Reading, Pa. (Feb. 25, 2013) - Alvernia University (23-4) will host Albertus Magnus (24-4)--winner of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC)--Saturday evening at 7:00 in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championships.

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The Crusaders are making their eighth appearance in the championships and hosting for the first time since the 2002-03 season.  The Falcons defeated Anna Maria, 87-80, in the GNAC Final.  They are making their second straight appearance and third in the last four years.

The Falcons are fifth in the nation in scoring at 85.4 points per game.  The Crusaders give up just 61.9 points per game, good for 45th in the nation.

Albertus Magnus is led in scoring by junior Darius Watson who averages 22.7 points per game and is ranked eighth in the nation.  Watson has 21 games of 20 points or more this season and scored a season-high 35 in a 92-75 win over Saint Joe's (Me.).  Two other players on the roster average double figures.  Arshad Jackson is scoring 12.2 points per game and James Jennings is averaging 12.1 points.  There are no common opponnents this season between the two schools.  One of the four losses on the Albertus Magnus schedule this season is a 112-63 setback at Division I Yale.

Alvernia has four players in double figures led by Kahlil Bennett (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) who is scoring 14.3 points per game.  Brian Parker (Chichester, Pa./Chichester), fresh off 57 points over two games in the Commonwealth Championships, is second at 13.8 points per game, Terrance Bridgers (Drexel Hill, Pa./Upper Darby) is scoring 13.7 points per game, and Lamont Clark (Parkesburg, Pa./Octorara) is fourth on the roster at 11.3 point per game.  The Crusaders have won eight straight games and 16 of the last 17, and were ranked No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic region in the last NCAA ranking of the year.

NCAA Division III Bracket:  INTERACTIVE | PDF