
Pivotal Point Blet scored a backdoor layup off a Pena pass to trim Stevens' lead to six just past the midway point of the second half. Coach Hurley called a timeout to regroup and draw up a play. The designed play resulted in a long three by Cook and sparked a stretch that saw Cook score 11 straight points as the Ducks reclaimed a 12-point lead.
Inside the Numbers Stevens outshot Eastern 44.6% to 43.8, however, the Ducks were 12 of 24 from behind the arc, while the Eagles were just 4 of 15. In the Ducks' two games against Eastern in Canavan Arena, Stevens shot 23 for 43 (53.4%) on its 3-point attempts. The Ducks won the battle of the boards 38-26, including a 14-8 edge on the offensive glass. DiPietrantonio recorded two blocks. Eastern only made 13 of its 24 attempts from the line. Senior Jojo Mosca (6'1''-G) finished with six points on a pair of 3-pointers. 41 of Mosca's 54 baskets have come from behind the arc.
Unsung Hero Senior Tyler McShea (6'5''-F/C) scored four points and grabbed three rebounds over 18 minutes. Pressed into action in the second half, the Hainesport, New Jersey native was also credited with creating a pair of jump-ball situations and kept a key possession alive by diving onto the floor.
From the Court (Head Coach Bobby Hurley) "So happy for our guys! They competed right from the start and they were locked in for 40 minutes.. Spencer seemed to make big shot after big shot and our seniors stepped up and got all the stops we needed down the stretch." "This is truly a special group. I couldn't be happier for them and all they have accomplished this season. It will be a special moment on Monday hearing our name called for the NCAA Tournament and we will be excited to then get back to work."
All-Tournament MVP: Spencer Cook (6'1''-G) of Stevens Tech Player of the Year: Spencer Cook (6'1''-G) of Stevens Tech Defensive Player of the Year: Benjamin Pratt (6'0''-PG) of DeSales Rookie of the Year: Nate Kreitzer (5'8''-PG) of Misericordia Coach of the Year: Jeff Slanovec of FDU-Florham
McGarvey
