nick stauffer/submitted photoOn Monday., Feb. 11 the men’s basketball team defeated Neumann College 67-48 in Pennsylvania Athletic Conference play. The Cavaliers improve to 11-12, 8-6 in the PAC.
Leading the Cavaliers was senior Randy Reid with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Glenn Washington also recorded 14 points for the team.
The Cavaliers also had back-to-back victories both home and away and moved up in the league rankings leading up to the PAC Championships later this month.
The Cavaliers defeated Misericordia University at home with a final score of 60-50 on Thursday., Feb. 7 in a competitive struggle between the rivaling teams.
Led by freshman leading scorer Glenn Washington and double digit performances by senior Randy Reid and junior Ryan Oxley, the Cavs battled the Cougars tirelessly but were unable to establish more than a four point lead throughout the first half.
Trailing Misericordia by three leading into the third quarter, Cabrini took control largely due to their virulent defense and was able to tie things up with eleven minutes remaining on the clock.
Oxley then sunk a crucial three-point shot at the 10:39 mark to put the Cavaliers in the lead for the remainder of the game. Connecting six of eight free throw attempts in the last two minutes gave Cabrini the final push towards the 10 point victory.
“Our defense really came through for us tonight, to hold Misericordia to 50 points is quite an accomplishment. They are a very good team,” praised head coach Greg Herenda. “In the second half, Glenn Washington made some crucial three-point shots to open up our offense and Randy Reid and Bruce MacLelland were monsters on the glass,” Herenda said.
Two days later Cabrini posted another well-earned victory in Hacketstown, N.J. visiting Centenary College on Saturday., Feb. 9 and ending with a two point advantage.
This was another wavering battle between the two teams until the game’s final seconds; at the half Cabrini had just managed to come back from an up to 19 point deficit in the first two quarters and tie up the score at 34.
The second half faired much better as the Cavs advanced to a 12 point lead with 16:17 left on the clock. The fight continued for the remainder of the game with centenary challenging Cabrini’s two point lead twice in the final 30 seconds leading up to the 68-66 final score.
Herenda again credited the Cavalier’s win to the team’s spirit and diligence throughout a very competitive game.
“Our team really displayed a lot of character and a lot of heart. Our bench really got us back into the game tonight and we beat a very scrappy Centenary team,” Herenda said.
Individual stars included high scorer Randy Reid who recorded 15 points as well as seven rebounds and two steals over the course of the night and freshman Glenn Washington who added another 14 points and six rebounds to the scoreboard.
Senior Bruce MacLelland also played a fierce game with ten important rebounds during the event.
“Winning on the road is very difficult in college basketball and I’m proud of our guys for coming back once again,” Herenda said.
The Cavs hope to continue their winning streak in the following weeks to further improve their conference rankings. And with the perseverance displayed in the past few games, it looks like Cabrini isn’t giving up anytime soon.
The team will travel to Misericordia Unmiversity on Saturday, Feb. 16 to continue PAC play.
