From the E-town College Website:
12/16/2008
Men's basketball topped by Scranton, 83-68
Click here for the box score
SCRANTON, Pa. --- The University of Scranton placed six players in double figures and connected on 12 three-pointers in an 83-68 victory over Elizabethtown College in non-conference men's basketball action at the Long Center on Tuesday night.
Ryan FitzPatrick went 5-for-6 from three-point range and scored a team-high 17 points for the Royals (6-3 overall), while Zach Ashworth added 15 points as all five starters reached double figures in the victory for Scranton.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) led the Blue Jays (5-5 overall) with 21 points while Keith Fogel (Mifllinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) added 16 points for Elizabethtown, which shot 40.3 percent (27-for-67) from the field as a team and connected on just 9-of-18 from the foul line.
The Blue Jays held their only lead of the game at 7-6, but the Royals went on a 12-2 run to take an 18-9 advantage with 12:27 left in the first half. Scranton led 41-33 at halftime as Luke Hawk scored 10 points to lead the Royals, while Flanagan paced the Blue Jays with 15 points in the opening half.
In the second half, Scranton hit four three-pointers in the opening four minutes to take a 55-40 lead, but the Blue Jays climbed back to within eight at 55-47 with 14:36 to go. However, Scranton regained a double-figure lead and built their advantage to as many as 18 points midway through the half.
Eli Londo went 5-for-5 from the field and finished with 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Scranton, while Paul Biagioli and brothers Luke and Paul Hawk all tallied 10 points. As a team, Scranton finished 23-for-27 from the foul line inclluding 16-for-17 in the second half.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) also finished in double figures for Elizabethtown with 10 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds and three blocked shots, while Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) dished out seven assists.
From the Scranton Times-Tribune:
Balanced attack powers Scranton past Elizabethtown
With six players scoring in double figures, the University of Scranton held off Elizabethtown College, 83-68, in a non-conference men’s basketball game at the Long Center on Tuesday.
Senior guard Ryan FitzPatrick led the Royals (6-3) with 17 points and sophomore guard Zach Ashworth scored 15. North Pocono graduate Eli Londo finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.
The Royals opened up a double-digit lead early in the second half as Ashworth scored five points and FitzPatrick and Paul Hawk buried 3-pointers each to spark a 14-7 run to extend a 41-33 halftime lead to 55-40 with 16:21 remaining.
Abington Heights graduate Paul Biagioli finished 10 points for Scranton, as did sophomore guard Luke Hawk and senior forward Paul Hawk.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Tuesday Night Basketball in Scranton
Good luck to the Blue Jays tonight as they head to Scranton to take on the University of Scranton Royals.
For those traveling to the game, please travel safely as The National Weather Service is calling for a Wintry mix.
For those not braving the conditions, you can listen to the game live online. The game will be broadcast by WUSR 99.5 FM Royal Radio.
Go Blue Jays!
For those traveling to the game, please travel safely as The National Weather Service is calling for a Wintry mix.
For those not braving the conditions, you can listen to the game live online. The game will be broadcast by WUSR 99.5 FM Royal Radio.
Go Blue Jays!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Blue Jays Fall at DeSales 71-65
Following are the stories of Saturday's game as gathered from around the Web.
First from the E-town College Website:
DeSales remains unbeaten with 71-65 win in men's hoops action
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, December 13, 2008
DeSales 71, Elizabethtown 65
Click here for the box score
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. --- Darnell Braswell scored a game-high 22 points and Brian Hunter added 20 as DeSales University remained undefeated with a 71-65 victory over Elizabethtown College in non-conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Billera Hall.
Ed Lapinski chipped in with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Bulldogs (8-0 overall), who led from start to finish by as many as 17 points before the Blue Jays (5-4 overall) used a late rally to trim to deficit to four points.
Keith Fogel (Mifllinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) sank a career-high four three-pointers and finished with 20 points for Elizabethtown, while Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) notched his second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the Blue Jays shot just 39 percent (23-for-59) from the field and committed 21 turnovers in defeat.
Braswell went 8-for-16 from the field and 6-for-9 from the foul line for DeSales, while Hunter connected on four three-pointers on the afternoon as the Bulldogs hit 54.8 percent (17-for-31) from the field in the first half to take a 42-30 lead at intermission.
The Bulldogs held their largest lead of the day at 51-34 following a steal and layup by Braswell with 15:26 to play, but the Blue Jays chipped away behind Fogel and Church, who combined for 21 of Elizabethtown's 35 points in the second half.
The Blue Jays pulled within six points on several occasions, and managed to move to within 69-65 on a three-pointer by Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) with eight seconds to go, but Braswell hit two foul shots with three seconds left to close the scoring.
In addition to his 20 points, Fogel also finished with a career-high seven steals for Elizabethtown, while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) reached double figures for the ninth time in as many games with 11 points. Off the bench, Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) came up with six points and four assists in 15 minutes of action.
From the DeSales Website:
Bullldogs Stay Unbeaten with 71-65 Win over Elizabethtown
BOX SCORE
Center Valley, PA (December 13, 2008) – For the first time in school history the DeSales University men’s basketball team will open its Christmas presents without having lost a basketball game as the Bulldogs will enter the Christmas break with a perfect 8-0 record after a 71-65 win over Elizabethtown College on Saturday afternoon in Billera Hall.
The Bulldogs are 8-0 for the first time in school history and will take three weeks off before putting their unblemished record on the line on Saturday, January 3rd. DSU shot 47.3 percent from the field for the game, including a 54.8 percent effort in the opening half, handing the Blue Jays their fourth loss of the season as they fall to 5-4 overall. E-Town shot just 39.0 percent for the game as both teams were sloppy with the ball combining for 41 turnovers, 21 for Elizabethtown and 20 for DeSales.
DSU never trailed in the game taking a 3-0 lead on a three-point play from junior Darnell Braswell (Allentown, PA/William Allen) to start the game and held the lead throughout in the win. Leading by just two points, 23-21, at the 8:05 mark of the opening half, the Bulldogs used an 8-0 run to build a 10-point lead as sophomore Brian Hunter (Allentown, PA/Emmaus) and Braswell combined for all eight points, five by Hunter including one three-pointer.
The lead grew as high as 14 points, 42-28, before a lay-up from Joe Flanagan to end the half provided the 42-30 halftime score as each team entered the locker room.
DeSales started out hot in the second half, pushing its lead up to 17-points, 51-34, before the Blue Jays began to chip away. The Bulldogs were held scoreless over the next six and a half minutes as EC cut the lead down to six points, before a three-point play from Hunter snapped the scoring drought and pushed the lead up to nine points, 54-45, with 8:58 to go.
Elizabethtown continued to chip away cutting the lead to six several times and got within five, 62-57, at the 2:24 mark before a lay-up from Braswell quickly pushed the game back to a three possession contest and the Bulldogs hit 6-of-8 charity tosses over the final 43 seconds to ice the game and provide the final margin.
Once again the backcourt combination of Braswell and Hunter combined for a large portion of DSU’s scoring with 42 of the 71 points. Braswell led the way with 22, while Hunter added 20. Senior Ed Lapinski (Red Hill, PA/Upper Perkiomen) had nine points and pulled down a game-high 12 boards, senior Matt Zwetolitz (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) added seven points, and junior Jim Malatesta (Warminster, PA/Archbishop Wood) totaled eight points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the win.
The Bulldogs will get a chance to rest their legs for three weeks before returning to action on Saturday, January 3rd when they host John Jay College in the opening game of the Casa Mia Holiday Tournament beginning at 2:00 pm.
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
Undefeated DeSales holds off Elizabethtown, 71-65
Sunday News
By STAFF
Darnell Braswell scored a game-high 22 points and Brian Hunter added 20 as DeSales University remained undefeated with a 71-65 victory over Elizabethtown College in a non-conference men's basketball game Saturday in Center Valley.
Ed Lapinski chipped in with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Bulldogs (8-0), who led by as many as 17 before the Blue Jays (5-4) used a late rally to trim to deficit to four points.
Keith Fogel sank a career-high four three-pointers and finished with 20 points for Elizabethtown. Mike Church (Solanco) had his second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the Blue Jays shot just 39 percent (23-for-59) from the field and committed 21 turnovers.
Braswell went 8-for-16 from the field and 6-for-9 from the foul line for DeSales. Hunter connected on four three-pointers as the Bulldogs hit 54.8 percent (17-for-31) from the field in the first half to take a 42-30 lead at intermission.
The Bulldogs held their largest lead of the day at 51-34 following a steal and layup by Braswell with 15:26 to play, but the Blue Jays chipped away behind Fogel and Church, who combined for 21 of Elizabethtown's 35 points in the second half.
The Blue Jays pulled within six points on several occasions, and managed to move to within 69-65 on a three-pointer by Chris Jones with eight seconds to go, but Braswell hit two foul shots with three seconds left to close the scoring.
Fogel also finished with a career-high seven steals. Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite) reached double figures for the ninth time in as many games with 11 points. Off the bench, Kyle McConnell (Cedar Crest) came up had six points and four assists in 15 minutes.
Finally, from the Allentown Morning Call:
Burke's big second half sinks Messiah
Braswell, Hunter lead Bulldog men to win over E'town.
By Mandy Housenick Of The Morning Call
December 14, 2008
DeSales women's basketball players, coaches and fans are used to seeing LeighAnn Burke stand out. The senior guard entered Saturday's game averaging nearly 20 points per contest.
So you can imagine their surprise when she had just seven at halftime on 3-of-10 shooting.
The Philadelphia native more than made up for it in the second half.
Burke poured in 25 in the final two quarters for a game-high 32, which propelled No. 18 DeSales to a come-from-behind victory over No. 6 Messiah 70-64 at Billera Hall.
''When she's unhappy with what she's done, she's going to do something about it,'' DeSales coach Fred Richter said.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the DeSales men's team continued its torrid start by beating Elizabethtown 71-65. Allen graduate Darnell Braswell led all scorers with 22 points. Teammate Brian Hunter, an Emmaus alum, added 20 for the Bulldogs, whose 8-0 start is the best in program history.
Except for scoring the first basket of the game, the women didn't own the lead until the 12:26 mark of the second half. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 10 three times in the first half, including at intermission. During that first 20 minutes, Burke shot just 30 percent from the field. As a team, DeSales didn't make a steal and committed 12 turnovers to Messiah's five.
''I was getting open and I was getting my shots,'' Burke said. ''But I knew I needed to start to hit some jump shots.''
The Bulldogs' defense turned it into high gear in the second half. The Bulldogs made two steals in the first two minutes (they finished with six), both of which led to baskets and finally tied the game at 42 on Burke's baseline jumper with 15:01 left. She scored five of her team's next seven points, including a trey from the corner on an inbounds play that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good.
"Sometimes that's a shot I don't get because people know the play,'' Burke said.
DeSales' lead over Messiah, which lost in the Division III national championship a season ago, grew to 10 when Megan Bedard scored with 1:43 left to make it 67-57.
The DeSales men had to make some last-minute adjustments when they found out that starting guard Rob Schubach, a Southern Lehigh graduate, had pink eye.
The Bulldogs, though, hardly missed a beat. They owned the lead for the entire game, which included a 17-point advantage 4:30 into the second half.
Braswell's athleticism helped him shoot 50 percent from the field. And Hunter's jump shot was on Saturday. The sophomore, who came into the game averaging 12.3 per game, had 14 at halftime. He wound up hitting six of 10 from the floor, including four of six from 3-point range.
''I'm a pretty confident player and coach [Scott Coval] has a lot of confidence in me,'' Hunter said. ''So when I'm open, I don't really think twice about putting up a shot.''
First from the E-town College Website:
DeSales remains unbeaten with 71-65 win in men's hoops action
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, December 13, 2008
DeSales 71, Elizabethtown 65
Click here for the box score
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. --- Darnell Braswell scored a game-high 22 points and Brian Hunter added 20 as DeSales University remained undefeated with a 71-65 victory over Elizabethtown College in non-conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Billera Hall.
Ed Lapinski chipped in with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Bulldogs (8-0 overall), who led from start to finish by as many as 17 points before the Blue Jays (5-4 overall) used a late rally to trim to deficit to four points.
Keith Fogel (Mifllinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) sank a career-high four three-pointers and finished with 20 points for Elizabethtown, while Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) notched his second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the Blue Jays shot just 39 percent (23-for-59) from the field and committed 21 turnovers in defeat.
Braswell went 8-for-16 from the field and 6-for-9 from the foul line for DeSales, while Hunter connected on four three-pointers on the afternoon as the Bulldogs hit 54.8 percent (17-for-31) from the field in the first half to take a 42-30 lead at intermission.
The Bulldogs held their largest lead of the day at 51-34 following a steal and layup by Braswell with 15:26 to play, but the Blue Jays chipped away behind Fogel and Church, who combined for 21 of Elizabethtown's 35 points in the second half.
The Blue Jays pulled within six points on several occasions, and managed to move to within 69-65 on a three-pointer by Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) with eight seconds to go, but Braswell hit two foul shots with three seconds left to close the scoring.
In addition to his 20 points, Fogel also finished with a career-high seven steals for Elizabethtown, while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) reached double figures for the ninth time in as many games with 11 points. Off the bench, Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) came up with six points and four assists in 15 minutes of action.
From the DeSales Website:
Bullldogs Stay Unbeaten with 71-65 Win over Elizabethtown
BOX SCORE
Center Valley, PA (December 13, 2008) – For the first time in school history the DeSales University men’s basketball team will open its Christmas presents without having lost a basketball game as the Bulldogs will enter the Christmas break with a perfect 8-0 record after a 71-65 win over Elizabethtown College on Saturday afternoon in Billera Hall.
The Bulldogs are 8-0 for the first time in school history and will take three weeks off before putting their unblemished record on the line on Saturday, January 3rd. DSU shot 47.3 percent from the field for the game, including a 54.8 percent effort in the opening half, handing the Blue Jays their fourth loss of the season as they fall to 5-4 overall. E-Town shot just 39.0 percent for the game as both teams were sloppy with the ball combining for 41 turnovers, 21 for Elizabethtown and 20 for DeSales.
DSU never trailed in the game taking a 3-0 lead on a three-point play from junior Darnell Braswell (Allentown, PA/William Allen) to start the game and held the lead throughout in the win. Leading by just two points, 23-21, at the 8:05 mark of the opening half, the Bulldogs used an 8-0 run to build a 10-point lead as sophomore Brian Hunter (Allentown, PA/Emmaus) and Braswell combined for all eight points, five by Hunter including one three-pointer.
The lead grew as high as 14 points, 42-28, before a lay-up from Joe Flanagan to end the half provided the 42-30 halftime score as each team entered the locker room.
DeSales started out hot in the second half, pushing its lead up to 17-points, 51-34, before the Blue Jays began to chip away. The Bulldogs were held scoreless over the next six and a half minutes as EC cut the lead down to six points, before a three-point play from Hunter snapped the scoring drought and pushed the lead up to nine points, 54-45, with 8:58 to go.
Elizabethtown continued to chip away cutting the lead to six several times and got within five, 62-57, at the 2:24 mark before a lay-up from Braswell quickly pushed the game back to a three possession contest and the Bulldogs hit 6-of-8 charity tosses over the final 43 seconds to ice the game and provide the final margin.
Once again the backcourt combination of Braswell and Hunter combined for a large portion of DSU’s scoring with 42 of the 71 points. Braswell led the way with 22, while Hunter added 20. Senior Ed Lapinski (Red Hill, PA/Upper Perkiomen) had nine points and pulled down a game-high 12 boards, senior Matt Zwetolitz (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) added seven points, and junior Jim Malatesta (Warminster, PA/Archbishop Wood) totaled eight points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the win.
The Bulldogs will get a chance to rest their legs for three weeks before returning to action on Saturday, January 3rd when they host John Jay College in the opening game of the Casa Mia Holiday Tournament beginning at 2:00 pm.
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
Undefeated DeSales holds off Elizabethtown, 71-65
Sunday News
By STAFF
Darnell Braswell scored a game-high 22 points and Brian Hunter added 20 as DeSales University remained undefeated with a 71-65 victory over Elizabethtown College in a non-conference men's basketball game Saturday in Center Valley.
Ed Lapinski chipped in with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Bulldogs (8-0), who led by as many as 17 before the Blue Jays (5-4) used a late rally to trim to deficit to four points.
Keith Fogel sank a career-high four three-pointers and finished with 20 points for Elizabethtown. Mike Church (Solanco) had his second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the Blue Jays shot just 39 percent (23-for-59) from the field and committed 21 turnovers.
Braswell went 8-for-16 from the field and 6-for-9 from the foul line for DeSales. Hunter connected on four three-pointers as the Bulldogs hit 54.8 percent (17-for-31) from the field in the first half to take a 42-30 lead at intermission.
The Bulldogs held their largest lead of the day at 51-34 following a steal and layup by Braswell with 15:26 to play, but the Blue Jays chipped away behind Fogel and Church, who combined for 21 of Elizabethtown's 35 points in the second half.
The Blue Jays pulled within six points on several occasions, and managed to move to within 69-65 on a three-pointer by Chris Jones with eight seconds to go, but Braswell hit two foul shots with three seconds left to close the scoring.
Fogel also finished with a career-high seven steals. Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite) reached double figures for the ninth time in as many games with 11 points. Off the bench, Kyle McConnell (Cedar Crest) came up had six points and four assists in 15 minutes.
Finally, from the Allentown Morning Call:
Burke's big second half sinks Messiah
Braswell, Hunter lead Bulldog men to win over E'town.
By Mandy Housenick Of The Morning Call
December 14, 2008
DeSales women's basketball players, coaches and fans are used to seeing LeighAnn Burke stand out. The senior guard entered Saturday's game averaging nearly 20 points per contest.
So you can imagine their surprise when she had just seven at halftime on 3-of-10 shooting.
The Philadelphia native more than made up for it in the second half.
Burke poured in 25 in the final two quarters for a game-high 32, which propelled No. 18 DeSales to a come-from-behind victory over No. 6 Messiah 70-64 at Billera Hall.
''When she's unhappy with what she's done, she's going to do something about it,'' DeSales coach Fred Richter said.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the DeSales men's team continued its torrid start by beating Elizabethtown 71-65. Allen graduate Darnell Braswell led all scorers with 22 points. Teammate Brian Hunter, an Emmaus alum, added 20 for the Bulldogs, whose 8-0 start is the best in program history.
Except for scoring the first basket of the game, the women didn't own the lead until the 12:26 mark of the second half. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 10 three times in the first half, including at intermission. During that first 20 minutes, Burke shot just 30 percent from the field. As a team, DeSales didn't make a steal and committed 12 turnovers to Messiah's five.
''I was getting open and I was getting my shots,'' Burke said. ''But I knew I needed to start to hit some jump shots.''
The Bulldogs' defense turned it into high gear in the second half. The Bulldogs made two steals in the first two minutes (they finished with six), both of which led to baskets and finally tied the game at 42 on Burke's baseline jumper with 15:01 left. She scored five of her team's next seven points, including a trey from the corner on an inbounds play that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good.
"Sometimes that's a shot I don't get because people know the play,'' Burke said.
DeSales' lead over Messiah, which lost in the Division III national championship a season ago, grew to 10 when Megan Bedard scored with 1:43 left to make it 67-57.
The DeSales men had to make some last-minute adjustments when they found out that starting guard Rob Schubach, a Southern Lehigh graduate, had pink eye.
The Bulldogs, though, hardly missed a beat. They owned the lead for the entire game, which included a 17-point advantage 4:30 into the second half.
Braswell's athleticism helped him shoot 50 percent from the field. And Hunter's jump shot was on Saturday. The sophomore, who came into the game averaging 12.3 per game, had 14 at halftime. He wound up hitting six of 10 from the floor, including four of six from 3-point range.
''I'm a pretty confident player and coach [Scott Coval] has a lot of confidence in me,'' Hunter said. ''So when I'm open, I don't really think twice about putting up a shot.''
Sunday, December 7, 2008
More Coverage of Saturday Night's Game
From The Lancaster Sunday News:
E-town men lose to Gwynedd-Mercy
Sunday News
By STAFF
Dave Smith scored a game-high 21 points and teammate Lemeire Talley added 20 as Gwynedd-Mercy College defeated Elizabethtown College 86-75 in a non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday night.
Tim McCauley added 18 points and six assists as the Griffins (4-1) converted 22 Blue Jay turnovers into 36 points and led by as many as 21 points midway through the second half.
Mike Church (Solanco) led the Blue Jays (5-3) with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite) contributed 14 points and six rebounds, but Elizabethtown saw its 13-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents come to an end, dating to Nov. 26, 2006.
Smith, who scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half, hit his first five shots from the field in the first four minutes of play as the Griffins took an early lead, but the Blue Jays came back to take a 21-17 lead on a three-point play by Church with 10:33 left in the first half.
Gwynedd-Mercy swung momentum just before halftime, closing with a 15-2 run over the final five minutes to go into the locker room with a 40-30 lead. McCauley hit a pair of three-pointers during the run, including one with 0.7 seconds left to close the half.
The Griffins built on their lead in the second half, taking their largest lead at 76-55 on two free throws by McCauley with 8:07 to play. The Blue Jays scored the next 10 points to pull within 76-65 with 5:55 to go, but could get no closer than nine points in the final seconds.
Josh Houseal (Hempfield) finished with eight points for the Blue Jays, while Keith Fogel, Chris Jones and Chris Hill tallied seven points apiece.
Gwynedd-Mercy finished at 47.8 percent (33-for-69) from the field and sank 14-of-17 attempts from the foul line. The Griffins came up with 17 of their 39 rebounds on the offensive glass, converting them into 23 points.
Haven Wroten led Gwynedd-Mercy and shared the game-high in rebounds with Church at 11, while Jon Hogga had nine points and seven boards in 26 minutes off the Griffin bench.
From the Gwynedd-Mercy Website:
Gwynedd-Mercy 86, Elizabethtown 75
Smith, Talley spearhead road win
ELIZABETHTOWN, PA. – Senior Dave Smith (Cape May Court House, N.J./Middle Twp.) scored a game-high 21 points and junior Lemeire Talley (Blackwood, N.J./Highland) added 20 to help lead Gwynedd-Mercy to an 86-75 non-league win at Elizabethtown Saturday night.
The Griffins (4-1) led 40-30 at the break, thanks to a key 15-2 run to close the period capped by Tim McCauley’s (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) three-pointer right before the buzzer. The senior was the other GM player in double figures, netting 18 on the evening.
In the second half, Gwynedd shot almost 54%, compared to the Blue Jay’s 47% output. The Griffins would lead by as much as 21 midway through the stanza before a late push from Elizabethtown got it to 10 with just over a minute and later nine with 22 ticks in the game.
It was the third game in a row GM outrebounded their opponent (39-34). Another key stat on the night was turnovers, as Gwynedd scored 36 points off of 22 Blue Jay mistakes.
McCauley added six assists. Senior Haven Wroten (Philadelphia, Pa./Prep Charter) grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
Mike Church led E-Town (5-3) with 18 points and 11 boards. Joe Flanagan added 14.
Gwynedd travels to Widener on Monday for another non-conference matchup starting at 7 p.m.
E-town men lose to Gwynedd-Mercy
Sunday News
By STAFF
Dave Smith scored a game-high 21 points and teammate Lemeire Talley added 20 as Gwynedd-Mercy College defeated Elizabethtown College 86-75 in a non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday night.
Tim McCauley added 18 points and six assists as the Griffins (4-1) converted 22 Blue Jay turnovers into 36 points and led by as many as 21 points midway through the second half.
Mike Church (Solanco) led the Blue Jays (5-3) with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite) contributed 14 points and six rebounds, but Elizabethtown saw its 13-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents come to an end, dating to Nov. 26, 2006.
Smith, who scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half, hit his first five shots from the field in the first four minutes of play as the Griffins took an early lead, but the Blue Jays came back to take a 21-17 lead on a three-point play by Church with 10:33 left in the first half.
Gwynedd-Mercy swung momentum just before halftime, closing with a 15-2 run over the final five minutes to go into the locker room with a 40-30 lead. McCauley hit a pair of three-pointers during the run, including one with 0.7 seconds left to close the half.
The Griffins built on their lead in the second half, taking their largest lead at 76-55 on two free throws by McCauley with 8:07 to play. The Blue Jays scored the next 10 points to pull within 76-65 with 5:55 to go, but could get no closer than nine points in the final seconds.
Josh Houseal (Hempfield) finished with eight points for the Blue Jays, while Keith Fogel, Chris Jones and Chris Hill tallied seven points apiece.
Gwynedd-Mercy finished at 47.8 percent (33-for-69) from the field and sank 14-of-17 attempts from the foul line. The Griffins came up with 17 of their 39 rebounds on the offensive glass, converting them into 23 points.
Haven Wroten led Gwynedd-Mercy and shared the game-high in rebounds with Church at 11, while Jon Hogga had nine points and seven boards in 26 minutes off the Griffin bench.
From the Gwynedd-Mercy Website:
Gwynedd-Mercy 86, Elizabethtown 75
Smith, Talley spearhead road win
ELIZABETHTOWN, PA. – Senior Dave Smith (Cape May Court House, N.J./Middle Twp.) scored a game-high 21 points and junior Lemeire Talley (Blackwood, N.J./Highland) added 20 to help lead Gwynedd-Mercy to an 86-75 non-league win at Elizabethtown Saturday night.
The Griffins (4-1) led 40-30 at the break, thanks to a key 15-2 run to close the period capped by Tim McCauley’s (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) three-pointer right before the buzzer. The senior was the other GM player in double figures, netting 18 on the evening.
In the second half, Gwynedd shot almost 54%, compared to the Blue Jay’s 47% output. The Griffins would lead by as much as 21 midway through the stanza before a late push from Elizabethtown got it to 10 with just over a minute and later nine with 22 ticks in the game.
It was the third game in a row GM outrebounded their opponent (39-34). Another key stat on the night was turnovers, as Gwynedd scored 36 points off of 22 Blue Jay mistakes.
McCauley added six assists. Senior Haven Wroten (Philadelphia, Pa./Prep Charter) grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
Mike Church led E-Town (5-3) with 18 points and 11 boards. Joe Flanagan added 14.
Gwynedd travels to Widener on Monday for another non-conference matchup starting at 7 p.m.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Blue Jays outscored by Gwynedd-Mercy, 86-75
From the E-town College Website:
12/6/2008
Men's basketball outscored by Gwynedd-Mercy, 86-75
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Gwynedd-Mercy 86, Elizabethtown 75
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Dave Smith scored a game-high 21 points and teammate Lemeire Talley added 20 as Gwynedd-Mercy College defeated Elizabethtown College 86-75 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday night.
Tim McCauley added 18 points and six assists as the Griffins (4-1 overall) converted 22 Blue Jay turnovers into 36 points and led by as many as 21 points midway through the second half.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) led the Blue Jays (5-3 overall) with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) contributed 14 points and six rebounds, but Elizabethtown saw its 13-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents come to an end.
Smith, who scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half, hit his first five shots from the field in the first four minutes of play as the Griffins took an early lead, but the Blue Jays came back to take a 21-17 lead on a three-point play by Church with 10:33 left in the first half.
Gwynedd-Mercy swung momentum just before halftime, closing with a 15-2 run over the final five minutes to go into the locker room with a 40-30 lead. McCauley hit a pair of three-pointers during the run, including one with 0.7 seconds left to close the half.
The Griffins built on their lead in the second half, taking their largest lead at 76-55 on two free throws by McCauley with 8:07 to play. The Blue Jays scored the next 10 points to pull within 76-65 with 5:55 to go, but could get no closer than nine points in the final seconds.
Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) finished with eight points for the Blue Jays, while Keith Fogel (Mifllinburg, PA/Mifflinburg), Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) and Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) tallied seven points apiece.
Gwynedd-Mercy finished at 47.8 percent (33-for-69) from the field and sank 14-of-17 attempts from the foul line. The Griffins came up with 17 of their 39 rebounds on the offensive glass, converting them into 23 points.
Haven Wroten led Gwynedd-Mercy and shared the game high in rebounds with Church at 11, while Jon Hogga had nine points and seven boards in 26 minutes off the Griffin bench.
12/6/2008
Men's basketball outscored by Gwynedd-Mercy, 86-75
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Gwynedd-Mercy 86, Elizabethtown 75
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Dave Smith scored a game-high 21 points and teammate Lemeire Talley added 20 as Gwynedd-Mercy College defeated Elizabethtown College 86-75 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday night.
Tim McCauley added 18 points and six assists as the Griffins (4-1 overall) converted 22 Blue Jay turnovers into 36 points and led by as many as 21 points midway through the second half.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) led the Blue Jays (5-3 overall) with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) contributed 14 points and six rebounds, but Elizabethtown saw its 13-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents come to an end.
Smith, who scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half, hit his first five shots from the field in the first four minutes of play as the Griffins took an early lead, but the Blue Jays came back to take a 21-17 lead on a three-point play by Church with 10:33 left in the first half.
Gwynedd-Mercy swung momentum just before halftime, closing with a 15-2 run over the final five minutes to go into the locker room with a 40-30 lead. McCauley hit a pair of three-pointers during the run, including one with 0.7 seconds left to close the half.
The Griffins built on their lead in the second half, taking their largest lead at 76-55 on two free throws by McCauley with 8:07 to play. The Blue Jays scored the next 10 points to pull within 76-65 with 5:55 to go, but could get no closer than nine points in the final seconds.
Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) finished with eight points for the Blue Jays, while Keith Fogel (Mifllinburg, PA/Mifflinburg), Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) and Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) tallied seven points apiece.
Gwynedd-Mercy finished at 47.8 percent (33-for-69) from the field and sank 14-of-17 attempts from the foul line. The Griffins came up with 17 of their 39 rebounds on the offensive glass, converting them into 23 points.
Haven Wroten led Gwynedd-Mercy and shared the game high in rebounds with Church at 11, while Jon Hogga had nine points and seven boards in 26 minutes off the Griffin bench.
Saturday Night Live (hoops!)
The Blue Jays return home to entertain Gwynedd-Mercy tonight at 7 pm. You can take a peak at the game program before heading out to the game. If you can't make it to the game, be sure to catch the Live Stats on your home computer.
Go Blue Jays!
Go Blue Jays!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
More Millersville Game Coverage
From the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal:
Elizabethtown men knock off Millersville
By JOEL SCHREINER, Sports Writer
Maybe, just maybe, the Blue Jays are a better team than the one coaches picked to finish sixth in the Commonwealth Conference.
On the other hand, it might be the complete opposite scenario for the Marauders, who were picked to finish second in the PSAC East.
Elizabethtown opened some more eyes Wednesday night when it continued its solid start with a 70-65 win over cross-county rival Millersville at Pucillo Gym.
"It's huge," said Blue Jay junior Mike Church, a Solanco grad who scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds. "The last two times we came down here, we got blown out and didn't play the way we wanted to play."
Marauder coach Fred Thompson, meanwhile, has lost 107 games in 10-plus seasons at Millersville, but called the latest one of the worst.
"We've lost some tough games, but nothing comes close to the emotions I'm going through right now," said Thompson. "It's frustrating. Our guys don't get it. I don't think they understand that they just lost to a Division III team."
That's the same D-3 team that has now beaten them two years in a row and three of the last four, which is a coup for the Jays and coach Bob Schlosser.
"It was a matter of trying to convince our guys that coming over here, that this was a winnable game," explained Schlosser. "We wanted to come down here and make a statement and I think we did."
Keith Fogel led the Jays (5-2) with a game-high 18 points. Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite) added 11, and Chris Fairbanks (Warwick) chipped in 10. Fogel and Flanagan each hit a pair of 3-pointers in the opening half when E-town established it was not going to be intimidated.
Flanagan drained back-to-back treys to put the Jays up 22-16.
"I started out slow, but my teammates found me at the right time," the sophomore guard said. "It's a great team win. We worked hard as a team."
Elizabethtown led 29-26 at the half, thanks in part to Millersville's 11 turnovers and 0-for-6 shooting beyond the arc.
"The offense was horrendous," Thompson said. "Our guys didn't execute at all. I don't know what they were running out there."
The Marauders went on an 8-0 run to open the second half and grabbed their largest lead of the night, 34-29, with 18:22 to play. But the Blue Jays fought back and regained the lead (39-37) for good on Chris Hill's bucket with 13:10 left.
That, according to Schlosser, was the key to the game.
"They came and jammed it down our throats the first couple of possessions of the second half and took the lead pretty quickly," he said. "But we pushed right back. That was one stretch that we went back on our heels for three minutes, but I thought we came right back at them."
Reggie Bates and Makal Stibbins did their best to keep the Marauders in it. Stibbins scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Bates had 16 points, but hit only 5 of 15 shots.
"We play aggressive defense and I think that frustrated them," Flanagan said of MU's 17 turnovers and 3-for-18 night shooting 3-pointers. "Bates is a great player, but I think we got him to force some shots."
Leading 45-43 with 10:07 left, the Jays reeled off eight straight points, opening up a 10-point cushion. Millersville cut the lead to 64-61, but failed to get any closer and Thompson says he knows why.
"We didn't do anything offensively," he said. "We have a lot of work to do. It's back to the drawing board with this team."
As for the Jays?
"I know we're getting better and that's all I know," Schlosser said. "Where's that going to put us in the next two months? I don't know, but we're getting better."
From the Millersville Website:
Marauders' Rally Falls Short Against Elizabethtown
Box Score
Millersville, Pa. — The Millersville men's basketball team fought an uphill battle all night, but never got to the summit, as its comeback bid fell short in a 70-65 loss to Elizabethtown on Wednesday night at Pucillo Gymnasium.
Points were tough to come by in the first half, as the two schools hooked up on the hardwood for the 93rd time. Neither team capitalized on opportunities in the early going. Millersville (3-3) got early buckets from Reggie Bates and Jason Blake, to take an 8-4 lead just over five minutes into the game, but the Blue Jays (5-2) answered with a jumper from Phil Schaffer to knot the game at eight with 13:45 remaining in the first half. From there, neither team could find the basket in the next 2:43, until the visitors took their first lead of the night on a free throw by Mike Church. A lay-up by Cullen Murray-Kemp put the Marauders back in front 10-9, but the black and gold only got a basket from Rob Coney over the next 3:50.
Elizabethtown's Keith Fogel knocked down a three to give the Blue Jays their largest lead of the first half at 27-20, but the Marauders answered with five consecutive points from Bates to trim the Elizabethtown lead to two with 45 seconds remaining in the first half. The Blue Jays increased the lead slightly and took a 29-26 advantage to the locker room.
The Marauders were not going to lay down against their longest standing non-conference rival. Millersville used contributions from Makal Stibbins, Bates, and Blake to spur an 8-0 run to start the second half and took a 34-29 lead in the process. Elizabethtown answered the Marauders' run with a 6-0 run of its own to take a 35-34 lead with 15:43 to go.
A trey from Murray-Kemp put the home team back in front, but it was the last lead Millersville saw. The Blue Jays used strong ball movement and strong perimeter shooting to run their lead to double figures at 53-43 with 8:26 to play.
The Marauders comeback effort started with a Palmer McDurfee three that cut the deficit to seven, before back-to-back Stibbins' lay-ups cut the lead to three. Millersville would get no closer than three the rest of the way, however, as Elizabethtown converted on its opportunities at the charity stripe down the stretch.
Keith Fogel led the Blue Jays with a game-high 18 points, while Joe Flanagan pitched in with 11. The Maruaders were led by Bates, who put up 16 points before fouling out. Stibbins was once again a strong presence for the Marauders, recording a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. It was the senior's fourth double-double in six games this season.
Millersville returns to the court Saturday afternoon when it hosts West Virginia State at 2 p.m. in Pucillo Gymnasium. The Marauders will be looking to snap a two-game skid and avenge last Saturday's 86-70 loss at the hands of the Yellow Jackets.
Elizabethtown men knock off Millersville
By JOEL SCHREINER, Sports Writer
Maybe, just maybe, the Blue Jays are a better team than the one coaches picked to finish sixth in the Commonwealth Conference.
On the other hand, it might be the complete opposite scenario for the Marauders, who were picked to finish second in the PSAC East.
Elizabethtown opened some more eyes Wednesday night when it continued its solid start with a 70-65 win over cross-county rival Millersville at Pucillo Gym.
"It's huge," said Blue Jay junior Mike Church, a Solanco grad who scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds. "The last two times we came down here, we got blown out and didn't play the way we wanted to play."
Marauder coach Fred Thompson, meanwhile, has lost 107 games in 10-plus seasons at Millersville, but called the latest one of the worst.
"We've lost some tough games, but nothing comes close to the emotions I'm going through right now," said Thompson. "It's frustrating. Our guys don't get it. I don't think they understand that they just lost to a Division III team."
That's the same D-3 team that has now beaten them two years in a row and three of the last four, which is a coup for the Jays and coach Bob Schlosser.
"It was a matter of trying to convince our guys that coming over here, that this was a winnable game," explained Schlosser. "We wanted to come down here and make a statement and I think we did."
Keith Fogel led the Jays (5-2) with a game-high 18 points. Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite) added 11, and Chris Fairbanks (Warwick) chipped in 10. Fogel and Flanagan each hit a pair of 3-pointers in the opening half when E-town established it was not going to be intimidated.
Flanagan drained back-to-back treys to put the Jays up 22-16.
"I started out slow, but my teammates found me at the right time," the sophomore guard said. "It's a great team win. We worked hard as a team."
Elizabethtown led 29-26 at the half, thanks in part to Millersville's 11 turnovers and 0-for-6 shooting beyond the arc.
"The offense was horrendous," Thompson said. "Our guys didn't execute at all. I don't know what they were running out there."
The Marauders went on an 8-0 run to open the second half and grabbed their largest lead of the night, 34-29, with 18:22 to play. But the Blue Jays fought back and regained the lead (39-37) for good on Chris Hill's bucket with 13:10 left.
That, according to Schlosser, was the key to the game.
"They came and jammed it down our throats the first couple of possessions of the second half and took the lead pretty quickly," he said. "But we pushed right back. That was one stretch that we went back on our heels for three minutes, but I thought we came right back at them."
Reggie Bates and Makal Stibbins did their best to keep the Marauders in it. Stibbins scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Bates had 16 points, but hit only 5 of 15 shots.
"We play aggressive defense and I think that frustrated them," Flanagan said of MU's 17 turnovers and 3-for-18 night shooting 3-pointers. "Bates is a great player, but I think we got him to force some shots."
Leading 45-43 with 10:07 left, the Jays reeled off eight straight points, opening up a 10-point cushion. Millersville cut the lead to 64-61, but failed to get any closer and Thompson says he knows why.
"We didn't do anything offensively," he said. "We have a lot of work to do. It's back to the drawing board with this team."
As for the Jays?
"I know we're getting better and that's all I know," Schlosser said. "Where's that going to put us in the next two months? I don't know, but we're getting better."
From the Millersville Website:
Marauders' Rally Falls Short Against Elizabethtown
Box Score
Millersville, Pa. — The Millersville men's basketball team fought an uphill battle all night, but never got to the summit, as its comeback bid fell short in a 70-65 loss to Elizabethtown on Wednesday night at Pucillo Gymnasium.
Points were tough to come by in the first half, as the two schools hooked up on the hardwood for the 93rd time. Neither team capitalized on opportunities in the early going. Millersville (3-3) got early buckets from Reggie Bates and Jason Blake, to take an 8-4 lead just over five minutes into the game, but the Blue Jays (5-2) answered with a jumper from Phil Schaffer to knot the game at eight with 13:45 remaining in the first half. From there, neither team could find the basket in the next 2:43, until the visitors took their first lead of the night on a free throw by Mike Church. A lay-up by Cullen Murray-Kemp put the Marauders back in front 10-9, but the black and gold only got a basket from Rob Coney over the next 3:50.
Elizabethtown's Keith Fogel knocked down a three to give the Blue Jays their largest lead of the first half at 27-20, but the Marauders answered with five consecutive points from Bates to trim the Elizabethtown lead to two with 45 seconds remaining in the first half. The Blue Jays increased the lead slightly and took a 29-26 advantage to the locker room.
The Marauders were not going to lay down against their longest standing non-conference rival. Millersville used contributions from Makal Stibbins, Bates, and Blake to spur an 8-0 run to start the second half and took a 34-29 lead in the process. Elizabethtown answered the Marauders' run with a 6-0 run of its own to take a 35-34 lead with 15:43 to go.
A trey from Murray-Kemp put the home team back in front, but it was the last lead Millersville saw. The Blue Jays used strong ball movement and strong perimeter shooting to run their lead to double figures at 53-43 with 8:26 to play.
The Marauders comeback effort started with a Palmer McDurfee three that cut the deficit to seven, before back-to-back Stibbins' lay-ups cut the lead to three. Millersville would get no closer than three the rest of the way, however, as Elizabethtown converted on its opportunities at the charity stripe down the stretch.
Keith Fogel led the Blue Jays with a game-high 18 points, while Joe Flanagan pitched in with 11. The Maruaders were led by Bates, who put up 16 points before fouling out. Stibbins was once again a strong presence for the Marauders, recording a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. It was the senior's fourth double-double in six games this season.
Millersville returns to the court Saturday afternoon when it hosts West Virginia State at 2 p.m. in Pucillo Gymnasium. The Marauders will be looking to snap a two-game skid and avenge last Saturday's 86-70 loss at the hands of the Yellow Jackets.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Blue Jays hold off Millersville, 70-65
From the E-town College Website:
12/3/2008
Men's basketball holds off Millersville, 70-65
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Elizabethtown 70, Millersville 65
Click here for the box score
MILLERSVILLE, Pa --- Keith Fogel (Mifllinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) scored a game-high 18 points as Elizabethtown College knocked off Division II Millersville University 70-65 in non-conference men's basketball action on Wednesday night at Pucillo Gymnasium.
Fogel sank a career-high three three-pointers for the Blue Jays (5-2 overall), who led most of the night and defeated their local rivals for the second straight year.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) added 11 points for the Blue Jays while Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes off the Blue Jay bench.
Reggie Bates led the Marauders (3-3 overall) with 16 points while Makal Stibbins had 15 points and 10 rebounds, but Millersville shot just 3-for-18 from three-point range and 12-for-20 from the foul line as a team.
The Blue Jays led by as many as seven points in the first half, and carried a 29-26 lead to intermission behind 10 points from Fogel and eight by Flanagan.
Millersville scored the first eight points of the second half to take its largest lead of the night at 34-29 with 18:23 to go, but the Blue Jays rallied back and took the lead for good at 39-37 on a basket by Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) with 13:14 to go.
Leading 45-43 with 10:08 to play,the Blue Jays went on an 8-0 run to take a 53-43 lead with 8:26 to go on a pair of free throws by Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest).
Elizabethtown still held a 10-point advantage at 62-52 with 4:29 left, but the Marauders rallied to within 67-64 on a tip-in by Zac Bauermaster with 26.1 seconds left. However, Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) hit two big free throws with 20.8 seconds left to push the Blue Jays ahead by five, and Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) salted the game away on a free throw with 7.2 seconds to go.
Houseal scored seven points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for the Blue Jays, while Church added nine points, seven rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. As a team, the Blue Jays went 24-for-33 (72.7 percent) from the free-throw line including 17-for-22 in the second half.
McConnell also reached a career high for Elizabethtown by scoring nine points in 17 minutes off the bench. The Blue Jay non-starters outscored the Marauder reserves by a 23-13 margin.
12/3/2008
Men's basketball holds off Millersville, 70-65
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Elizabethtown 70, Millersville 65
Click here for the box score
MILLERSVILLE, Pa --- Keith Fogel (Mifllinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) scored a game-high 18 points as Elizabethtown College knocked off Division II Millersville University 70-65 in non-conference men's basketball action on Wednesday night at Pucillo Gymnasium.
Fogel sank a career-high three three-pointers for the Blue Jays (5-2 overall), who led most of the night and defeated their local rivals for the second straight year.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) added 11 points for the Blue Jays while Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes off the Blue Jay bench.
Reggie Bates led the Marauders (3-3 overall) with 16 points while Makal Stibbins had 15 points and 10 rebounds, but Millersville shot just 3-for-18 from three-point range and 12-for-20 from the foul line as a team.
The Blue Jays led by as many as seven points in the first half, and carried a 29-26 lead to intermission behind 10 points from Fogel and eight by Flanagan.
Millersville scored the first eight points of the second half to take its largest lead of the night at 34-29 with 18:23 to go, but the Blue Jays rallied back and took the lead for good at 39-37 on a basket by Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) with 13:14 to go.
Leading 45-43 with 10:08 to play,the Blue Jays went on an 8-0 run to take a 53-43 lead with 8:26 to go on a pair of free throws by Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest).
Elizabethtown still held a 10-point advantage at 62-52 with 4:29 left, but the Marauders rallied to within 67-64 on a tip-in by Zac Bauermaster with 26.1 seconds left. However, Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) hit two big free throws with 20.8 seconds left to push the Blue Jays ahead by five, and Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) salted the game away on a free throw with 7.2 seconds to go.
Houseal scored seven points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for the Blue Jays, while Church added nine points, seven rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. As a team, the Blue Jays went 24-for-33 (72.7 percent) from the free-throw line including 17-for-22 in the second half.
McConnell also reached a career high for Elizabethtown by scoring nine points in 17 minutes off the bench. The Blue Jay non-starters outscored the Marauder reserves by a 23-13 margin.
Blue Jays Travel to D2 Millersville Tonight
From the Millersville Website:
Men's Basketball Returns Home; Faces Elizabethtown and W.Va. State
12/2/2008 1:52:35 PM
Complete Game Notes
GAME QUICK FACTS
Elizabethtown (4-2) at Millersville (3-2)
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008 - 7:30 p.m.
Pucillo Gymnasium, Millersville, Pa.
West Virginia State at Millersville
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 -2 p.m.
Pucillo Gymnasium, Millersville, Pa.
COVERAGE
Audio: MSBN
Live Stats
TICKETS
Adults: $6.00
Students: $3.00
Millersville Students: Free with I.D.
ABOUT THE GAME
• Millersville returns to Pucillo Gymnasium after a difficult stretch of non-conference road games. The Marauders are 3-2 overall and are looking to bounce back from an 86-70 loss at West Virginia State. The Marauders have an opportunity to avenge a pair of losses this week. Elizabethtown, which topped Millersville 77-72 last season, invades Millersville on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. On Saturday, just one week removed from its last meeting, Millersville and West Virginia State square off at 2 p.m.
• Millersville is looking to correct its recent offensive struggles. The team has shot 67-of-171 (.392) from the field in its last three games and is just 16-of-59 (.213) from 3-point range over the same stretch. Against West Virginia State, the Marauders managed to hit 2-of-18 threes, marking the fewest made 3-pointers since making 1-of-12 in a 64-61 win over Edinboro in the NCAA East Regional last season.
• Elizabethtown enters the game with a 4-2 record and is riding a two-game winning streak that includes an overtime victory against Marymount and an 82-75 win over Neumann. The Blue Jays are 0-2 in games played away from home this season.
• West Virginia State comes into the week with a 3-1 record and travels to Davis & Elkins for a WVIAC contest on Wednesday before heading to Millersville on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets’ lone loss this season was in overtime and they have won two in a row since. While Fred Thompson is 11-8 all-time against teams from the WVIAC, he has yet to defeat West Virginia State (0-4).
• Both of this week’s contests will be broadcast live on the Marauders Sports Broadcasting Network (MSBN). Fans can access the broadcast on www.millersvilleathletics.com. Live stats will also be available via www.millersvilleathletics.com.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• Elizabethtown has topped the 80-point mark in each of its last two games, but all four of its wins have been by single digits. The Blue Jays are outscoring their opponents by a narrow 70.5-68.7 margin. Despite holding opponents to under 70 points per game, Elizabethtown’s foes are shooting an impressive .508 percent from the field. The Blue Jays, however, have offset that by forcing 147 turnovers (24.5 per game).
• Pacing the Blue Jays on offense is Joe Flanagan’s 16.2 points per game. Flanagan is a marksman from deep, hitting 14-of-34 3-point attempts. Mike Church is the team’s top all-around threat, averaging 15.8 points and 6.0 rebounds.
• Head Coach Bob Schlosser is in his 19th year and boasts a 283-188 career record. He has taken guided Elizabethtown to three NCAA Division III appearances since 2001-02.
• West Virginia State is hitting its stride on offense, cranking out 87 and 86 points in its last two outings. Ted Scott has led the team in scoring in three of the four games and is averaging 25.5 points per game. He is shooting 52.9 percent from the field as well. Ricky Jackson, a transfer from Mountain State, has emerged as the Yellow Jackets’ No. 2 option. He is scoring 15.7 points per game and grabbing 8.7 rebounds per game.
• The program has won at least 19 games in five of the last six years and is 117-41 during that six-year run.
• Bryan Poore is in his ninth season at West Virginia State and he boasts a 152-91 record at the school and a 164-105 mark as a collegiate coach. Prior to West Virginia State, he was an assistant for three seasons at Marshall and five years at the University of Charleston. Poore is a 1988 graduate of West Virginia State.
THE SERIES
• Millersville and Elizabethtown are old rivals, having met 92 times. Millersville has faced Elizabethtown more times than any other non-PSAC opponent. The series began in 1928-29 with Elizabethtown winning a 27-22 contest. The Marauders, however, hold the all-time series lead at 68-24. The programs met every year from 1948-1999 before taking a five year hiatus in the series. Since resuming the series in 2004-05, Millersville and Elizabethtown have split the four games with two wins apiece. While Elizabethtown earned a 77-72 victory last year, the previous three games were all decided by double figures.
• The Nov. 29 meeting was the first between the Millersville and West Virginia State since 2005-06. West Virginia State holds a 5-0 record against Millersville all-time and is 4-0 against Fred Thompson’s clubs. Three of the five games, however, have been decided by four points or fewer. The first meeting came in 1997-98 with W.Va. State winning 82-78. The clubs met twice in 2005-06 with West Virginia State winning the season opener 77-76 and then topping the Marauders 76-72 in January.
SEEING DOUBLE
• After playing 62 games without a double-double, Makal Stibbins has totaled three in his first five games of 2007-08. He has matched a career-high with 11 rebounds three times. He also set a career in points with 17 against Penn State Abington.
• Both Stibbins and Reggie Bates recorded double-doubles in the season opening victory over Penn State Abington. Stibbins’ 17 points and 10 boards were both career highs and gave him his first career double-double. Bates had 11 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double.
• Millersville saw double-double efforts 15 times in 2007-08 including six in the final five games of the season. Dating back to last season, Millersville has 10 double-doubles in the last 10 games including four in the first five games of this season.BLOCK PARTY
• Millersville has blocked at least two shots in every game in each game this season and have had a player block two or more three times.
• Makal Stibbins blocked a career high six shots in the season opener against Penn State Abington. His previous best was four, which he recorded on four different occasions. His six blocks were the most by a Marauder since George Bailey swatted seven against Southern Connecticut State on Nov. 20, 1999.
• As a team, the Marauders swatted seven shots. Millersville blocked seven shots twice and eight one time in 2007-08.
THE LAST TIME OUT
• Homestanding West Virginia State scored the first seven points of the game and the Millersville men’s basketball team could never recover, falling 86-70 to the Yellow Jackets Saturday afternoon.
• Senior Reggie Bates scored a season high 26 points and Jason Blake tallied a career-high 19, but the Marauders struggled to generate offense, shooting just 34 percent on the game and 2-of-18 from 3-point range. W.Va. State’s stifling full-court press had a hand in forcing 17 Millersville turnovers as well.
• The Yellow Jackets were led by Ted Scott, who led the nation in scoring in 2006-07. He finished with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He received plenty of support, though, as four other Yellow Jackets scored in double figures.
• The potent W.Va. State offense clicked early as itraced to a 7-0 lead before the Marauders cracked the scoring column over three minutes into the game. W.Va. State’s Wade Pidcock led the early charge, hitting three 3-pointers in the first six minutes to give the Yellow Jackets a 10 point lead.
• Despite shooting just 9-of-29 from the field in the first frame, the Marauders stayed close thanks to 10 points from both Bates and Blake. Millersville trailed by 11 at the half but slashed the lead to just five points with 15:16 left in the game after six-straight points by Bates.
• But four seconds after Bates’ shot made the score 48-43, Will Collins scored on a fast break lay-up, sparking an 11-3 W.Va. State run over the next three minutes that put the Marauders out of reach.
• Makal Stibbins managed four points, but finished with his third double-digit rebound effort in four games, as he pulled down a game-high 11.
MARAUDER MILESTONES
• Millersville’s men’s basketball program began in 1899 and since then, it has compiled 1,296 wins, leaving it just four victories shy of 1,300 all-time wins. Entering the 2008-09 season, Millersville is 11th among all Division II teams in all-time victories and 25th by winning percentage.
• He has only played in a Millersville uniform for two seasons, but Reggie Bates has rapidly climbed up the all-time scoring list. His career average of 16.1 points per game and 1,097 total points places him 31st all-time ahead of Daron Pressley ’04. He passed Lyman Reifsnyder ’42 and Joe Labatch ‘56 in the first game of the season. Bates’ scored 615 points a year ago and with a repeat effort, he would finish with 1,641 points and 10th all-time just ahead of Lance Gelnett ’92, who was inducted into the Millersville University Athletic Hall of Fame this year. Bates is also on pace to be the top-scoring three-year player in school history.
• Only two coaches in Millersville men’s basketball history have reached the 200-win plateau and Fred Thompson is only 14 wins shy of joining John Kochan (285-96) and Richard DeHart (321-298). Thompson could be the second-fastest coach in school history to achieve the milestone. It took Kochan into his ninth season to win his 200th game. DeHart won his 200th game with his third victory in his 15th year.
SUPER SCORER
• Reggie Bates produced one of the best single seasons in school history last year and is looking to become the third-straight Marauder to earn PSAC East Athlete of the Year honors if he can duplicate his junior season efforts.
• Bates erupted for a season-high 26 points against W.Va. State and has not been held under 10 points in the last seven games he has played dating back to last season. The senior guard is averaging 19.9 points per game over that span. The last time Bates failed to record double digits in scoring was on March 7, 2008, against Edinboro, when he scored eight.
• Bates scored 12.8 points per game as a sophomore in 2006-07, but 2007-08 was truly his breakthrough season. Bates led the team in scoring with 19.2 points per game and produced the sixth-best single season point total in school history with 615. Bates scored in double figures in all but five games and scored at least six points in every game. He also produced 15 20-point games—two of which came in the NCAA East Regional—and four 30-point outings. Bates was responsible for four of the team’s five 30-point games during the year. His 36 point performance against Slippery Rock on Dec. 2 was the top scoring performance of the season for Millersville and the second-best performance in the PSAC.
• In the second round of the NCAA East Regional, Bates scored 32 points to become the 35th player in school history to total 1,000 points. It took him only 64 games to reach that milestone.
• Bates finished the season ranked second in the PSAC in scoring average and first in field goals made and total points scored. His points per game average was 34th in Division II as well.
ADVANTAGE PUCILLO
• Since Fred Thompson took over the program in 1998-99, the Marauders are incredible 111-34 at home in Pucillo Gymnasium. The Marauders have posted a 28-4 home mark in the last three seasons (including 2008-09). The team has won no fewer than eight home games each season. The Marauders recorded eight of their 10 wins at home in 2005-06 and nine of their 12 wins came at home in 1999-00.
• Maybe even more impressive is the 44-16 PSAC East record during that stretch. Millersville is 9-1 against PSAC East teams in Pucillo in the last two seasons.
NEW FACES
• The Marauders return only one starter (Reggie Bates) from last season and lost 62 percent of its scoring and rebounding.
• Thompson filled the roster with five freshmen and five transfers. Four of the transfers gained experience in the junior college ranks and T.J. Lundy, who sat out last season because of the NCAA’s two-time transfer rule played at St. Francis (Pa.) and Division II Tampa before coming to Millersville.
• The incoming class is also heavy at the guard position. Seven of the incoming players play guard and five are listed at 6-foot or shorter.
• A pair of newcomers, Jason Blake and Palmer McDurfee are slated to be in the starting lineup for the opener. Blake, a 6-2 point guard, played two seasons at the Community College of Philadelphia. McDurfee, a 5-9 shooting guard, was the leading scorer for the Community College of Beaver County a year ago.
• The freshmen accumulated plenty of high school accolades. Mike Seibert was a third team all-state player at Columbia. Cullen Murray-Kemp was the Bayside Conference Player of the Year in 2007-08, and Brandon Widener, who graduated from Penn Manor in 2006-07, was an All-Lancaster-Lebanon First Team pick.
EARLY EXPECTATIONS
• After posting a 22-10 overall record and an 8-4 mark in the PSAC East a year ago, the Marauders were pegged to finish second by the coaches in the PSAC Preseason Poll.
• The favorite in the Eastern Division was defending champion Kutztown. The Golden Bears posted a 19-9 overall mark and a 10-2 mark in the division last year and return all five starters including Preason All-PSAC East picks David Ben and Stephen Dennis. East Stroudsburg finished fourth in the East last year but was picked third in this year’s preseason rankings. The Warriors are led by preseason selection Chris Bach. Cheyney, which shared the PSAC East crown with Kutztown, was picked fourth. The Wolves have a new head coach Dominique Stephens but return preseason pick Tyrone Smith.
• Mansfield, picked fifth, was followed by Shippensburg, which is making the shift to the Eastern Division after the PSAC expansion. West Chester and preseason selection Kenneth St. George were voted seventh, and Bloomsburg was pegged eighth.
• For Millersville, Reggie Bates was named Preseason All-PSAC East for the second-consecutive season. MARCH MADNESS
• Extending the season into March is becoming commonplace at Millersville, and in 2007-08, the Marauders earned their 20th bid to the PSAC Tournament since 1984 and the seventh under the direction of Fred Thompson. Millersville has also won at least one game in the tournament in each of their last four appearances.
• Despite falling in the PSAC Tournament semifinals to Edinboro, the Marauders entered the NCAA Division II Tournament as the No. 7 seed in the East Region and promptly knocked off Edinboro and Pitt-Johnstown to make their second-straight appearance and third since 2003 in the East Region title game. Top seeded California (Pa.) halted Millersville’s quest for an Elite Eight appearance by a 64-52 score.
• Among PSAC programs, Millersville has four NCAA Tournament bids since 2003. Only California (Pa.) has more with five.
• Thompson is looking to take his team to an eighth PSAC Tournament and a fifth NCAA Tournament. In Millersville history, Thompson is second only to John Kochan (1983-96) in overall PSAC appearances, but needs only one more tournament win to vault Kochan for the most PSAC tournament victories as a Millersville coach. If Millersville appears in the NCAA Tournament this year, it will be the third time in school history that Millersville has earned three-straight berths.
Men's Basketball Returns Home; Faces Elizabethtown and W.Va. State
12/2/2008 1:52:35 PM
Complete Game Notes
GAME QUICK FACTS
Elizabethtown (4-2) at Millersville (3-2)
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008 - 7:30 p.m.
Pucillo Gymnasium, Millersville, Pa.
West Virginia State at Millersville
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 -2 p.m.
Pucillo Gymnasium, Millersville, Pa.
COVERAGE
Audio: MSBN
Live Stats
TICKETS
Adults: $6.00
Students: $3.00
Millersville Students: Free with I.D.
ABOUT THE GAME
• Millersville returns to Pucillo Gymnasium after a difficult stretch of non-conference road games. The Marauders are 3-2 overall and are looking to bounce back from an 86-70 loss at West Virginia State. The Marauders have an opportunity to avenge a pair of losses this week. Elizabethtown, which topped Millersville 77-72 last season, invades Millersville on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. On Saturday, just one week removed from its last meeting, Millersville and West Virginia State square off at 2 p.m.
• Millersville is looking to correct its recent offensive struggles. The team has shot 67-of-171 (.392) from the field in its last three games and is just 16-of-59 (.213) from 3-point range over the same stretch. Against West Virginia State, the Marauders managed to hit 2-of-18 threes, marking the fewest made 3-pointers since making 1-of-12 in a 64-61 win over Edinboro in the NCAA East Regional last season.
• Elizabethtown enters the game with a 4-2 record and is riding a two-game winning streak that includes an overtime victory against Marymount and an 82-75 win over Neumann. The Blue Jays are 0-2 in games played away from home this season.
• West Virginia State comes into the week with a 3-1 record and travels to Davis & Elkins for a WVIAC contest on Wednesday before heading to Millersville on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets’ lone loss this season was in overtime and they have won two in a row since. While Fred Thompson is 11-8 all-time against teams from the WVIAC, he has yet to defeat West Virginia State (0-4).
• Both of this week’s contests will be broadcast live on the Marauders Sports Broadcasting Network (MSBN). Fans can access the broadcast on www.millersvilleathletics.com. Live stats will also be available via www.millersvilleathletics.com.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• Elizabethtown has topped the 80-point mark in each of its last two games, but all four of its wins have been by single digits. The Blue Jays are outscoring their opponents by a narrow 70.5-68.7 margin. Despite holding opponents to under 70 points per game, Elizabethtown’s foes are shooting an impressive .508 percent from the field. The Blue Jays, however, have offset that by forcing 147 turnovers (24.5 per game).
• Pacing the Blue Jays on offense is Joe Flanagan’s 16.2 points per game. Flanagan is a marksman from deep, hitting 14-of-34 3-point attempts. Mike Church is the team’s top all-around threat, averaging 15.8 points and 6.0 rebounds.
• Head Coach Bob Schlosser is in his 19th year and boasts a 283-188 career record. He has taken guided Elizabethtown to three NCAA Division III appearances since 2001-02.
• West Virginia State is hitting its stride on offense, cranking out 87 and 86 points in its last two outings. Ted Scott has led the team in scoring in three of the four games and is averaging 25.5 points per game. He is shooting 52.9 percent from the field as well. Ricky Jackson, a transfer from Mountain State, has emerged as the Yellow Jackets’ No. 2 option. He is scoring 15.7 points per game and grabbing 8.7 rebounds per game.
• The program has won at least 19 games in five of the last six years and is 117-41 during that six-year run.
• Bryan Poore is in his ninth season at West Virginia State and he boasts a 152-91 record at the school and a 164-105 mark as a collegiate coach. Prior to West Virginia State, he was an assistant for three seasons at Marshall and five years at the University of Charleston. Poore is a 1988 graduate of West Virginia State.
THE SERIES
• Millersville and Elizabethtown are old rivals, having met 92 times. Millersville has faced Elizabethtown more times than any other non-PSAC opponent. The series began in 1928-29 with Elizabethtown winning a 27-22 contest. The Marauders, however, hold the all-time series lead at 68-24. The programs met every year from 1948-1999 before taking a five year hiatus in the series. Since resuming the series in 2004-05, Millersville and Elizabethtown have split the four games with two wins apiece. While Elizabethtown earned a 77-72 victory last year, the previous three games were all decided by double figures.
• The Nov. 29 meeting was the first between the Millersville and West Virginia State since 2005-06. West Virginia State holds a 5-0 record against Millersville all-time and is 4-0 against Fred Thompson’s clubs. Three of the five games, however, have been decided by four points or fewer. The first meeting came in 1997-98 with W.Va. State winning 82-78. The clubs met twice in 2005-06 with West Virginia State winning the season opener 77-76 and then topping the Marauders 76-72 in January.
SEEING DOUBLE
• After playing 62 games without a double-double, Makal Stibbins has totaled three in his first five games of 2007-08. He has matched a career-high with 11 rebounds three times. He also set a career in points with 17 against Penn State Abington.
• Both Stibbins and Reggie Bates recorded double-doubles in the season opening victory over Penn State Abington. Stibbins’ 17 points and 10 boards were both career highs and gave him his first career double-double. Bates had 11 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double.
• Millersville saw double-double efforts 15 times in 2007-08 including six in the final five games of the season. Dating back to last season, Millersville has 10 double-doubles in the last 10 games including four in the first five games of this season.BLOCK PARTY
• Millersville has blocked at least two shots in every game in each game this season and have had a player block two or more three times.
• Makal Stibbins blocked a career high six shots in the season opener against Penn State Abington. His previous best was four, which he recorded on four different occasions. His six blocks were the most by a Marauder since George Bailey swatted seven against Southern Connecticut State on Nov. 20, 1999.
• As a team, the Marauders swatted seven shots. Millersville blocked seven shots twice and eight one time in 2007-08.
THE LAST TIME OUT
• Homestanding West Virginia State scored the first seven points of the game and the Millersville men’s basketball team could never recover, falling 86-70 to the Yellow Jackets Saturday afternoon.
• Senior Reggie Bates scored a season high 26 points and Jason Blake tallied a career-high 19, but the Marauders struggled to generate offense, shooting just 34 percent on the game and 2-of-18 from 3-point range. W.Va. State’s stifling full-court press had a hand in forcing 17 Millersville turnovers as well.
• The Yellow Jackets were led by Ted Scott, who led the nation in scoring in 2006-07. He finished with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He received plenty of support, though, as four other Yellow Jackets scored in double figures.
• The potent W.Va. State offense clicked early as itraced to a 7-0 lead before the Marauders cracked the scoring column over three minutes into the game. W.Va. State’s Wade Pidcock led the early charge, hitting three 3-pointers in the first six minutes to give the Yellow Jackets a 10 point lead.
• Despite shooting just 9-of-29 from the field in the first frame, the Marauders stayed close thanks to 10 points from both Bates and Blake. Millersville trailed by 11 at the half but slashed the lead to just five points with 15:16 left in the game after six-straight points by Bates.
• But four seconds after Bates’ shot made the score 48-43, Will Collins scored on a fast break lay-up, sparking an 11-3 W.Va. State run over the next three minutes that put the Marauders out of reach.
• Makal Stibbins managed four points, but finished with his third double-digit rebound effort in four games, as he pulled down a game-high 11.
MARAUDER MILESTONES
• Millersville’s men’s basketball program began in 1899 and since then, it has compiled 1,296 wins, leaving it just four victories shy of 1,300 all-time wins. Entering the 2008-09 season, Millersville is 11th among all Division II teams in all-time victories and 25th by winning percentage.
• He has only played in a Millersville uniform for two seasons, but Reggie Bates has rapidly climbed up the all-time scoring list. His career average of 16.1 points per game and 1,097 total points places him 31st all-time ahead of Daron Pressley ’04. He passed Lyman Reifsnyder ’42 and Joe Labatch ‘56 in the first game of the season. Bates’ scored 615 points a year ago and with a repeat effort, he would finish with 1,641 points and 10th all-time just ahead of Lance Gelnett ’92, who was inducted into the Millersville University Athletic Hall of Fame this year. Bates is also on pace to be the top-scoring three-year player in school history.
• Only two coaches in Millersville men’s basketball history have reached the 200-win plateau and Fred Thompson is only 14 wins shy of joining John Kochan (285-96) and Richard DeHart (321-298). Thompson could be the second-fastest coach in school history to achieve the milestone. It took Kochan into his ninth season to win his 200th game. DeHart won his 200th game with his third victory in his 15th year.
SUPER SCORER
• Reggie Bates produced one of the best single seasons in school history last year and is looking to become the third-straight Marauder to earn PSAC East Athlete of the Year honors if he can duplicate his junior season efforts.
• Bates erupted for a season-high 26 points against W.Va. State and has not been held under 10 points in the last seven games he has played dating back to last season. The senior guard is averaging 19.9 points per game over that span. The last time Bates failed to record double digits in scoring was on March 7, 2008, against Edinboro, when he scored eight.
• Bates scored 12.8 points per game as a sophomore in 2006-07, but 2007-08 was truly his breakthrough season. Bates led the team in scoring with 19.2 points per game and produced the sixth-best single season point total in school history with 615. Bates scored in double figures in all but five games and scored at least six points in every game. He also produced 15 20-point games—two of which came in the NCAA East Regional—and four 30-point outings. Bates was responsible for four of the team’s five 30-point games during the year. His 36 point performance against Slippery Rock on Dec. 2 was the top scoring performance of the season for Millersville and the second-best performance in the PSAC.
• In the second round of the NCAA East Regional, Bates scored 32 points to become the 35th player in school history to total 1,000 points. It took him only 64 games to reach that milestone.
• Bates finished the season ranked second in the PSAC in scoring average and first in field goals made and total points scored. His points per game average was 34th in Division II as well.
ADVANTAGE PUCILLO
• Since Fred Thompson took over the program in 1998-99, the Marauders are incredible 111-34 at home in Pucillo Gymnasium. The Marauders have posted a 28-4 home mark in the last three seasons (including 2008-09). The team has won no fewer than eight home games each season. The Marauders recorded eight of their 10 wins at home in 2005-06 and nine of their 12 wins came at home in 1999-00.
• Maybe even more impressive is the 44-16 PSAC East record during that stretch. Millersville is 9-1 against PSAC East teams in Pucillo in the last two seasons.
NEW FACES
• The Marauders return only one starter (Reggie Bates) from last season and lost 62 percent of its scoring and rebounding.
• Thompson filled the roster with five freshmen and five transfers. Four of the transfers gained experience in the junior college ranks and T.J. Lundy, who sat out last season because of the NCAA’s two-time transfer rule played at St. Francis (Pa.) and Division II Tampa before coming to Millersville.
• The incoming class is also heavy at the guard position. Seven of the incoming players play guard and five are listed at 6-foot or shorter.
• A pair of newcomers, Jason Blake and Palmer McDurfee are slated to be in the starting lineup for the opener. Blake, a 6-2 point guard, played two seasons at the Community College of Philadelphia. McDurfee, a 5-9 shooting guard, was the leading scorer for the Community College of Beaver County a year ago.
• The freshmen accumulated plenty of high school accolades. Mike Seibert was a third team all-state player at Columbia. Cullen Murray-Kemp was the Bayside Conference Player of the Year in 2007-08, and Brandon Widener, who graduated from Penn Manor in 2006-07, was an All-Lancaster-Lebanon First Team pick.
EARLY EXPECTATIONS
• After posting a 22-10 overall record and an 8-4 mark in the PSAC East a year ago, the Marauders were pegged to finish second by the coaches in the PSAC Preseason Poll.
• The favorite in the Eastern Division was defending champion Kutztown. The Golden Bears posted a 19-9 overall mark and a 10-2 mark in the division last year and return all five starters including Preason All-PSAC East picks David Ben and Stephen Dennis. East Stroudsburg finished fourth in the East last year but was picked third in this year’s preseason rankings. The Warriors are led by preseason selection Chris Bach. Cheyney, which shared the PSAC East crown with Kutztown, was picked fourth. The Wolves have a new head coach Dominique Stephens but return preseason pick Tyrone Smith.
• Mansfield, picked fifth, was followed by Shippensburg, which is making the shift to the Eastern Division after the PSAC expansion. West Chester and preseason selection Kenneth St. George were voted seventh, and Bloomsburg was pegged eighth.
• For Millersville, Reggie Bates was named Preseason All-PSAC East for the second-consecutive season. MARCH MADNESS
• Extending the season into March is becoming commonplace at Millersville, and in 2007-08, the Marauders earned their 20th bid to the PSAC Tournament since 1984 and the seventh under the direction of Fred Thompson. Millersville has also won at least one game in the tournament in each of their last four appearances.
• Despite falling in the PSAC Tournament semifinals to Edinboro, the Marauders entered the NCAA Division II Tournament as the No. 7 seed in the East Region and promptly knocked off Edinboro and Pitt-Johnstown to make their second-straight appearance and third since 2003 in the East Region title game. Top seeded California (Pa.) halted Millersville’s quest for an Elite Eight appearance by a 64-52 score.
• Among PSAC programs, Millersville has four NCAA Tournament bids since 2003. Only California (Pa.) has more with five.
• Thompson is looking to take his team to an eighth PSAC Tournament and a fifth NCAA Tournament. In Millersville history, Thompson is second only to John Kochan (1983-96) in overall PSAC appearances, but needs only one more tournament win to vault Kochan for the most PSAC tournament victories as a Millersville coach. If Millersville appears in the NCAA Tournament this year, it will be the third time in school history that Millersville has earned three-straight berths.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Church's career high leads Etown over Neumann, 82-75
From the E-town College Website:
11/29/2008
Church's career high leads Etown over Neumann, 82-75
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Elizabethtown 82, Neumann 75
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) scored a career-high 27 points as Elizabethtown College downed Neumann College 82-75 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) added 19 points for the Blue Jays (4-2 overall), who erased an eight-point second half deficit by outscoring the Knights (1-3 overall) 33-15 over an eight-minute span midway through the half.
Church went 8-for-15 from the field and 11-for-12 from the foul line to surpass his previous best scoring output of 22 points set on Feb. 16 of last season at Lebanon Valley College. He scored nine of his points during a 12-2 Elizabethtown run that turned a 55-51 deficit with 11:28 to play into a 63-57 advantage with 8:36 to go.
Mike Walukiewicz scored 22 points, including 17 in the second half, to lead Neumann, but the Knights shot just 40.6 percent (13-for-32) from the field after intermission following a first half in which they shot 63.2 percent (12-for-19). Overall, the Knights finished at 49.0 percent (25-for-51) but committed 24 turnovers.
Despite the hot shooting from Neumann in the first half, it was Elizabethtown that scored the final six points of the period to go into halftime with a 38-34 lead. Church netted 12 points to lead the Blue Jays while Flanagan added nine, and Eli Hitchens paced the Knights with a game-high 13 points.
Neumann opened the second half with a 14-2 run to take its largest lead of the day at 48-40 on a three-point play by Walukiewicz with 15:21 to go. However, the Blue Jays stormed back to take a 56-55 lead on a layup by Church with 10:34 remaining.
Down by six, the Knights made a final push to cut the Etown lead to 63-61 with 7:51 left. The Blue Jays answered with a quick 10-2 run to move on top 73-63 with 5:45 left, but Neumann again rallied to trim the deficit to 73-70 with 3:45 to go.
From there, baskets by Brady Haughney (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken), Keith Fogel (Mifllinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) and Church gave Elizabethtown a 79-70 advantage at the 2:09 mark, and the Blue Jays hit three foul shots in the final 64 seconds to seal the win.
Fogel joined Church and Flanagan in double figures for Elizabethtown with 12 points, while Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) had a season-high nine assists. Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) finished with a team-high seven rebounds for the Blue Jays, who held a 36-32 edge on the glass over the Knights.
Eli Hitchens tallied 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Knights, with Michael Hitchens and Na'Sheed Linton adding 12 points apiece.
From the Neumann College Website:
Men's Basketball Falls at Elizabethtown
11/29/2008 6:24:16 PM
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – The Neumann College men’s basketball team lost to Elizabethtown College, 82-75, Saturday afternoon in a non-conference match-up.
Mike Walukiewicz (fr. Elmer, N.J. / Cumberland Regional) led four Knights in double figures with 22 points, including five three-pointers. Eli Hitchens (sr. Abington, Pa. / Abington) netted 15 points. Na’Sheed Linton and Mike Hitchens (sr. Abington, Pa. / Abington) each scored 12.
Mike Church led the Blue Jays with 27 points. Joe Flanagan netted 19 points and Keith Fogel added 12.
The first half featured 11 lead changes and two ties. Elizabethtown netted the final four points of the half to take a four point lead, 38-34, into the locker room.
Sean Armstrong and Mike Hitchens scored two points a piece to begin the second half and tie the game at 38-all. After the teams traded buckets, the Knights netted the next eight points for its largest lead of the game at 48-40. Elizabethtown responded with the next six points to cut the Knights lead to two.
Again the team would trade baskets, but the Blue Jays would take a one point lead on a Church lay-up and Flanagan sank and three-pointer to make the score 59-55. Elizabethtown would build its lead to 10 points with 5:45 remaining. The Knights got within three points with 3:45 left, but the Blue Jays held on for the 82-75 win.
Neumann is now 1-3 on the season. Elizabethtown is 4-2. The Knights will open Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) play on Monday night at Immaculata. The men will tip-off at 8 p.m. which follows the women at 6 p.m.
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
Blue Jays make their run last
E-town men beat Neumann College 82-75, thanks to a second-half spurt.
By GREG CALDWELL, Correspondent
Basketball is a game of spurts, and Elizabethtown College used a big one in the second half to turn a deficit into a secure lead in a 82-75 victory over Neumann College Saturday in men's action at Thompson Gymnasium.
The Blue Jays (4-2) trailed 48-42 five minutes into the second half when the team caught fire, going on a 31-16 run over the next ten minutes to take the lead for good. E-town was led by the inside and foul shooting of junior center Mike Church (Solanco) who finished with a career-high 27 points to pace the attack.
"We had less spells of ineptness today than in any other game," Blue Jays' coach Bob Schlosser said. "We picked it up defensively when we needed to, hit our foul shots and got strong play from the bench. We do let up some easy baskets, but the opponents are turning the ball over and I like to think we are wearing teams down."
Church was helped on offense by the outside shooting of Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite), who hit three of five three-point tries and scored 19 points, and Keith Fogel, who chipped in 12.
E-town and Neumann (1-3) exchanged the lead in the early part of the first half, before the Blue Jays used a 16-8 run to go up by six, 21-15. Flanagan scored seven points during this time, including a lay-up where he spun past the last defender and hit the easy basket. The Knights, who had lost two close games against their two previous opponents, bounced back to take its first lead since early in the game, 25-23. The teams exchanged the lead five more times, and the Blue Jays went into the locker room up 38-34.
The intermission seemed to take something out of the Blue Jays, as the team came out flat and failed to make a field goal the first five minutes. Church sank two free throws for the team's only points during this time. Neumann took advantage of this lapse to score 14 of the first 16 points of the half and lead 48-40.
"Basketball is a game of spurts at this level and it is the team that can limit those down runs that wins," Schlosser said. "They went ahead, but we did not let it last long and got back into the game."
Flanagan started the Blue Jays' recovery, scoring an easy basket off the inbounds to cut the lead to six. Mike Walukiewicz, who paced the Knights with 22 points, hit a 3-pointer to give his team a 55-51 lead. Church drove the lane on the next possession, and sank an inside jumper as he was fouled. He hit the foul shot and scored again after a Knights' turnover to put the Blue Jays back on top, 56-55. Neumann missed a shot on the other end, and Flanagan then sank a wide open shot from long range to give E-town a 59-55 lead.
"The spurt was huge," Church said. "We try every game to limit their runs and make our runs last longer. Our comeback shows the character of the team. We are not going to quit ever."
The Knights used strong foul shooting and hustle to cut the lead down to a basket on two different occasions, but were never able to pull even. A subsequent three-point play by Phil Schaffer, who excelled on defense and dished out nine assists, pushed the lead to eight. Fogel scored off a perfect assist from Church for 73-63 lead. Church sank a late field goal and two foul shots to finish up his great game and secure the win for the Blue Jays.
"We feel better about how we are playing, as we are playing like a team now," said Schlosser.
E-town travels to Division II Millersville at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, before returning home next Saturday to face Gwynedd-Mercy.
11/29/2008
Church's career high leads Etown over Neumann, 82-75
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Elizabethtown 82, Neumann 75
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) scored a career-high 27 points as Elizabethtown College downed Neumann College 82-75 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) added 19 points for the Blue Jays (4-2 overall), who erased an eight-point second half deficit by outscoring the Knights (1-3 overall) 33-15 over an eight-minute span midway through the half.
Church went 8-for-15 from the field and 11-for-12 from the foul line to surpass his previous best scoring output of 22 points set on Feb. 16 of last season at Lebanon Valley College. He scored nine of his points during a 12-2 Elizabethtown run that turned a 55-51 deficit with 11:28 to play into a 63-57 advantage with 8:36 to go.
Mike Walukiewicz scored 22 points, including 17 in the second half, to lead Neumann, but the Knights shot just 40.6 percent (13-for-32) from the field after intermission following a first half in which they shot 63.2 percent (12-for-19). Overall, the Knights finished at 49.0 percent (25-for-51) but committed 24 turnovers.
Despite the hot shooting from Neumann in the first half, it was Elizabethtown that scored the final six points of the period to go into halftime with a 38-34 lead. Church netted 12 points to lead the Blue Jays while Flanagan added nine, and Eli Hitchens paced the Knights with a game-high 13 points.
Neumann opened the second half with a 14-2 run to take its largest lead of the day at 48-40 on a three-point play by Walukiewicz with 15:21 to go. However, the Blue Jays stormed back to take a 56-55 lead on a layup by Church with 10:34 remaining.
Down by six, the Knights made a final push to cut the Etown lead to 63-61 with 7:51 left. The Blue Jays answered with a quick 10-2 run to move on top 73-63 with 5:45 left, but Neumann again rallied to trim the deficit to 73-70 with 3:45 to go.
From there, baskets by Brady Haughney (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken), Keith Fogel (Mifllinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) and Church gave Elizabethtown a 79-70 advantage at the 2:09 mark, and the Blue Jays hit three foul shots in the final 64 seconds to seal the win.
Fogel joined Church and Flanagan in double figures for Elizabethtown with 12 points, while Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) had a season-high nine assists. Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) finished with a team-high seven rebounds for the Blue Jays, who held a 36-32 edge on the glass over the Knights.
Eli Hitchens tallied 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Knights, with Michael Hitchens and Na'Sheed Linton adding 12 points apiece.
From the Neumann College Website:
Men's Basketball Falls at Elizabethtown
11/29/2008 6:24:16 PM
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – The Neumann College men’s basketball team lost to Elizabethtown College, 82-75, Saturday afternoon in a non-conference match-up.
Mike Walukiewicz (fr. Elmer, N.J. / Cumberland Regional) led four Knights in double figures with 22 points, including five three-pointers. Eli Hitchens (sr. Abington, Pa. / Abington) netted 15 points. Na’Sheed Linton and Mike Hitchens (sr. Abington, Pa. / Abington) each scored 12.
Mike Church led the Blue Jays with 27 points. Joe Flanagan netted 19 points and Keith Fogel added 12.
The first half featured 11 lead changes and two ties. Elizabethtown netted the final four points of the half to take a four point lead, 38-34, into the locker room.
Sean Armstrong and Mike Hitchens scored two points a piece to begin the second half and tie the game at 38-all. After the teams traded buckets, the Knights netted the next eight points for its largest lead of the game at 48-40. Elizabethtown responded with the next six points to cut the Knights lead to two.
Again the team would trade baskets, but the Blue Jays would take a one point lead on a Church lay-up and Flanagan sank and three-pointer to make the score 59-55. Elizabethtown would build its lead to 10 points with 5:45 remaining. The Knights got within three points with 3:45 left, but the Blue Jays held on for the 82-75 win.
Neumann is now 1-3 on the season. Elizabethtown is 4-2. The Knights will open Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) play on Monday night at Immaculata. The men will tip-off at 8 p.m. which follows the women at 6 p.m.
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
Blue Jays make their run last
E-town men beat Neumann College 82-75, thanks to a second-half spurt.
By GREG CALDWELL, Correspondent
Basketball is a game of spurts, and Elizabethtown College used a big one in the second half to turn a deficit into a secure lead in a 82-75 victory over Neumann College Saturday in men's action at Thompson Gymnasium.
The Blue Jays (4-2) trailed 48-42 five minutes into the second half when the team caught fire, going on a 31-16 run over the next ten minutes to take the lead for good. E-town was led by the inside and foul shooting of junior center Mike Church (Solanco) who finished with a career-high 27 points to pace the attack.
"We had less spells of ineptness today than in any other game," Blue Jays' coach Bob Schlosser said. "We picked it up defensively when we needed to, hit our foul shots and got strong play from the bench. We do let up some easy baskets, but the opponents are turning the ball over and I like to think we are wearing teams down."
Church was helped on offense by the outside shooting of Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite), who hit three of five three-point tries and scored 19 points, and Keith Fogel, who chipped in 12.
E-town and Neumann (1-3) exchanged the lead in the early part of the first half, before the Blue Jays used a 16-8 run to go up by six, 21-15. Flanagan scored seven points during this time, including a lay-up where he spun past the last defender and hit the easy basket. The Knights, who had lost two close games against their two previous opponents, bounced back to take its first lead since early in the game, 25-23. The teams exchanged the lead five more times, and the Blue Jays went into the locker room up 38-34.
The intermission seemed to take something out of the Blue Jays, as the team came out flat and failed to make a field goal the first five minutes. Church sank two free throws for the team's only points during this time. Neumann took advantage of this lapse to score 14 of the first 16 points of the half and lead 48-40.
"Basketball is a game of spurts at this level and it is the team that can limit those down runs that wins," Schlosser said. "They went ahead, but we did not let it last long and got back into the game."
Flanagan started the Blue Jays' recovery, scoring an easy basket off the inbounds to cut the lead to six. Mike Walukiewicz, who paced the Knights with 22 points, hit a 3-pointer to give his team a 55-51 lead. Church drove the lane on the next possession, and sank an inside jumper as he was fouled. He hit the foul shot and scored again after a Knights' turnover to put the Blue Jays back on top, 56-55. Neumann missed a shot on the other end, and Flanagan then sank a wide open shot from long range to give E-town a 59-55 lead.
"The spurt was huge," Church said. "We try every game to limit their runs and make our runs last longer. Our comeback shows the character of the team. We are not going to quit ever."
The Knights used strong foul shooting and hustle to cut the lead down to a basket on two different occasions, but were never able to pull even. A subsequent three-point play by Phil Schaffer, who excelled on defense and dished out nine assists, pushed the lead to eight. Fogel scored off a perfect assist from Church for 73-63 lead. Church sank a late field goal and two foul shots to finish up his great game and secure the win for the Blue Jays.
"We feel better about how we are playing, as we are playing like a team now," said Schlosser.
E-town travels to Division II Millersville at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, before returning home next Saturday to face Gwynedd-Mercy.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Blue Jays to Host Neumann
The game program is now ready for today's game against Neumann. Also, if you can't make it to the game, you can check out the live stats here.
Go Blue Jays!
Go Blue Jays!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Blue Jays outlast Marymount in OT, 88-78
From the E-town College Website:
11/25/2008
Men's basketball outlasts Marymount in OT, 88-78
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Elizabethtown 88, Marymount 78 (OT)
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) and Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) combined to score 11 of Elizabethtown's 14 points in overtime as the Blue Jays claimed a wild 88-78 victory over Marymount University in non-conference men's basketball action on Tuesday night at Thompson Gymnasium.
Schaffer scored six of his career-high 12 points in the overtime period while Fogel added five of his career-best 21 points in the extra frame as the Blue Jays (3-2 overall) bounced back after seeing the Saints (3-2 overall) rally from a 13-point second-half deficit.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) led all players with a career-high 22 points while Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) also reached double figures with 14 points to go with five rebounds, five steals and four blocked shots.
Mike Gray led Marymount (3-2 overall) with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Chapmen Canady hit two key shots at the end of regulation en route to 14 points for the Saints.
The game, already scheduled for an unusually late 9:00 p.m. tipoff as the second half of a doubleheader with the Blue Jay women, was twice delayed - for 30 minutes at the start as the Marymount team bus was late arriving after being caught in a traffic jam, and again for 13 minutes with 3:10 left in the second half when the gym lights automatically shut off at 11:00 p.m.
Despite the distractions, the Blue Jays outscored the Saints 14-4 in the overtime period and shot 5-for-8 from the floor in the period after hitting 54.2 percent (13-for-24) in the second half.
Elizabethtown never trailed in the overtime, as Schaffer twice converted steals into layups and Fogel drilled a key three-pointer with 3:16 left to give the Blue Jays an 80-76 lead. After a layup by Gray trimmed the Blue Jay advantage to 80-78 with 2:16 to go, buckets by Schaffer and Brady Haughney (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken) kicked off a game-ending 8-0 run for Etown.
The Blue Jays looked to have the game in hand early in the second half, taking their largest lead of the night at 58-45 on a three-pointer by Flanagan with 11:17 to play. Marymount answered with nine consecutive points to pull within 58-54 with 9:12 left.
Trailing 72-66 with 2:18 to go, the Saints' Chapmen Canady single-handledly brought his team back as he hit a jumper and a three-pointer to cut the Elizabethtown margin to one at 72-71 with 1:11 left. After Fogel hit two foul shots with 53 seconds left, Canady hit another three to tie the game at 74-74 with 32 seconds to go.
Church was unable to connect on a potential winning shot with 19 seconds to go, and Gray's baseline jumper in the closing seconds caught rim to send the game to overtime.
Elizabethtown led 33-32 at halftime despite allowing Marymount to shoot 60 percent (15-for-25) from the field. The Saints were plagued by turnovers throughout the contest, committing 15 of their 29 miscues in the opening half.
In addition to his 12 points, Schaffer added six assists and four steals for the Blue Jays, while Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) had a team-high seven rebounds to go with five points.
11/25/2008
Men's basketball outlasts Marymount in OT, 88-78
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Elizabethtown 88, Marymount 78 (OT)
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) and Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) combined to score 11 of Elizabethtown's 14 points in overtime as the Blue Jays claimed a wild 88-78 victory over Marymount University in non-conference men's basketball action on Tuesday night at Thompson Gymnasium.
Schaffer scored six of his career-high 12 points in the overtime period while Fogel added five of his career-best 21 points in the extra frame as the Blue Jays (3-2 overall) bounced back after seeing the Saints (3-2 overall) rally from a 13-point second-half deficit.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) led all players with a career-high 22 points while Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) also reached double figures with 14 points to go with five rebounds, five steals and four blocked shots.
Mike Gray led Marymount (3-2 overall) with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Chapmen Canady hit two key shots at the end of regulation en route to 14 points for the Saints.
The game, already scheduled for an unusually late 9:00 p.m. tipoff as the second half of a doubleheader with the Blue Jay women, was twice delayed - for 30 minutes at the start as the Marymount team bus was late arriving after being caught in a traffic jam, and again for 13 minutes with 3:10 left in the second half when the gym lights automatically shut off at 11:00 p.m.
Despite the distractions, the Blue Jays outscored the Saints 14-4 in the overtime period and shot 5-for-8 from the floor in the period after hitting 54.2 percent (13-for-24) in the second half.
Elizabethtown never trailed in the overtime, as Schaffer twice converted steals into layups and Fogel drilled a key three-pointer with 3:16 left to give the Blue Jays an 80-76 lead. After a layup by Gray trimmed the Blue Jay advantage to 80-78 with 2:16 to go, buckets by Schaffer and Brady Haughney (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken) kicked off a game-ending 8-0 run for Etown.
The Blue Jays looked to have the game in hand early in the second half, taking their largest lead of the night at 58-45 on a three-pointer by Flanagan with 11:17 to play. Marymount answered with nine consecutive points to pull within 58-54 with 9:12 left.
Trailing 72-66 with 2:18 to go, the Saints' Chapmen Canady single-handledly brought his team back as he hit a jumper and a three-pointer to cut the Elizabethtown margin to one at 72-71 with 1:11 left. After Fogel hit two foul shots with 53 seconds left, Canady hit another three to tie the game at 74-74 with 32 seconds to go.
Church was unable to connect on a potential winning shot with 19 seconds to go, and Gray's baseline jumper in the closing seconds caught rim to send the game to overtime.
Elizabethtown led 33-32 at halftime despite allowing Marymount to shoot 60 percent (15-for-25) from the field. The Saints were plagued by turnovers throughout the contest, committing 15 of their 29 miscues in the opening half.
In addition to his 12 points, Schaffer added six assists and four steals for the Blue Jays, while Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) had a team-high seven rebounds to go with five points.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday Night Hoops
The Blue Jays entertain Marymount University this evening in E-town! Be sure to check out the Game Program. If you can't make it to the game you can follow the Live Stats online.
Go Blue Jays!
Go Blue Jays!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Tourney Recap
Back home after a weekend in Gettysburg. The following posts recap the Blue Jays 2 tourney games.
The following articles were taken from the E-town College Website:
11/21/2008
#11 Gettysburg downs Etown, 71-56
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday, November 21, 2008
Gettysburg 71, Elizabethtown 56
Click here for the box score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. --- Dan Capkin poured home 28 points while three other players scored in double figures as 11th-ranked Gettysburg College defeated Elizabethtown College 71-56 in the opening round of the Gettysburg Days Inn Tip-Off Tournament on Friday evening.
Capkin went 10-for-17 from the field, including 4-for-9 from three-point range, as the Bullets (1-0 overall) shot 60 percent (27-for-45) from the field as a team and led from start to finish by as many as 24 points.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) led the Blue Jays (2-1 overall) with 17 points and five rebounds while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) reached double figures off the bench with 11 points, but Elizabethtown connected on just 31.7 percent (19-for-60) from the field as a team and was unable to capitalize on 22 Gettysburg turnovers.
The Bullets dashed to a 12-4 lead after just five minutes of play, but the Blue Jays pulled within 14-13 on a three-pointer by Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) with 11:33 left in the first half. Six straight points by Capkin, who scored 15 in the half, fueled a surge that sent Gettysburg to halftime with a 35-22 lead.
A 13-point deficit was the closest that Elizabethtown would come in the second half, as the Bullets followed up a 58.3 percent shooting effort in the first half by hitting 61.9 percent (13-for-21) from the field in the second half.
Joining Capkin in double figures for Gettysburg were Corey Dorsey (15 points), Kevin Kennedy (13 points) and Andrew Powers (11 points). Powers and Dorsey each finished with six rebounds to tie for the team lead, while Powers also handed out five assists.
In Friday's other game, SUNY Geneseo defeated Rowan University 62-55, meaning the Blue Jays will play Rowan in Saturday's consolation game at 2:00 p.m. followed by SUNY Geneseo against Gettysburg in the championship game at 4:00 p.m.
11/22/2008
Men's basketball defeated by Rowan, 63-56
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Rowan 63, Elizabethtown 56
Click here for the box score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. ---Rowan University outscored Elizabethtown College 17-6 over the final nine minutes to rally for a 63-56 victory in the consolation game of the Gettysburg College Days Inn Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
The Profs (1-3 overall) trailed 50-46 following a three-pointer by Etown's Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) with 9:48 to play, but held the Blue Jays (2-2 overall) to just two field goals the rest of the way to cap a comeback from a 14-point first-half deficit.
Tyson Hartnett led Rowan with 15 points while Billy Care posted 13 points and nine rebounds for the Profs, who shot 53.7 percent (22-for-41) from the field as a team.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) was the lone Blue Jay to finish in double figures as he tallied 15 points in his first career start and was named to the All-Tournament Team, but Elizabethtown connected on just 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from the field and committed 23 turnovers.
The Blue Jays held their largest lead of the game at 30-16 on a basket by Flanagan with 4:08 left in the first half, but the Profs took advantage of six Etown turnovers to close the half on a 15-0 run, taking a 31-30 lead to intermission.
Neither team led by more than four points for most of the second half, but the Profs took control in the final five minutes as a 13-1 run gave Rowan a 59-51 lead with 1:26 to go.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) tallied nine points for the Blue Jays, while Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Off the bench, Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) posted four points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
In the championship game, the host Bullets held on for a 58-56 win over SUNY Geneseo, with Gettysburg's Dan Capkin earning tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
The following articles were taken from the E-town College Website:
11/21/2008
#11 Gettysburg downs Etown, 71-56
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday, November 21, 2008
Gettysburg 71, Elizabethtown 56
Click here for the box score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. --- Dan Capkin poured home 28 points while three other players scored in double figures as 11th-ranked Gettysburg College defeated Elizabethtown College 71-56 in the opening round of the Gettysburg Days Inn Tip-Off Tournament on Friday evening.
Capkin went 10-for-17 from the field, including 4-for-9 from three-point range, as the Bullets (1-0 overall) shot 60 percent (27-for-45) from the field as a team and led from start to finish by as many as 24 points.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) led the Blue Jays (2-1 overall) with 17 points and five rebounds while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) reached double figures off the bench with 11 points, but Elizabethtown connected on just 31.7 percent (19-for-60) from the field as a team and was unable to capitalize on 22 Gettysburg turnovers.
The Bullets dashed to a 12-4 lead after just five minutes of play, but the Blue Jays pulled within 14-13 on a three-pointer by Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) with 11:33 left in the first half. Six straight points by Capkin, who scored 15 in the half, fueled a surge that sent Gettysburg to halftime with a 35-22 lead.
A 13-point deficit was the closest that Elizabethtown would come in the second half, as the Bullets followed up a 58.3 percent shooting effort in the first half by hitting 61.9 percent (13-for-21) from the field in the second half.
Joining Capkin in double figures for Gettysburg were Corey Dorsey (15 points), Kevin Kennedy (13 points) and Andrew Powers (11 points). Powers and Dorsey each finished with six rebounds to tie for the team lead, while Powers also handed out five assists.
In Friday's other game, SUNY Geneseo defeated Rowan University 62-55, meaning the Blue Jays will play Rowan in Saturday's consolation game at 2:00 p.m. followed by SUNY Geneseo against Gettysburg in the championship game at 4:00 p.m.
11/22/2008
Men's basketball defeated by Rowan, 63-56
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Rowan 63, Elizabethtown 56
Click here for the box score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. ---Rowan University outscored Elizabethtown College 17-6 over the final nine minutes to rally for a 63-56 victory in the consolation game of the Gettysburg College Days Inn Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
The Profs (1-3 overall) trailed 50-46 following a three-pointer by Etown's Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) with 9:48 to play, but held the Blue Jays (2-2 overall) to just two field goals the rest of the way to cap a comeback from a 14-point first-half deficit.
Tyson Hartnett led Rowan with 15 points while Billy Care posted 13 points and nine rebounds for the Profs, who shot 53.7 percent (22-for-41) from the field as a team.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) was the lone Blue Jay to finish in double figures as he tallied 15 points in his first career start and was named to the All-Tournament Team, but Elizabethtown connected on just 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from the field and committed 23 turnovers.
The Blue Jays held their largest lead of the game at 30-16 on a basket by Flanagan with 4:08 left in the first half, but the Profs took advantage of six Etown turnovers to close the half on a 15-0 run, taking a 31-30 lead to intermission.
Neither team led by more than four points for most of the second half, but the Profs took control in the final five minutes as a 13-1 run gave Rowan a 59-51 lead with 1:26 to go.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) tallied nine points for the Blue Jays, while Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Off the bench, Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) posted four points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
In the championship game, the host Bullets held on for a 58-56 win over SUNY Geneseo, with Gettysburg's Dan Capkin earning tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
18th Annual Gettysburg Days Inn Men's Basketball Tip-Off Tournament
There's updated info. on the Gettysburg College Website regarding this weekend's tournament.
Included in the information on the Website is the tournament program.
Good luck this weekend Blue Jays!
Included in the information on the Website is the tournament program.
Good luck this weekend Blue Jays!
Blue Jays rally for 73-62 win over Lancaster Bible
From the E-town College Website:
11/18/2008
Men's basketball rallies for 73-62 win over Lancaster Bible
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Elizabethtown 73, Lancaster Bible 62
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa --- Elizabethtown College rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit to defeat Lancaster Bible College 73-62 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) finished with team highs of 17 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots as the Blue Jays (2-0 overall) used runs of 15-0 spanning the halves and 10-2 midway through the second half to dispatch of the pesky Chargers, who shot 53.7 percent (22-for-41) from the field and 8-for-16 from three-point range.
Kevin Keltner and Billy Harrison scored 18 points apiece to lead Lancaster Bible (1-1 overall), with Keltner hitting all three of his three-point attempts and Harrison finishing 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. However, the Chargers committed 29 turnovers which led to 34 Blue Jay points.
Lancaster Bible used a 13-0 run to turn an early 10-9 deficit into a 22-10 lead on a layup by Carl Edwards with 8:08 left in the first half, and took its largest lead at 27-16 following a three-pointer by Harrison with 4:27 left in the half.
Trailing 30-20 with one minute left in the first half, the Blue Jays halved the Charger lead to 30-25 at halftime, then scored the first 10 points of the second half to take a 35-30 lead on two foul shots by Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) with 16:41 to go.
A three-pointer by Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) gave Elizabethtown a 42-33 lead with 14:39 to go, but the Chargers climbed back to a 44-44 tie on back-to-back three-pointers by Harrison and Keltner, the latter with 12:00 to play.
However, Flanagan and Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) answered with three-pointers to give Elizabethtown a 50-44 lead with 10:53 left, and after two foul shots by Keltner, Jones hit another three to extend the Blue Jay advantage to 53-46 with 10:03 remaining.
Harrison hit his fourth three-pointer of the night with 8:29 to play to bring the Chargers to within 54-52 at the 8:29 mark, but Lancaster Bible would score just one point over the next four minutes as Elizabethtown built a 60-53 lead with 4:56 to go.
Flanagan finished with 13 points in 23 minutes off the Blue Jay bench, while Fogel added 13 points and a career-high five steals. Edwards finished with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds for the Chargers.
From the Lancaster Bible College Website:
Elizabethtown, PA- The Chargers faced off against highly favored Elizabethtown Blue Jays on Tuesday night. Last season’s match-up ended with a 50 point blow out in favor of the Blue Jays. It was uncertain, coming into Tuesday, if history would repeat itself. With a 5 point lead at the break it was clear the Chargers had come to play. Despite the early strong play, Lancaster fell 73-62.
Chargers started off well and jumped out to early lead 22-10, with 8:08 left in the first half. The key to Lancaster’s success in the beginning stanza was excellent shot selection, shooting 59 percent, and a good defensive scheme holding the Blue Jays to 34 percent from the field. The Chargers were lead by junior big man Carl Edward’s (Baltimore, MD) 8 points and 6 rebounds in the first half, Edwards finished with 12 and 11 his first double- double of the season. To end the half Etown went on an 11-3 run to cut the Chargers halftime lead to 5, 30-25.
The second half belonged to the Blue Jays, they opened the half with 8 unanswered points to take the lead for the first time since early in the first half. In the ensuing minutes Lancaster would fall behind by 8. Just when the Blue Jays seemed to take control the Chargers tied the game at 44 all at the 12 minute mark. That would be as close as Lancaster would come, as E-town was able to hit back to back three’s to regain control.
Guards Kevin Keltner (Menomonee Falls, WI) and Billy Harrison (Douglassville, PA) tied for the game high with 18 points. Carl Edwards (Baltimore, MD) left an impact in the paint with 12 points and 11 boards. Etown’s Mike Church was a presence inside with 17 points, 11 boards, and 4 blocks.
The Chargers host Washington Bible this Friday for their home opener at 7:00 pm.
11/18/2008
Men's basketball rallies for 73-62 win over Lancaster Bible
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Elizabethtown 73, Lancaster Bible 62
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa --- Elizabethtown College rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit to defeat Lancaster Bible College 73-62 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) finished with team highs of 17 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots as the Blue Jays (2-0 overall) used runs of 15-0 spanning the halves and 10-2 midway through the second half to dispatch of the pesky Chargers, who shot 53.7 percent (22-for-41) from the field and 8-for-16 from three-point range.
Kevin Keltner and Billy Harrison scored 18 points apiece to lead Lancaster Bible (1-1 overall), with Keltner hitting all three of his three-point attempts and Harrison finishing 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. However, the Chargers committed 29 turnovers which led to 34 Blue Jay points.
Lancaster Bible used a 13-0 run to turn an early 10-9 deficit into a 22-10 lead on a layup by Carl Edwards with 8:08 left in the first half, and took its largest lead at 27-16 following a three-pointer by Harrison with 4:27 left in the half.
Trailing 30-20 with one minute left in the first half, the Blue Jays halved the Charger lead to 30-25 at halftime, then scored the first 10 points of the second half to take a 35-30 lead on two foul shots by Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) with 16:41 to go.
A three-pointer by Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) gave Elizabethtown a 42-33 lead with 14:39 to go, but the Chargers climbed back to a 44-44 tie on back-to-back three-pointers by Harrison and Keltner, the latter with 12:00 to play.
However, Flanagan and Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) answered with three-pointers to give Elizabethtown a 50-44 lead with 10:53 left, and after two foul shots by Keltner, Jones hit another three to extend the Blue Jay advantage to 53-46 with 10:03 remaining.
Harrison hit his fourth three-pointer of the night with 8:29 to play to bring the Chargers to within 54-52 at the 8:29 mark, but Lancaster Bible would score just one point over the next four minutes as Elizabethtown built a 60-53 lead with 4:56 to go.
Flanagan finished with 13 points in 23 minutes off the Blue Jay bench, while Fogel added 13 points and a career-high five steals. Edwards finished with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds for the Chargers.
From the Lancaster Bible College Website:
Elizabethtown, PA- The Chargers faced off against highly favored Elizabethtown Blue Jays on Tuesday night. Last season’s match-up ended with a 50 point blow out in favor of the Blue Jays. It was uncertain, coming into Tuesday, if history would repeat itself. With a 5 point lead at the break it was clear the Chargers had come to play. Despite the early strong play, Lancaster fell 73-62.
Chargers started off well and jumped out to early lead 22-10, with 8:08 left in the first half. The key to Lancaster’s success in the beginning stanza was excellent shot selection, shooting 59 percent, and a good defensive scheme holding the Blue Jays to 34 percent from the field. The Chargers were lead by junior big man Carl Edward’s (Baltimore, MD) 8 points and 6 rebounds in the first half, Edwards finished with 12 and 11 his first double- double of the season. To end the half Etown went on an 11-3 run to cut the Chargers halftime lead to 5, 30-25.
The second half belonged to the Blue Jays, they opened the half with 8 unanswered points to take the lead for the first time since early in the first half. In the ensuing minutes Lancaster would fall behind by 8. Just when the Blue Jays seemed to take control the Chargers tied the game at 44 all at the 12 minute mark. That would be as close as Lancaster would come, as E-town was able to hit back to back three’s to regain control.
Guards Kevin Keltner (Menomonee Falls, WI) and Billy Harrison (Douglassville, PA) tied for the game high with 18 points. Carl Edwards (Baltimore, MD) left an impact in the paint with 12 points and 11 boards. Etown’s Mike Church was a presence inside with 17 points, 11 boards, and 4 blocks.
The Chargers host Washington Bible this Friday for their home opener at 7:00 pm.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tuesday Night Basketball
The Blue Jays entertain Lancaster Bible College this eveing in E-town! Be sure to check out the Game Program. If you can't make it to the game you can follow the Live Stats online.
Go Blue Jays!
Go Blue Jays!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Blue Jays down Alvernia in season opener
From the E-town College Website:
11/15/2008
Men's basketball downs Alvernia in season opener
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Elizabethtown 68, Alvernia 63
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa --- Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) came off the bench to score a career-high 17 points as Elizabethtown College held on for a 68-63 victory over Alvernia University in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Flanagan, whose previous high was 10 points against Penn State Berks in last year's opener, went 7-for-10 from the field for the Blue Jays (1-0 overall), who led by as many as 14 points in the second half before the Crusaders (0-1 overall) rallied to within four in the final minute.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) added 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds before fouling out with 3:40 remaining, and Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) also reached double figures for the Blue Jays with 10 points and six boards.
Tyrone Bradley led Alvernia with a game-high 19 points along with nine rebounds, and Jeff Amponseh chipped in with 11 points, five rebounds and four steals off the bench for the Crusaders.
Elizabethtown led by as many as 13 points in the first half, and took a 31-21 lead to halftime as Flanagan connected for 11 points in 14 minutes off the bench for the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays took their largest lead of the game at 37-23 on a basket by Houseal with 16:38 remaining, but the Crusaders fought back to within 46-43 on a layup by Marcel Roane with 8:16 left.
Etown answered with baskets on each of their next five possessions, capped by a driving layup by Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) that gave the Jays a 56-46 lead with 6:11 left.
Trailing 65-55 with 2:43 to play, the Crusaders reeled off six straight points to trim the Blue Jay lead to 65-61 with 1:33 left on a basket by Bradley off an Elizabethtown turnover. Alvernia would have five shots to make it a one-possession game, but could not connect and Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) drilled three free throws in the final 24 seconds to put the game away.
Fairbanks, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, started for the Blue Jays and scored eight points - all from the foul line - in 21 minutes of action. Schaffer and Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) each finished with six assists at the point for Elizabethtown, while Brian Allport (Quarryville, PA/Solanco) tallied five points and two rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
Elizabethtown shot 44.6 percent (25-for-56) from the field, but held Alvernia to 42.1 percent (24-for-57) on the afternoon. The Crusaders were also plagued by 24 turnovers and went just 13-for-21 (61.9 percent) from the foul line.
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE 68, ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY 63
ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY (0-1)
Tyrone Bradley 9-13 1-1 19; Jeff Amponsah 4-9 3-3 11; Tim Walters 3-10 2-28; Charlie Hughes 3-7 0-0 8; Eric Barefield 3-5 0-2 6; Marcel Roane 1-7 3-55; David Washington 0-2 4-8 4; Nick Rivera 1-1 0-0 2; Derek Dubbs 0-3 0-0 0.
Totals 24-57 13-21 63.
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE (1-0)
Joe Flanagan 7-10 2-2 17; Mike Church 5-14 1-2 11; Josh Houseal 4-9 2-3 10;Keith Fogel 4-7 0-0 8; Chris Fairbanks 0-5 8-9 8; Brady Haughney 2-2 0-2 6;Brian Allport 2-5 0-0 5; Phil Schaffer 1-2 1-2 3; Bryan Harrity 0-1 0-0 0;Kyle McConnell 0-0 0-0 0; Andrew Corrigan 0-0 0-0 0; Chris Jones 0-1 0-0 0.
Totals 25-56 14-20 68.
Alvernia University........... 21 42 - 63
Elizabethtown College......... 31 37 - 68
3-point goals--Alvernia University 2-11 (Charlie Hughes 2-4; Tim Walters0-3; David Washington 0-2; Derek Dubbs 0-2), Elizabethtown College 4-13(Brady Haughney 2-2; Brian Allport 1-1; Joe Flanagan 1-3; Keith Fogel 0-3;Chris Jones 0-1; Josh Houseal 0-2; Mike Church 0-1). Fouled out--AlverniaUniversity-None, Elizabethtown College-Mike Church. Rebounds--AlverniaUniversity 38 (Tyrone Bradley 9), Elizabethtown College 33 (Mike Church 10).Assists--Alvernia University 15 (Eric Barefield 5), Elizabethtown College 19(Phil Schaffer 6; Kyle McConnell 6). Total fouls--Alvernia University 19,Elizabethtown College 20. Technical fouls--Alvernia University-None,Elizabethtown College-None. A-400
From the Alvernia Website:
Comeback Falls Short At Etown
Bradley Scores 19 On 9-of-13 Shooting
11/15/2008 8:16:40 PM
BOX SCORE
Elizabethtown, Pa. (Nov. 15, 2008) - Senior forward Tyrone Bradley (Chester, Pa./Chester) scored four of his game-high 19 points in a 6-0 run as Alvernia University trimmed a 10-point deficit to four with 1:33 to play, but the Crusaders missed five straight shots over the next 60 seconds and Elizabethtown College held on for a 68-63 win Saturday afternoon in non-conference men's basketball action at Etown.
Bradley ran into foul trouble and only played 25 minutes, but still finished just one rebound shy of a double-double with nine caroms. Senior Jeff Amponsah (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Carson Long Military Academy) threw in 11 points and four rebounds, but was one of three playaers with five or more turnovers as the Crusaders finished with 24 on the day. Etown got a team-high 17 points from reserve Joe Flanagan.
Etown responded to an 11-11 tie, the third of the day, with an 11-0 run and took a commanding 11-point lead with just better than four minutes left in the half. That lead grew to 13 points on three separate occasions, but Alvernia scored the final three points of the half to enter the break down 31-21.
The host Blue Jays pushed the lead to 14 points early in the second half, but Alvernia pieced together a 10-0 run midway through the frame to cut a 13-point deficit down to three points, 46-43 with 8:16 to play. Junior guard Charlie Hughes (Kenhorst, Pa./Governor Mifflin) paced the Crusaders' efforts over the four-minute run with five points including one of his two 3-point field goals.
Etown answered with a 7-1 run to build the lead back to 10 and held the same spread with 2:43 to play before Alvernia's final push.
The Crusaders return to Reading to play at Albright in a women's and men's doubleheader on Tuesday.
Elizabethtown 68, Alvernia 63
11/15/2008
Men's basketball downs Alvernia in season opener
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Elizabethtown 68, Alvernia 63
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa --- Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) came off the bench to score a career-high 17 points as Elizabethtown College held on for a 68-63 victory over Alvernia University in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Flanagan, whose previous high was 10 points against Penn State Berks in last year's opener, went 7-for-10 from the field for the Blue Jays (1-0 overall), who led by as many as 14 points in the second half before the Crusaders (0-1 overall) rallied to within four in the final minute.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) added 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds before fouling out with 3:40 remaining, and Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) also reached double figures for the Blue Jays with 10 points and six boards.
Tyrone Bradley led Alvernia with a game-high 19 points along with nine rebounds, and Jeff Amponseh chipped in with 11 points, five rebounds and four steals off the bench for the Crusaders.
Elizabethtown led by as many as 13 points in the first half, and took a 31-21 lead to halftime as Flanagan connected for 11 points in 14 minutes off the bench for the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays took their largest lead of the game at 37-23 on a basket by Houseal with 16:38 remaining, but the Crusaders fought back to within 46-43 on a layup by Marcel Roane with 8:16 left.
Etown answered with baskets on each of their next five possessions, capped by a driving layup by Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) that gave the Jays a 56-46 lead with 6:11 left.
Trailing 65-55 with 2:43 to play, the Crusaders reeled off six straight points to trim the Blue Jay lead to 65-61 with 1:33 left on a basket by Bradley off an Elizabethtown turnover. Alvernia would have five shots to make it a one-possession game, but could not connect and Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) drilled three free throws in the final 24 seconds to put the game away.
Fairbanks, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, started for the Blue Jays and scored eight points - all from the foul line - in 21 minutes of action. Schaffer and Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) each finished with six assists at the point for Elizabethtown, while Brian Allport (Quarryville, PA/Solanco) tallied five points and two rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
Elizabethtown shot 44.6 percent (25-for-56) from the field, but held Alvernia to 42.1 percent (24-for-57) on the afternoon. The Crusaders were also plagued by 24 turnovers and went just 13-for-21 (61.9 percent) from the foul line.
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE 68, ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY 63
ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY (0-1)
Tyrone Bradley 9-13 1-1 19; Jeff Amponsah 4-9 3-3 11; Tim Walters 3-10 2-28; Charlie Hughes 3-7 0-0 8; Eric Barefield 3-5 0-2 6; Marcel Roane 1-7 3-55; David Washington 0-2 4-8 4; Nick Rivera 1-1 0-0 2; Derek Dubbs 0-3 0-0 0.
Totals 24-57 13-21 63.
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE (1-0)
Joe Flanagan 7-10 2-2 17; Mike Church 5-14 1-2 11; Josh Houseal 4-9 2-3 10;Keith Fogel 4-7 0-0 8; Chris Fairbanks 0-5 8-9 8; Brady Haughney 2-2 0-2 6;Brian Allport 2-5 0-0 5; Phil Schaffer 1-2 1-2 3; Bryan Harrity 0-1 0-0 0;Kyle McConnell 0-0 0-0 0; Andrew Corrigan 0-0 0-0 0; Chris Jones 0-1 0-0 0.
Totals 25-56 14-20 68.
Alvernia University........... 21 42 - 63
Elizabethtown College......... 31 37 - 68
3-point goals--Alvernia University 2-11 (Charlie Hughes 2-4; Tim Walters0-3; David Washington 0-2; Derek Dubbs 0-2), Elizabethtown College 4-13(Brady Haughney 2-2; Brian Allport 1-1; Joe Flanagan 1-3; Keith Fogel 0-3;Chris Jones 0-1; Josh Houseal 0-2; Mike Church 0-1). Fouled out--AlverniaUniversity-None, Elizabethtown College-Mike Church. Rebounds--AlverniaUniversity 38 (Tyrone Bradley 9), Elizabethtown College 33 (Mike Church 10).Assists--Alvernia University 15 (Eric Barefield 5), Elizabethtown College 19(Phil Schaffer 6; Kyle McConnell 6). Total fouls--Alvernia University 19,Elizabethtown College 20. Technical fouls--Alvernia University-None,Elizabethtown College-None. A-400
From the Alvernia Website:
Comeback Falls Short At Etown
Bradley Scores 19 On 9-of-13 Shooting
11/15/2008 8:16:40 PM
BOX SCORE
Elizabethtown, Pa. (Nov. 15, 2008) - Senior forward Tyrone Bradley (Chester, Pa./Chester) scored four of his game-high 19 points in a 6-0 run as Alvernia University trimmed a 10-point deficit to four with 1:33 to play, but the Crusaders missed five straight shots over the next 60 seconds and Elizabethtown College held on for a 68-63 win Saturday afternoon in non-conference men's basketball action at Etown.
Bradley ran into foul trouble and only played 25 minutes, but still finished just one rebound shy of a double-double with nine caroms. Senior Jeff Amponsah (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Carson Long Military Academy) threw in 11 points and four rebounds, but was one of three playaers with five or more turnovers as the Crusaders finished with 24 on the day. Etown got a team-high 17 points from reserve Joe Flanagan.
Etown responded to an 11-11 tie, the third of the day, with an 11-0 run and took a commanding 11-point lead with just better than four minutes left in the half. That lead grew to 13 points on three separate occasions, but Alvernia scored the final three points of the half to enter the break down 31-21.
The host Blue Jays pushed the lead to 14 points early in the second half, but Alvernia pieced together a 10-0 run midway through the frame to cut a 13-point deficit down to three points, 46-43 with 8:16 to play. Junior guard Charlie Hughes (Kenhorst, Pa./Governor Mifflin) paced the Crusaders' efforts over the four-minute run with five points including one of his two 3-point field goals.
Etown answered with a 7-1 run to build the lead back to 10 and held the same spread with 2:43 to play before Alvernia's final push.
The Crusaders return to Reading to play at Albright in a women's and men's doubleheader on Tuesday.
Elizabethtown 68, Alvernia 63
Friday, November 14, 2008
Saturday Game Program and Live Stats
It's time for the season opener against Alvernia University. Be sure to check out the Game Program. If you can't make it to the game you can follow the Live Stats online.
Go Blue Jays!
Go Blue Jays!
Blue Jays eye turnaround after last season
From today's Lancaster Intelligencer Journal:
Blue Jays eye turnaround after last season
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Nov 14, 2008
02:34 EST
Elizabethtown
By JASON FULGINITI, Sports Writer
Each one of them has likely been asked the question 100 times by this point.
What in the name of James Naismith happened?
As of Jan. 19, Elizabethtown College's men's basketball team was cruising along with a 13-1 overall record — a stretch that included wins over Millersville, an eventual NCAA Division II playoff team, and nationally-ranked DeSales. Results which helped put the Blue Jays in the NCAA Division III Top 25.
But then, the Commonwealth Conference season started. And the wheels came flying off.
Perhaps, literally.
By the time E-town dropped an 84-68 season-ending decision to Widener on Feb. 23, the Jays were a dismal 2-8 in 10 straight conference games, 15-9 overall, and missed the Commonwealth playoffs for the second straight year.
So what exactly did happen?
The answers vary depending on whom you ask, but there is one common theme.
Seems that E-town just got, well, tired.
"We had a good start and then we kind of wore down in the second semester," said coach Bob Schlosser, whose program made 11 straight appearances in the Commonwealth Conference playoffs prior to the 2006-07 season. "We were a little worn down, and not as deep as we normally are, and it hurt us.
"But it's not like the bottom fell out," he continued, having watched his guys lose seven of their last eight games by an average of 5.4 points, including two in overtime. "It's not like we were getting blown out. It's just that earlier in the year we won a lot of those close games."
One person who had a tough time watching the carnage unfold was Warwick graduate Chris Fairbanks, who was relegated to the role of fan while sitting out the season with a knee injury.
"It was awful," said Fairbanks, a 6-foot-3 junior swingman who will start this winter. "I wanted so bad to get out there and help them and be a part of it. From a fan's point of view it definitely seemed like the level of intensity and reliance on (last year's leading scorers) Chad (Piersol) and Mike (Schatzmann) was definitely evident.
"We play a pressing game," Fairbanks added, "and it was hard for Chad and Mike to have to do all the scoring and then play full-court defense. Definitely conditioning had something to do with it. And Coach has definitely taken care of that so far this year."
Mainly because when the Blue Jays open their season with a home game against Alvernia Saturday at 3 p.m., Schlosser — as usual — will expect baseline-to-baseline defense from his troops and high-tempo offense that likes to feed on the turnovers that defense so often creates.
Again, Schlosser is wondering just how deep his bench is at this point.
"We feel pretty confident with the first five or six guys we put out there," he said. "But for us, it's a matter of how deep we are. And for us, that's a concern because of the up-tempo way we play."
Another concern appears to be replacing the offensive punch provided by Schatzmann and Piersol. The reason, perhaps, why E-town was picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in a preseason Commonwealth Conference coaches poll.
Schatzmann, a Pequea Valley alum, averaged a team-best 20.2 points, including a team-high 55 3-pointers. Piersol averaged 17.3 points with 42 treys.
Still, Schlosser doesn't appear to be overly worried. He's confident starting junior center and Solanco grad Mike Church — who averaged 11.7 pts. and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game last year, while leading the conference in blocked shots with 36 — along with Fairbanks and sophomore Keith Fogel (5.9 ppg, 14 3-pointers), who will start at No. 2 guard, will pick up that slack.
Factor in the return of starting point guard Phil Schaffer (4.5 ppg, conference-best 114 assists in 2007-08) — the only senior on the roster — and starting power forward Josh Houseal (5.1 ppg), a 6-foot-4 junior from Hempfield who played in all 24 of E-town's games last year, and Schlosser is hopeful the Jays can compete for one of the conference's four playoff spots come February.
The question again, though, is depth. And how quickly E-town develops it.
"Practices have been very competitive," Schaffer said, "and that's good because we've got a lot of guys competing for spots."
First off the bench, according to Schlosser, figures to be sophomore guard/forward Joe Flanagan, a Lancaster Mennonite product, and freshman guard Kyle McConnell (Cedar Crest). Bryan Harrity, a 6-foot-5 freshman center who transferred to E-town from Widener, is another potential weapon, Schlosser said.
Still, the biggest weapon of all could be the motivation stemming from a 2007-08 season that went from elation to devastation in a matter of three weeks.
"When we reached the Top 25 poll … going from there to not making the conference playoffs … " Houseal said. "It puts something in you, it's always in your mind that you don't want that to happen again."
"Getting ranked in the Top 25 doesn't do anything for you when it comes to March and trying to make the playoffs," Church said.
Lesson learned.
And with that, they start over.
E-mail: jfulginiti@lnpnews.com
Blue Jays eye turnaround after last season
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Nov 14, 2008
02:34 EST
Elizabethtown
By JASON FULGINITI, Sports Writer
Each one of them has likely been asked the question 100 times by this point.
What in the name of James Naismith happened?
As of Jan. 19, Elizabethtown College's men's basketball team was cruising along with a 13-1 overall record — a stretch that included wins over Millersville, an eventual NCAA Division II playoff team, and nationally-ranked DeSales. Results which helped put the Blue Jays in the NCAA Division III Top 25.
But then, the Commonwealth Conference season started. And the wheels came flying off.
Perhaps, literally.
By the time E-town dropped an 84-68 season-ending decision to Widener on Feb. 23, the Jays were a dismal 2-8 in 10 straight conference games, 15-9 overall, and missed the Commonwealth playoffs for the second straight year.
So what exactly did happen?
The answers vary depending on whom you ask, but there is one common theme.
Seems that E-town just got, well, tired.
"We had a good start and then we kind of wore down in the second semester," said coach Bob Schlosser, whose program made 11 straight appearances in the Commonwealth Conference playoffs prior to the 2006-07 season. "We were a little worn down, and not as deep as we normally are, and it hurt us.
"But it's not like the bottom fell out," he continued, having watched his guys lose seven of their last eight games by an average of 5.4 points, including two in overtime. "It's not like we were getting blown out. It's just that earlier in the year we won a lot of those close games."
One person who had a tough time watching the carnage unfold was Warwick graduate Chris Fairbanks, who was relegated to the role of fan while sitting out the season with a knee injury.
"It was awful," said Fairbanks, a 6-foot-3 junior swingman who will start this winter. "I wanted so bad to get out there and help them and be a part of it. From a fan's point of view it definitely seemed like the level of intensity and reliance on (last year's leading scorers) Chad (Piersol) and Mike (Schatzmann) was definitely evident.
"We play a pressing game," Fairbanks added, "and it was hard for Chad and Mike to have to do all the scoring and then play full-court defense. Definitely conditioning had something to do with it. And Coach has definitely taken care of that so far this year."
Mainly because when the Blue Jays open their season with a home game against Alvernia Saturday at 3 p.m., Schlosser — as usual — will expect baseline-to-baseline defense from his troops and high-tempo offense that likes to feed on the turnovers that defense so often creates.
Again, Schlosser is wondering just how deep his bench is at this point.
"We feel pretty confident with the first five or six guys we put out there," he said. "But for us, it's a matter of how deep we are. And for us, that's a concern because of the up-tempo way we play."
Another concern appears to be replacing the offensive punch provided by Schatzmann and Piersol. The reason, perhaps, why E-town was picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in a preseason Commonwealth Conference coaches poll.
Schatzmann, a Pequea Valley alum, averaged a team-best 20.2 points, including a team-high 55 3-pointers. Piersol averaged 17.3 points with 42 treys.
Still, Schlosser doesn't appear to be overly worried. He's confident starting junior center and Solanco grad Mike Church — who averaged 11.7 pts. and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game last year, while leading the conference in blocked shots with 36 — along with Fairbanks and sophomore Keith Fogel (5.9 ppg, 14 3-pointers), who will start at No. 2 guard, will pick up that slack.
Factor in the return of starting point guard Phil Schaffer (4.5 ppg, conference-best 114 assists in 2007-08) — the only senior on the roster — and starting power forward Josh Houseal (5.1 ppg), a 6-foot-4 junior from Hempfield who played in all 24 of E-town's games last year, and Schlosser is hopeful the Jays can compete for one of the conference's four playoff spots come February.
The question again, though, is depth. And how quickly E-town develops it.
"Practices have been very competitive," Schaffer said, "and that's good because we've got a lot of guys competing for spots."
First off the bench, according to Schlosser, figures to be sophomore guard/forward Joe Flanagan, a Lancaster Mennonite product, and freshman guard Kyle McConnell (Cedar Crest). Bryan Harrity, a 6-foot-5 freshman center who transferred to E-town from Widener, is another potential weapon, Schlosser said.
Still, the biggest weapon of all could be the motivation stemming from a 2007-08 season that went from elation to devastation in a matter of three weeks.
"When we reached the Top 25 poll … going from there to not making the conference playoffs … " Houseal said. "It puts something in you, it's always in your mind that you don't want that to happen again."
"Getting ranked in the Top 25 doesn't do anything for you when it comes to March and trying to make the playoffs," Church said.
Lesson learned.
And with that, they start over.
E-mail: jfulginiti@lnpnews.com
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Alvernia Preview
The following preview of Saturday's opponent Alvernia was taken from The Reading Eagle:
11/13/2008
Miller, Crusaders have their work cut out for them
By Jerry Reimenschneider
Reading Eagle
He has coached basketball for 27 seasons and has probably held a similar number of positions within his profession's prism.
Whether he's directed the high school freshman team or the college varsity, Mike Miller has done one thing consistently: win.
He's never, as in ever, had a losing season.
Which is remarkable, given the range of potential pratfalls in any particular season. Injury. Ineligibility. Poor judgment off the court. Poor play on it.
Through it all, and on every stair along his coaching ascent, Miller has avoided a single sub-.500 season.
He did it again last season, his fourth heading the Alvernia University men. Despite a sluggish 4-7 start, the Crusaders finished 16-11, including a first-place, 13-3 regular season during their final go-round in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference.
Miller's impressive history might be the only reason to refrain from sounding the warning siren entering this season. Because there are few other reasons, at least from an outsider's perspective.
"Yeah," Miller quipped. "I'm gonna have to coach for once."
He was only half-kidding.
Alvernia has lost 2007-08 PAC Player of the Year Terrence Shawell and his 20.9 points per game. Shawell is not enrolled at the university.
It has lost, for at least another month and maybe more, All-PAC forward Matt King to a foot injury. It's anyone's guess when the Crusaders will reclaim the junior's 15 points and seven rebounds per night.
Alvernia has lost point guard Zach Westmoreland, a would-be junior who started 18 games last season and was the team's No. 2 assist man. Westmoreland is not enrolled.
Add to that murky mix this season's switch to the far-more-physical MAC Freedom Conference, and this winter could be something of a continental drift for the Crusaders.
"I think it makes you better as a program and as a coaching staff when you have to do new things," Miller said. "And this certainly is making us do new things."
Chief among those is a shift Alvernia would likely have made, sooner or later, to annually compete in the MAC. The Crusaders will move from Miller's preferred, uptempo style to more of a halfcourt offense.
"Usually our offense is very spread out, (and we) shoot 3s," Miller said. "We may not shoot that many 3s. We're going to be very different."
Whereas Miller rarely had more than one traditional post player on the court in years past, this year's lineup will often feature two or three big guys on the floor at any given time.
Foremost among them will be 6-6 senior center Tyrone Bradley, a returning starter who averaged a team-high 7.7 boards in 2007-08. With the personnel losses prompting a points hemorrhage, Miller would also like to see Bradley supplement last season's 8.8 scoring average.
Benefiting from the more-big-men approach will be Holy Name grad and 6-6 junior center Nick Rivera, as well as 6-5 transfer Marcel Roane, a junior from Philadelphia.
"Those three are going to play a lot," Miller said. "You've got to go with what you've got, and we do have some big people."
But the Crusaders have even more small people.
Sophomore Eric Barefield will start at the point. That will free senior David Washington, last year's assists leader at 3.7 per game, to shoot more from his off-guard spot.
Gov. Mifflin grad Charlie Hughes will be more involved in the backcourt rotation as a junior, and Muhlenberg grad Derek Zeller could see the court as a freshman.
Seniors Derek Dubbs and Tim Walters will start at forward, followed by classmate Jeff Amponsah.
Despite the myriad changes, Miller holds out hope that a defensive focus and fresh attitude will improve the Crusaders into contenders by season's end
"I know there could be some lows at the beginning," he said, "but I think our defense will carry us along until our offense catches up."
Spoken like a career winner.
•Contact Jerry Reimenschneider at 610-371-5079 or jreimenschneider@readingeagle.com.
11/13/2008
Miller, Crusaders have their work cut out for them
By Jerry Reimenschneider
Reading Eagle
He has coached basketball for 27 seasons and has probably held a similar number of positions within his profession's prism.
Whether he's directed the high school freshman team or the college varsity, Mike Miller has done one thing consistently: win.
He's never, as in ever, had a losing season.
Which is remarkable, given the range of potential pratfalls in any particular season. Injury. Ineligibility. Poor judgment off the court. Poor play on it.
Through it all, and on every stair along his coaching ascent, Miller has avoided a single sub-.500 season.
He did it again last season, his fourth heading the Alvernia University men. Despite a sluggish 4-7 start, the Crusaders finished 16-11, including a first-place, 13-3 regular season during their final go-round in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference.
Miller's impressive history might be the only reason to refrain from sounding the warning siren entering this season. Because there are few other reasons, at least from an outsider's perspective.
"Yeah," Miller quipped. "I'm gonna have to coach for once."
He was only half-kidding.
Alvernia has lost 2007-08 PAC Player of the Year Terrence Shawell and his 20.9 points per game. Shawell is not enrolled at the university.
It has lost, for at least another month and maybe more, All-PAC forward Matt King to a foot injury. It's anyone's guess when the Crusaders will reclaim the junior's 15 points and seven rebounds per night.
Alvernia has lost point guard Zach Westmoreland, a would-be junior who started 18 games last season and was the team's No. 2 assist man. Westmoreland is not enrolled.
Add to that murky mix this season's switch to the far-more-physical MAC Freedom Conference, and this winter could be something of a continental drift for the Crusaders.
"I think it makes you better as a program and as a coaching staff when you have to do new things," Miller said. "And this certainly is making us do new things."
Chief among those is a shift Alvernia would likely have made, sooner or later, to annually compete in the MAC. The Crusaders will move from Miller's preferred, uptempo style to more of a halfcourt offense.
"Usually our offense is very spread out, (and we) shoot 3s," Miller said. "We may not shoot that many 3s. We're going to be very different."
Whereas Miller rarely had more than one traditional post player on the court in years past, this year's lineup will often feature two or three big guys on the floor at any given time.
Foremost among them will be 6-6 senior center Tyrone Bradley, a returning starter who averaged a team-high 7.7 boards in 2007-08. With the personnel losses prompting a points hemorrhage, Miller would also like to see Bradley supplement last season's 8.8 scoring average.
Benefiting from the more-big-men approach will be Holy Name grad and 6-6 junior center Nick Rivera, as well as 6-5 transfer Marcel Roane, a junior from Philadelphia.
"Those three are going to play a lot," Miller said. "You've got to go with what you've got, and we do have some big people."
But the Crusaders have even more small people.
Sophomore Eric Barefield will start at the point. That will free senior David Washington, last year's assists leader at 3.7 per game, to shoot more from his off-guard spot.
Gov. Mifflin grad Charlie Hughes will be more involved in the backcourt rotation as a junior, and Muhlenberg grad Derek Zeller could see the court as a freshman.
Seniors Derek Dubbs and Tim Walters will start at forward, followed by classmate Jeff Amponsah.
Despite the myriad changes, Miller holds out hope that a defensive focus and fresh attitude will improve the Crusaders into contenders by season's end
"I know there could be some lows at the beginning," he said, "but I think our defense will carry us along until our offense catches up."
Spoken like a career winner.
•Contact Jerry Reimenschneider at 610-371-5079 or jreimenschneider@readingeagle.com.
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