The Cavaliers men’s basketball team defeated the Neumann University Knights by a score of 87-77 on Monday, Nov. 28 at the Nerney Field House.
The win extended the Cavaliers’ home winning streak to 30 games, a streak carrying over from the 2009-10 season.
“Our undefeated home streak is still alive,” Cory Lemons, senior guard, said.
The Cavaliers got off to a good start and set the tone early, leading 25-14 midway through the first half. The Knights put together a rally and even took the lead with just under four minutes to play in the half, but Cabrini quickly regained the lead and walked into the locker room with a 38-34 lead at halftime.
The Cavaliers took the court for the second half and took control. Capitalizing on crucial mistakes by Neumann allowed them to walk out with a ten-point margin.
“A lot of guys stepped up and played hard,” Marcus Kahn, head coach, said. “Neumann’s a good team and we started off on the right foot tonight.”
The men’s game was the second part of a doubleheader, with the women’s team facing off against the Lady Knights. The Lady Cavaliers won by a score of 50-37.
“Both teams did a great job,” Dr. Marie George, president of Cabrini College, said. “I’m thrilled that both [the men’s and women’s] teams won. This is a great rivalry.”
Senior guard John Boyd played 33 minutes and led the Cavs in scoring with 25 points. Sophomore guard Mark Blount led the Knights in scoring with 18 points, while playing 34 minutes. The Cavaliers recorded a field goal percentage of 37.7 percent, compared to the Knights’ 41.2 percent.
This win puts the Cavaliers at 3-0 overall and at 1-0 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference. For Neumann, it puts them at 3-2 overall and at 0-1 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference.
Just like many other sports, Cabrini and Neumann have a heated rivalry. These two teams are perennial powerhouses in the Colonial States Athletic Conference, with their last meeting being in the first round of last year’s CSAC Tournament. Cabrini won that game by a close score of 96-79.
“[Neumann is] one of, if not, our biggest rivals,” Kahn said.
The Cavaliers’ next home game will be on Saturday, Dec. 3 against Keystone College. Saturday’s game comes as part of another doubleheader. The women will take on Keystone at 1 p.m. and the men’s team will follow suit with a game aginst the Giants at 3 p.m.
The Cavaliers will travel to Aston, Pa., for a rematch with Neumann on Feb. 8, 2012. It should make for a very exciting game, as the late-season matchup will be a crucial game for a berth in the CSAC tournament. Both teams may even face each other in the CSAC tournament again.
The statistics reveal a game that was played pretty evenly, as well as a great reason for the fans in the bleachers to cheer and support their team. However, the Cavaliers seemed to be in the driver’s seat for most of it. It was not an easy win by any means but it was still a very nice way for the Cavaliers to start up their CSAC play.
“This was an all-around great win,” Coach Kahn said.
