BOX SCORE
Scranton, Pa. (Jan. 13, 2007) – Sophomore transfer Terrence Shawell (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) hit 10-of-15 shots from the floor including 4-for-7 from the arc to pace the Crusaders, who shot 55 percent as a team, in a 93-76 win over Marywood University Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania Athletic Conference men’s basketball action at Marywood. Shawell finished with a team-high 26 points reaching 20 points for the fifth time in the past six games.
Freshman forward Matt King (Phoenixville, PA/St. Pius X) scored 19 points and senior guard Garrett Etzel (Shillington, PA/Governor Mifflin) also reached double figures with 16 points, as did Ryan Finger (Lancaster, PA/Lampeter Strasburg) who finished with 12.
Shawell and King both hit 3s before the lead changed hands twice in the early going. King scored back-to-back buckets for the second change, giving the visiting Crusaders (9-2, 4-0 PAC) a 10-8 lead just over three minutes into the game. Marywood forced a 12-all tie, but Alvernia answered with an 18-8 run to take its largest lead of the first half, 30-20.
Marywood responded with an 8-0 spurt capped by a 3 and a bucket from Adam Wildasin (Hanover, PA/Delone Catholic), who finished with a game-high 29 points. The run cut Alvernia’s lead to two points, 30-28, with just under two minutes showing on the first-half clock, but the Pacers got just one free throw from Wildasin before the break while Shawell’s 3 and Etzel’s free throws gave the Crusaders a six-point lead at the break, 35-29.
The second half was quite a different story as Alvernia posted 58 points to reach the 90-point plateau for just the third time this season. All four leading scorers chipped in during a 10-0 run to start the second half and sophomore center Tyrone Bradley (Chester, PA/Chester) capped the run with a layup that put the Crusaders up 18 points, 47-29 with 16:04 to play.
Bradley, Shawell, Finger, and freshman Zach Westmoreland (Downingtown, PA/Downingtown West) each scored to reestablish the 18-point lead over the next 5 ½ minutes and Finger’s free throw at 10:12 put Alvernia up 19 points, 61-42.
Marywood hit a pair of 3s to cut the gap to 13 points, but King answered with one of his own and Shawell added two more from long range for a 20-point lead. The second half lead grew to as many as 21 points for the Crusaders, but the Pacers refused to fold putting together a 13-4 run over a 2-plus minute stretch to cut the lead to 12 points with just over four minutes to play. Wildasin paced Marywood on the run with seven points.
In an effort to extend the game Marywood began to use its fouls, but Alvernia was no help to the hosts’ ploy hitting six straight free throws and 13 from the stripe down the stretch. Alvernia finished the game 22-of-29 from the free throw line, and never allowed the Pacers any chance to get back in the game shooting 60 percent from the floor in the second half including 5-for-8 from the arc.
Alvernia will take its perfect conference record home for a Monday evening match up with PAC foe Cabrini College.
Alvernia 93, Marywood 76
