The men’s basketball team proved themselves once again to an anxious crowd on Valentine’s Day with a nail-biting 74-71 win against the team’s Colonial States Athletic Conference opponent.
The team came out on top against the Neumann College Knights on Saturday, Feb. 14, in the tense atmosphere of the Nerney Field House in the Dixon Center.
Saturday’s game provided fans with an exciting and rewarding one, similar to the double overtime win against rivals Eastern University on Monday, Feb. 9.
“This was a big game for us, with this win we clinched a playoff spot in our conference tournament,” assistant coach Saleem Brown said.
Student athlete of the week sophomore forward Dom Farrello had an offensive and defensive stance throughout the game.
Farrello blocked a jump shot that held the game at 71-71 with 1:44 left in the game.
Farrello, totaling 16 points, sealed the game with an 18-foot jump shot that brought the score to 73-71 with 35.9 seconds left on the clock. Senior forward Charles Bush locked the win for the Cavaliers with a free throw pushing the lead to 74-71 with 15 seconds left.
The game opened with a score gap of 31-17 with 6:12 left in the first half.
“Our players were focused and ready to tackle the task at hand,” Brown said.
At halftime, the Cavaliers led the game with a seven point lead with the score 38-31, proving true the team’s 14-0 season when leading at halftime.
Neumann made the game more intense by gaining the advantage, pulling the score to 44-42 with 16:42 on the clock.
Neumann freshman Patrick O’Connor accounted for four free throws, tallying the score at 51-46. This lead was the Knights’ largest lead totaling five points.
Kevin Misevicius, junior forward, led Cabrini’s offense with a total of 20 points, marking his 21st time scoring in the double digits.
Chris Blake, junior forward, assisted with Cabrini’s win by contributing 11 points and three rebounds.
Blake was a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line.
Junior guard Corey White also contributed to the men’s win with 10 points and another perfect foul shot record of 8-for-8.
The team’s overall foul shot tally for the game was a close 21-for-23.
Cabrini’s defense proved too tight for the Knights, who failed to tie the game with its last possession before the buzzer signaling the game’s conclusion.
The Cavaliers’ win against Neumann marks not only the seventeenth win of the season, but also the tenth conference win, a record since the 2002-03 season.
The men’s basketball team proceeded to win another game by crushing Colonial States Athletic Conference opponent Philadelphia Biblical University.
The Monday, Feb. 16 game ended with 86-62 score.
It was their eighteenth win this season.
Misevicius and Glenn Washington, sophomore shooting guard, each lead the team with 14 points.
The Cavaliers last game of the regular season will be held on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 8 p.m. at Immaculata University.
“We’re going to go out, play hard for 40 minutes and see what happens when the buzzer sounds, hopefully we’ll be on top,” Brown said.
