Gwynedd Valley, Pa. (Dec. 9, 2023) - Alvernia University (4-2) scored 60 points in the second half to down Gwynedd Mercy University (3-5) 100-87 in non-conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Gwynedd Mercy.

The Griffins led for the entirety of the first half, but Alvernia had new life coming into the second frame. Alvernia shot 52% from the floor in the second half, and 57% from beyond the arc. Alvernia also out-rebounded the Griffins, 21-12, in the second half and scored 12 points off turnovers. Alvernia also used a 29-14 run in the opening ten minutes of the second half to jump start the comeback and power the Golden Wolves to the 100-87 win. 

Alvernia also finished with 16 3-pointers on the afternoon, its most in a game since the Golden Wolves made 17 against Lycoming on January 31, 2018.

Today's 100 points was Alvernia's first time hitting the century mark since December 30, 2022 in a 104-90 win over Ursinus. 

The Griffins jumped out to a fast start, leading 7-0 through the first minute and a half of action. A layup and 3-pointer by Malik Slay got Alvernia on the board, but the Griffins still led by four, 9-5, through the first two minutes of play.

A 3-pointer by Jakob Kelly got Alvernia within one, 9-8, and Alvernia tied it at 11-1 on a Slay 3-pointer with 16:06 on the clock.

The Griffins answered right back and put up five quick points and took a 16-11 lead, but the back-and-forth continued as a Nigel Cooke 3-pointer brought Alvernia back within one possession, 16-14, with 14 minutes to play in the half.

Gwynedd Mercy pushed the pace for the next two minutes and used a 9-0 run to take an 11 point lead, 43-40, midway through the first half.

A 3-pointer from Jacob Stoudt put an end to the Griffins run and a layup from Alex Cercado brought Alvernia back within six, 25-19, with 9:29 on the clock.

After a Griffins 3-pointer, Alvernia responded with a Cercado jumper and Naji Hamilton layup to get back within five, and another Stoudt 3-pointer made it a three point game, 29-26, with seven minutes remaining in the first half.

The Griffins led by two possessions for much of the remainder of the first half. Alvernia got within one, 39-38, off of back-to-back Cooke 3-pointers, and again, 41-40, off of a pair of made free throws by Cooke. But, Alvernia could not tie it up as the Griffins took a 43-40 lead into the break. 

Alvernia came out of the break firing, starting the half on a 18-8 run to tie and then take the lead from the Griffins, 58-51, through the first four minutes of the second half. Robert Mullan accounted for eight of Alvernia's 16 points during the run - scoring two 3-pointers and a pair of free throws after being held scoreless in the first half.

A 3-point play by the Griffins brought Gwynedd Mercy back within four, 58-54, with 15 minutes to play, but a pair of Cercado free throws and a 3-pointer from Kelly pushed Alvernia's lead back to seven, 63-56, with 13:12 to play.

Alvernia kept it rolling and built its lead up to 12, 69-57, on a layup by Cercado off an offensive board by Jalil Schenck with 10:41 to play.

Just over a minute later, Alvernia built its lead up to 16, 77-61, on a Cooke 3-pointer. The Golden Wolves then cooled off for a few minutes as the Griffins got back within six, 81-75, with six minutes to play. But, a Cercado layup reignited Alvernia and three made free throws by Kelly pushed Alvernia's lead back into double digits, 86-75, with 4:38 to play.

The Griffins got back within single digits a couple of times over the next minute and a half of action, but Kelly stayed hot from the line and also added a layup to make it a 92-79 game with 3:14 to play. A Mullan 3-pointer made it a 16-point game, 95-79, with 2:41 to play, and the Griffins would never threaten further from there as Alvernia came away with the 100-87 win.

Cercado led Alvernia with a team-high 22 points, including an 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line. Nigel Cook finished with 19, including five 3-pointers, and Kelly finished with 18. Mullan had 14 points, all of which came in the second half, and Slay also hit double-digits with 11 points. Cercado also led Alvernia with eight rebounds and seven assists. 

Alvernia is back in action on Thursday at Keystone College.