BOX SCORE
Reading, PA (Feb. 8, 2006) – Junior guard Garrett Etzel (Shillington, PA/Governor Mifflin) scored a career high 29 points and Alvernia College held the lead for all but 25 seconds in a 95-84 win over Gwynedd-Mercy College Wednesday evening in Pennsylvania Athletic Conference men’s basketball action at the Physical Education Center.
Etzel scored 18 points before the break and knocked down four of his five 3s before the break as Alvernia built a 47-32 lead at the half. GMC junior Chris DelBrocco (Philadelphia, PA/St. John Neumann) hit a 3 to give the Griffins (9-13, 7-8 PAC) their only lead of the game, 26-25, and Alvernia freshman Sharron Richardson (Chester, PA/Chester) answered with a 3 for the final lead change of the night.
The Griffins were within one, 30-31 with 4:28 left in the opening half, but Etzel scored 12 points as the Crusaders (19-4, 15-1) closed the half with a 16-2 run.
GMC closed to within five points with a 14-4 run to start the second half. Senior guard Francis Bowe (Phoenixville, PA/St. Pius X) paced the Griffins with six of his 13 points during the run. Alvernia senior Chris Talley (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford) scored on a driving layup and Zach Straining (Paxtang, PA/Central Dauphin East) hit a wide open 3 as the Crusaders pushed the lead to 10 and held it in double figures until a late Griffin push cut the gap to eight with 2:16 to play.
Talley made 1-of-2 from the line with 1:37 to play to push the lead to nine and after a pair of technicals on the Griffins’ head coach, Etzel hit four straight free throws to surpass his previous career high of 28.
Alvernia shot 57 percent from the floor including a 10-of-22 effort from behind the 3-point arc. The Crusaders shot better than 80 percent from the free throw line for the third straight game since a 54 percent effort in last Monday’s win over Eastern.
Alvernia will travel to Eastern on Saturday with proceeds from the game going to Coaches for Cancer.
Alvernia 95, Gwynedd-Mercy 84
