BOX SCORE

Reading, Pa. (Feb. 16, 2008) – Junior forward Terrence Shawell (Pottstown, Pa./Pottstown) scored a game-high 32 points to pull within a point of 1,000 for his career and lead Alvernia College to a 76-66 win over Eastern University Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania Athletic Conference men's basketball action at the Physical Education Center.

Shawell scored the final seven points of the game for the Crusaders, but it was sophomore Matt King (Phoenixville, Pa./St. Pius X) who scored the big bucket to give Alvernia the lead for good with just more than five minutes to play. Eastern (11-12, 8-6 PAC) used a 16-2 run to erase a 12-point Crusader lead, the largest of the day, and took a 56-58 lead on a Danny Miller (Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton) jumper with 5:42 to play. Miller gave the Crusaders (15-9, 12-3 PAC) fits at times on the inside and finished with a team-best 17 points.

Alvernia took a timeout following the Miller bucket and set up a pick and roll with King and Tyrone Bradley (Chester, Pa./Chester). King took the pass at about 20 feet and knocked down third 3 of the night to put Alvernia back up one, 59-58. Sophomore guard Zach Westmoreland (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) scored in the lane on the next possession to push the lead to three, and after an Eastern hoop David Washington (Durham, N.C./Northern Durham) hit a big jumper in front of the home bench to again reach the three point lead.

Bradley knocked down a pair of free throws for a five-point lead which grew to nine on a Nick Rivera (Reading, Pa./Holy Name) layup with a minute to go. Shawell scored to maintain the lead and scored the final seven points for the Crusaders to seal the win.

Alvernia put a stronghold on first place with the win and would sew up home court throughout the playoffs with a win at home on Monday over Marywood.

The Crusaders came out on fire scoring the first seven points of the game and taking a 10-2 lead on King's second 3 of the day. The lead remained eight when King knocked down a free throw a minute later, but Eastern responded with seven of the next nine to trim the gap to two.

Sophomore guard Jason Reels (Paterson, N.J./Hawthorne Christian Academy) started the stretch with a 3, and Darryl Leegwater's (Midland Park, N.J./Eastern Christian) layup pulled the Eagles to within a bucket at 14-12 with 13 minutes left in the first half.

Shawell hit a free throw and a jumper and Rivera hustled for a put back, and when Westmoreland hit a jumper, it was seven straight for the Crusaders who led 21-12.

Reels stopped the run with a layup, but Shawell's 3 gave the hosts a 10-point lead, 24-14 with just under nine minutes on the clock. The Crusaders hit back-to-back jumpers three minutes later to build the lead to 11 and Bradley's 3-point play gave Alvernia its largest lead of the half, 35-23 with 3:37 to go in the half.

Matt Flanagan (Dallas, Pa./Bishop O'Reilly) hit two 3s on an 8-3 run for the Eagles to close to seven, and Matt Malloy (Somerdale, N.J./Camden Catholic) scored to cut the gap to five, 38-33. Shawell hit a jumper on Alverina's final possession of the half, but Mike Johnson (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) had enough time to push down court for a 3 prior to the buzzer and the Eagles were within four, 40-36 at the halftime break.

King and Bradley joined Shawell in double figures with double-doubles.  King finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Bradley totaled 13 points and 12 boards.  Reels added 14 for the guests.

Alvernia will host a women's and men's doubleheader on Monday at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. Both games will be webcast live through the Alvernia website http://athletics.alvernia.edu.

Alvernia 76, Eastern 66