Bethlehem, Pa. (Dec. 30, 2023) - Alvernia University took home the title at the Moravian University Steel Club Classic with a 91-83 win over the host Greyhounds on Saturday night in the Steel Club Classic championship game at Moravian.

Alvernia used a 42 point first quarter to build a cushion over the Greyhounds and used that buffer to hold off Moravian in the second half to take the win.

With the win, Alvernia improved to 8-3 overall. Moravian dropped to 5-6 on the season with the loss.

How it Happened

• Alvernia set the tone at the tip-off, with Alex Cercado forcing a turnover on the Greyhound's first possession, and Kyle Gordon slamming down a dunk to start the scoring.
• With Alvernia holding a slight edge, 7-5, through three minutes of action, Alvernia rattled off a quick six points - four of which came from Jakob Kelly - to take a 13-5 lead through five minutes of action.
• The Greyhounds cut it down to one, 15-14, with 13:26 on the first half clock, but Alvernia built its lead back up to ten, 24-14, with 9:17 to go following a 9-0 run for the Golden Wolves. A 3-pointer by Malik Slay highlighted the run for Alvernia and a Jacob Stoudt layup off the bench capped off the run for the Golden Wolves.
• Moravian did not allow Alvernia to get too comfortable, as the Greyhounds cut the Alvernia lead down to three, 30-27, with 5:35 to play in the half.
• The Greyhounds stayed within two possessions for the next few minutes until a layup from Slay, a pair of Kelly free throws, and a Jalil Schenck jumper pushed Alvernia's lead back up to 11, 42-31, with one minute to play in the half. But, the Greyhounds hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it an eight point game, 42-34, going into the half.
• The Golden Wolves shot 51% in the first half while holding the Greyhounds to 35.7% shooting in the first frame.
• Gordon kicked off the scoring in the second half with a jumper to again make it a double-digit game, 44-34.
• The two teams traded points over the next five minutes, but Alvernia maintained a two possession lead. However, a big 3-pointer from the Greyhounds made it a two point game, 54-52, with 14:29 to play.
• Alvernia responded with back-to-back 3-pointers from Nigel Cooke to quickly push the game back up to an eight point advantage, 60-52, in favor of the Golden Wolves, with 13:14 to play.
• A pair of 3-pointers from Cooke and Mullan helped push the game back to a double-digit lead for Alvernia, and a 3-point play from Cooke made it a 14 point game, 71-57, with 9:52 to play. 
• The Greyhounds stayed within ten points the rest of the way, but never got closer than six as Alvernia pushed the pace and forced several turnovers and costly fouls by Moravian as the Golden Wolves came away with the 91-83 win for the tournament title.

Inside the Box Score

• Cooke led Alvernia with 21 points, shooting 63% with seven field goals. He also finished with a team-high eight rebounds and four assists.
• Mullan finished with 18 points and five rebounds. He also finished with four assists and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
• Alvernia shot 51.% on the night with 33 made field goals. Alvernia was 7-for-16 from beyond the arc and shot 62.5% in the second half with five made 3-pointers.
• Alvernia had 25 points from its bench, with Malik Slay leading the way with 12.
• Alvernia forced 20 turnovers by the Greyhounds and scored 29 points off of turnovers.

Of Note

• Robert Mullan was named to the All-Tournament team, and Nigel Cooke was named tournament MVP. Mullan averaged 17 points and 3.5 rebounds through the tournament, and Cooke averaged 16 points and five rebounds over the two games this weekend.
• This was Alvernia's third game this season shooting 50% or better from the field. Alvernia is 3-0 in such games.
• Tonight's matchup with the Greyhounds was the first meeting between Alvernia and Moravian in over 30 years. With today's win, Alvernia is now 2-3 all-time against Moravian.

Up Next

• Alvernia closes out 2023 with today's win with an 8-3 record. Alvernia will take that record into conference play starting on Wednesday at York.
• The Spartans take a 7-4 record into Wednesday's meeting and have won two straight. 
• Alvernia swept the Spartans during the 2022-23 season.