BOX SCORE
Radnor, PA (Feb. 4, 2006) – Senior guard Mike Brock (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford) scored a game-high 20 points on 5-of-8 long range shooting and made five free throws in the final two minutes to lead Alvernia College to an 80-69 win over Cabrini College Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania Athletic Conference men’s basketball action at the Dixon Center.
Brock nailed three of his five 3s in the opening six and a half minutes as Alvernia erased an early 10-2 deficit. His fourth 3 gave the Crusaders (17-4, 13-1 PAC) a nine point first-half lead, and his final long range bucket helped the Crusaders hold off the Cavaliers (9-12, 6-8) who had cut the second-half lead to two points with 9:27 left.
After an early exchange of buckets, Cabrini ran off eight straight sparked by two from Randy Reid (Philadelphia, PA/Monsignor Bonner) who tallied 20 for the hosts. Alvernia senior Chris Talley (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford) ended a nearly three minute scoreless streak with a bucket and Brock’s first 3 pulled the Crusaders within 3 at 15:51. Reid started a mini four point streak that pushed the gap to seven and Brock and Talley put together five straight again to pull the Crusaders within two.
Cabrini forward Jim McMahon (Havertown, PA/Havertown) scored to put the Cavs up four, 16-12 and Brock’s 3 at 13:32 started a run of 10 straight that gave Alvernia a lead it never relinquished. Freshman forward Tyrone Bradley (Chester, PA/Chester) knocked down a pair of free throws for the first lead change of the game and Jeff Amponsah (Far Rockaway, NY/Carson Long Military Acad.) ended the streak with five of his career-high 14 points.
The Crusaders first half lead grew to as many as 11 points following four straight from Talley and they enjoyed a 10 point lead at the break, 44-34.
Cabrini slowly chipped the Alvernia lead away over the first 10 minutes of the second half and after Reid scored four straight points, the lead was down to two points, 54-52 with 9:27 left. Amponsah knocked down a free throw to push the gap to three, and two minutes later freshman Sharron Richardson (Chester, PA/Chester) nailed a 3 to double the Crusaders’ lead.
Talley answered a Reid bucket and Brock’s final 3 of the day started a 10-4 run that put the visitors up 10 points, 72-62 with 2:07 left. Jim Good (Sewell, NJ/St. Joe’s Prep) hit a 3 for the Cavaliers, who hit only 3-of-21 long range attempts, to cut the gap to seven, but the Crusaders hit 10-of-12 free throws down the stretch to hold off the Cavs.
Talley finished with 18 points for the Crusaders and senior forward Zach Straining (Paxtang, PA/Central Dauphin East) tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds. Richardson also reached double figures for the Crusaders with 10 points. McMahon joined Reid in double figures for the Cavs with 10.
Alvernia will return home Monday to face Neumann College in a PAC doubleheader.
Alvernia 80, Cabrini 69