Atlantic East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, 1st Round
No. 4 Cabrini University Cavaliers (9-16, 5-7 Atlantic East) vs. No. 5 Immaculata University Mighty Macs (9-16, 4-8 Atlantic East)    
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 7pm
Nerney field House

Game Day Links: Live Stats, Webcast
Atlantic East Men's Basketball Tournament Page
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What's At Stake?
The winner of tonight's first round match-up will advance to Thursday's semifinal round, where it will visit either top seed Wesley or number two seed Gwynedd Mercy. Tonight's other opening round match-up features number three seed Marymount playing host to number six seed Marywood. 

Tonight's lowest seeded winner will head to Wesley, while teh higher seeded winner will visit Gwynedd Mercy. The winners of both semifinal matches will meet in Saturday championship game, with the highest remaining seed serving as the host. 

1st Meeting: Cabrini 87, Immaculata 86 OT (1/29/2020, Immaculata, PA)
The Cavaliers erased a four point deficit in overtime and claimed the final of the game's 22 lead changes with just 60 seconds to play, as the Cabrini men's basketball team rallied for an 87-86 overtime victory at Immaculata University.

Both teams had chances to gain the lead in the final minute of regulation, but Cabrini missed three shots, while the Mighty Macs committed a pair of turnovers to send the game into overtime.
Immaculata scored the first four points in the extra period before the Cavaliers clawed back into the lead on a three point play by sophomore Ryan Byars with 1:41 to play.

Both teams had chances to regain the lead in the final minute of regulation, but Cabrini missed three shots, while the Mighty Macs committed a pair of turnovers to send the game into overtime.

Four Cavaliers scored north of 14 points in the win, led by junior Justin Gans' 21 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Classmate DJ Smith added 20 points off the bench, matching a season high with six made three pointers. Byars and senior Keith Blassingale added 14 points each and combined for nine boards.

Junior Brandon McCullough led Immaculata with 29 points, while senior Jordan Ambrose added 17 in the losing effort. Freshman Tyler Tillery paired 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.

2nd Meeting: Cabrini 97, Immaculata 94 (2/22/2020, Radnor, PA)
The Cavaliers secured the number four seed in the Atlantic East Tournament with Saturday's win over the Mighty Macs. Blassingale's final jumper of the game proved to be the difference, as the senior drained three pointer with 1.6 seconds on the clock to break the 94-94 deadlock.

After leading by 10 late in the first half, the Cavaliers found themselves looking up at a 82-72 deficit with just under seven minutes to play. Cabrini slowly chipped away at its deficit over the next two-plus minutes before Byars found his way to the hoop for a lay-in to give Cabrini an 86-85 lead with 4:16 to play.

The next four minutes saw six lead changes and three times, with the final coming with 23 seconds to play, as Ambrose hit a jumper to pull the Mighty Macs even at 94.

Blassingale connected on 15-22 from the floor, including 7-10 from three point range, and handed out five assists en route to a season high 43 points. Sophomore Voshon Mack paired 19 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Junior Billy Warren anchored the defensive effort with a career high five blocked shots.

McCullough paced the Mighty Macs with 26 points, while Ambrose added 21. Tillery paired 19 points and 17 rebounds in the loss.

Scouting the Cavaliers
Winners of their last five home contests, the Cavaliers have been led by the inside outside duo of Blassingale and Mack.

Both rank in the top five in the Atlantic East Conference in scoring, while Blassingale's 70 made three pointers and Mack's 9.5 rebounds also lead the league.

The while the duo combined for 37.5 points per game, the Blue and White also gets significant contribution from Gans (11.0 ppg), Smith (8.8 ppg) and classmate Brice Parks (6.5 ppg).

Scouting the Mighty Macs
Immaculata will need to snap its current three game losing streak if it hopes to secure a spot in Thursday's semifinal round.

The Mighty Macs boast a balanced attack featuring three players who score north of 11 points per game, led by Amborse and McCullough, who combine for 34.9 points per game.

Both also get the job done from beyond the arc, as both rank alongside Blassingale as the most prolific deep threats in the conference.

Tillery provides the club's inside muscle, pairing 9.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.

 

	TALE OF THE TAPE
No. 4 Cabrini		No. 5 Immaculata
9-16, 8-7 Atlantic East	Record	9-16, 4-8 Atlantic East
79.4	Points per Game	75.5
.443	FG Percentage	.426
.338	3-Point FG Percentage	.355
.635	FT Percentage	.705
37.8	Rebounds per Game	38.0
13.2	Assists per Game	13.4
3.6	Blocked Shots per Game	3.8
7.0	Steals per Game	8.2
16.8	Turnovers per Game	13.7
	TEAM LEADERS
Keith Blassingale (20.1)	Points per Game	Jordan Ambrose (17.6)
Voshon Mack (9.5)	Rebounds per Game	Tyler Tillery (8.7)
Keith Blassingale (4.2)	Assists per Game	Brandon McCullough (3.7)
Voshon Mack (1.2)	Blocked Shots per Game	Tyler Tillery (2.0)
Keith Blassingale (1.6)	Steals per Game	Brandon McCullough (1.7)