BOX SCORE
Reading, Pa. (Feb. 20, 2007) – Sophomore forward Terrence Shawell (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) slammed home two of his game-high 22 points early in a decisive 20-2 first-half run that gave top-seeded Alvernia College a comfortable 34-16 halftime lead en route to a 71-48 win over #4 Eastern University in Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball semifinal action Tuesday evening at the Physical Education Center.
Senior guard Ryan Finger (Lancaster, PA/Lampeter Strasburg) broke a 14-all tie with a driving layup, and added a steal and assist when Shawell hammered home a dunk on the break that brought a packed house of gold-clad Crusader fans to their feet. Eastern answered with a layup from junior forward Matt Malloy (Somerdale, NJ/Camden Catholic), but failed to score for the final seven minutes of the half as the Crusaders pulled away.
Alvernia sophomore Tyrone Bradley (Chester, PA/Chester), who collected his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds, scored on a layup during the early run and freshman Matt King (Phoenixville, PA/St. Pius) hit a 3 for a seven point edge, 23-16.
Shawell scored the next six for Alvernia and Bradley worked the offensive glass for a putback with under a minute to go in the half and the hosts led 31-16. Eastern, which missed its final eight shots from the floor in the first half, came up empty on its final possession, and Etzel’s pull-up 3 just short of the first-half buzzer took any remaining wind out of the Eagles’ sails.
Eastern started the first half shooting better than 50 percent from the floor, but with the late struggles finished the half at 30 percent. The Crusaders, who started 3-for-11, finished the half shooting 48 percent from the floor and blitzed through the second half shooting 60 percent from the floor.
Finger opened the second half with a layup and Alvernia held its first 20-point lead of the night, 36-16. Eastern cut the lead to 14 points twice early in the second half, but got no closer the rest of the way. Alvernia built its largest lead of the night, a 26 point advantage with 2:23 left in the game, again on a Shawell dunk.
Eastern freshman Jason Reels (Paterson, NJ/Hawthorne Acad.) led the Eagles (16-11) with 14 points and Malloy added a dozen. Alvernia senior Garrett Etzel (Shillington, PA/Governor Mifflin) reached double-figures for the Crusaders with 11 and King finished with 13.
Alvernia will host the PAC Final for the second straight season. Third-seeded Immaculata University, a 65-59 winner at #2 Gwynedd-Mercy, will travel to the PEC for a Friday game at 7:00 p.m. Immaculata, in just its second season of varsity hoops, is making its first PAC Final appearance. Alvernia will make its 10th finals appearance seeking its fourth PAC Title.
#1 Alvernia 71, #4 Eastern 48
