The Cavaliers opened the Colonial States Athletic Conference games with an incredible start, securing a 95-84 win over Gwynedd Mercy during a home game on Dec. 2. This marks the sixth straight win for the Blue and White.
Senior A.J. Picard scored the first three pointer of the night, assisted by Freshman Brennan McCann. Junior Aaron Walton-Moss jumped into the game, stole the ball, and drove it across court to make a perfect two pointer. Moss quickly shot another two pointer and assisted Picard.
After the first time out, the Cavaliers displayed teamwork with swift passes between Freshmen Deryl Bagwell, Senior Fran Rafferty, Picard and Moss for a three point shot.
Bagwell, Moss and Rafferty kept adding to the scoreboard, taking a strong 27-7 lead over the Griffins. Freshman Brent Mahoney assisted Senior John Miller with a rebound, rounding out the score to 31.
The entire game was full of foul shots, Moss and Picard made every shot. The Cavaliers maintained their lead of 46-34 at halftime. The Griffins were thirsting to make a comeback.
Coming into the second half pumped to win, Rafferty shot a crisp three pointer followed by a two pointer by Miller. The Blue and White amassed a 20 point lead with less than 17 minutes left in the half.
With 8:35 minutes left on the scoreboard, Picard’s quick three point shot marked his 1,000th career point milestone. The Nerney Field House gymnasium erupted in cheers and family proudly waved “Stack Attack AJ” signs.
Freshman Matt Forrest got into the game, making a shot with three minutes left giving the Blue and White an 86-74 lead.
During the game the Blue and White displayed tenacity and coordination, earning a comfortable edge over the Griffins. Gwynedd Mercy was not finished and gained momentum. Both sides maxed out their foul limits and expanded the time of the game. The final minutes were intense as two timeouts were called with only two minutes remaining and a string of foul shots.
Rafferty ran out the clock, dribbling the ball to secure victory over the Griffins.
Moss, Rafferty and Picard dominated the game racking in double digits during the night, scoring 29, 22, and 20 points respectively.
Picard is excited for the team and said,“Last night was a huge game for our team considering it was the first conference game of the year and we came out yesterday and took care of business and we’re now 1-0 in our conference which is huge for us to start off the beginning of the year.”
Rafferty agrees that the team needs to keep up the pace and is optimistic about the season. He said, “It was good team effort, we’re getting big contributions from some of the new faces and we’re rolling right now. We just have to keep working hard and getting better everyday.”
The night was a special one for Picard, reaching his 1,000th career point.
Picard said, “I’m not much of an individual goal guy, I don’t really care about the 1,000 points to be honest it’s a great milestone and I couldn’t have done it without my friends, family, coaches and teammates but when it comes down to it I want to win and keep wining and that’s what we’re doing and I want to keep doing it as a team, that’s what matters to me in the end.”
The Cavaliers will play Marywood University in Scranton, Pa. at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4.
