RADNOR, PA – After more than a month without playing on its home court, the Cabrini men's basketball team returned to Nerney Field House today and claimed a thrilling 98-96 win over the Keystone College Giants.
Cabrini's fourth consecutive win improved the club to 9-2 overall and 4-1 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference, while the Giants fell to 5-6 and 4-1 in conference play.
Both are now tied with Gwynedd Mercy and Neumann for first place in the league standings.
In a game that featured 20 lead changes, the final of the day's 11 ties game in the final seconds, as senior
Tyheim Monroe drained a contested three pointer with nine seconds to play to give the Blue and White a 98-95 lead.
The senior then corralled the final two of his 21 rebounds in the final three seconds, including one from his own missed free throw with 0.8 seconds to play.
Sophomore
Keith Blassingale led seven Cavaliers with at least nine points, as the sophomore paired 25 points and five steals, his fifth consecutive game with at least 25 points.
Monroe joined freshman
DJ Smith with 16 points, while junior
Ivan Robinson added 11 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Senior
Deryl Bagwell chipped in with 11 points, one more than freshman
Trey Smith and two more than junior
Anthony Wright-Downing.
The Cavaliers built an early eight point cushion, as they connected on six of its first nine shots on the day. The Giants used a barrage of three point attempts to keep Cabrini within reach. Midway through first half, Keystone used an 8-1 spurt to grab a 27-24 lead with 7:28 left in the half.
Both teams battled back and forth over the final seven minutes of the stanza. Wright-Downing scored Cabrini's final four points of the half, including a one-handed dunk in the lane, to take a 47-43 lead, but a lay-up by Keystone freshman Michael Leak pulled the Giants within 47-45 at the break.
Keystone built its largest lead of the day early in the second half, connecting on a trio of three pointers to take a 54-49 lead two minutes into the stanza.
The game remained tight until the 9:01 mark, when Cabrini turned up its defensive pressure. Over the next 2:26, the Cavaliers turned three Keystone turnovers into six points and a 13-4 spurt that gave the Blue and White a 88-79 lead with 6:35 to play.
The Giants immediately responded, holding Cabrini scoreless for nearly two and a half minutes, as they used a 12-2 run to gain a 91-90 lead.
Monroe answered on Cabrini's next possession with a three deep in the right corner, before Bagwell's put-back extended the Blue and White lead to 95-91 with 1:50 on the clock.
Keystone senior Bryan Williams cut the deficit in half with a offensive rebound a bucket at the 94 second mark then recorded a steal and fast break lay-in to even the score at 95 with 35 ticks to go.
The Cavaliers went without a timeout, as head coach
Tim McDonald allowed his club to create a final shot. The ball found Monroe on the left wing and after several dribbles, the senior raised up and knocked down the eventual game-winning triple.
Cabrini then committed a foul, as to not let Keystone, who hit 7-13 from beyond the arc in the second half, attempt a deep three pointer. Senior Mark Gilliam hit the first and intentionally missed the second, as Monroe secured the rebound and was fouled with less than one second to play.
Cabrini shot a season high .515 from the field, including 20-37 from the field and 6-13 from three point range in the second half. Not to be outdone, the Giants connected on 20-38 in the second half.
Junior JT Bennett scored 17 points to lead six Giants in double figure scoring, including four players with 12 points each.
Prior to today's game, Cabrini presented a commemorative ball and plaque to Monroe, who broke the CSAC career rebound record on Dec. 6 and the Cabrini men's basketball career scoring record on Wednesday.
The Cavaliers till return to the road on Tuesday, as they make the short trip to Rosemont College (7-4, 3-2 CSAC). Tip is slated for 8pm in Rosemont, PA.
