BOX SCORE

Washington, D.C. (Mar. 7, 2010) - Senior center Nick Rivera (Reading, Pa./Holy Name) scored a career-high 31 points in the final game of his career as fifth-seeded Alvernia University (17-11) fell 79-73 to #3 PSU-Behrend (20-8) in the final of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Region Championships Sunday afternoon at Catholic University's DuFour Center.

Rivera scored 10 of the first 12 for the Crusaders, but Behrend built a 10-point lead 12 minutes into the game.  The first half lead grew to as many as 16 points for the Lions, but Alvernia was able to trim it down to 13 points at halftime, 42-29.

The Crusaders shot 60 percent in the first half, but turned the ball over nine times and saw the Lions hit 6-of-13 3s in the half.

Alvernia cut the second half lead down to four points, 60-56 on a 3-point play from Rivera with 6:44 to play, but the Lions stretched the lead back to nine.

One final run pulled the Crusaders within four again, 68-64, but the Lions had the answer again and held on for their second ECAC South title.

Tad Gillis (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) joined Rivera in double figures with 16 points and Stefan Thompson (Philadelphia, Pa./G.A.M.P.) added 11.  Behrend was led by Adam Kaiser who scored 24.

#3 PSU-Behrend 79, #5 Alvernia 73