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SALEM, VA.  – The Cabrini College men's basketball team fell three points shy of raising the school's first ever national championship trophy, as the Cavaliers lost to UW-Whitewater 63-60 in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Champion game.  Cabrini's season ends with a school record 31 wins against just two losses by a combined five points.

For the second consecutive game, senior John Boyd led the Cavaliers with 18 points. Freshman Aaron Walton-Moss posted  14 points for the Blue and White.

The first minutes of the championship game were the antithesis of Cabrini' semifinal game.  Neither team could find its shooting range in the early minutes.  Five minutes into the game, the teams had tallied just four points each.

With the score tied at 10, the Cavaliers seemed to find their footing. Over the next four minutes, Cabrini embarked on an 11-0
run, led by four Walton-Moss points.  The Warhawks cut the lead back to six before another 6-0 pushed it back to 29-17.

Though the Blue and White took a 31-21 lead into halftime, the Cavaliers shot just 33.3% from the floor, including 3-14 from beyond the three point line.  Defensively, Cabrini outrebounded the Warhawks 26-16 and held them to just 6-23 shooting.

Cabrini continued to control the game after the break. Sophomore Jon Miller's offensive rebound and put back extend the lead to 47-29 with 14:43 to play.  It looked like the Blue and White would coast to its first national title.  Then everything changed.

The Cavaliers' foul trouble and cold shooting combined with UWW's offensive efficiency changed the game.  Over the next 11 minutes, the Warhawks went on a 26-8 run, tying the score at 55 with 3:19 to play.  It was the first time the game had been tied since 10-10. 

This was nothing new for the Cavaliers who were in a similar situation just last night.  Walton-Moss gave Cabrini the lead at 57-55 with 2:15 to play.  The Warhawks scored the next six points, including four from the charity stripe to take their first lead since 6-4.

Boyd's fall-away lay-up and subsequent foul cut the deficit to 61-60 with 39 seconds on the clock.  A UWW lay-up with 14 seconds to play pushed the lead out to three.  

Cabrini shot just 33.8% from the floor, the club's worst shooting performance of the season.  The Cavaliers also connected on just 5 of their 22 three-point attempts.  The Blue and White's 21 turnovers are also the highest of the season, while its eight assists are the second lowest total of the year.

Walton-Moss added eight rebounds and four steals to his 14 points.  Senior Cory Lemons posted seven points and seven rebounds.  Miller grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds in 12 minutes of action before fouling out. 

Whitewater senior Chris Davis was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after leading the Warhawks with 12 points, including the game-winning free throws.

Boyd joined Davis, UWW's Eric Bryson, Illinois Wesleyan's Jordan Zimmer and MIT's Will Tashman on the All-Tournament Team.

Tonight's loss ends the careers of Cabrini seniors Boyd, Lemons and Greg Zabel.  Boyd finished his career with 761 points in two years in the Cabrini Blue and White.  After two years at Immaculata, Boyd closes his collegiate career with 1334 total points.

Lemons is among the best players to ever wear a Cabrini jersey.  Lemons tops the school's career list in assists (206), while ranking second in points (1479) and sixth in steals (161) in just three years.  The two-time Colonial States Athletic Conference Player of the Year was also named D3hoops.com Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year and a First Team All-American by the website.

Zabel, a four-year letterwinner, is the currently the winningest player in the history of the program.  Zabel has been a part of 102 victories in his four years.

 With the three players on the roster, Cabrini has posted a 55-8 record, including 34-2 against CSAC foes.  Cabrini has not lost a game with the trio on the roster, winning 31 consecutive games at Nerney Field House. 

The group also led the Cavaliers to back-to-back CSAC title, a Sweet 16 appearance, and this magical run to the NCAA Championship game.