RADNOR, Pa. – Donoven Mack set a new career high in scoring Wednesday night as the sophomore put up 20 points while three other Cavaliers starters finished in double figures as the Cabrini University men's basketball team topped Centenary 80-64 at home for their first Atlantic East Conference win of the year.
The Cavaliers (6-11, 1-3 AEC) got out to an early lead as an
Isaac Brady jumper put Cabrini on the board first at the 19:17 mark. Centenary's Tyler White responded with a trey and they were off and running. Mack countered with a triple of his own and sparked a 13-4 Cabrini run capped off by a 3-pointer from
Aquil Stewart to put the Cavs up 18-7 with 10:30 left. With 7:54 to play, the Cyclones (6-10, 1-3) cut the Cavs lead to just five, 19-14, but a 9-0 run put Cabrini back up by double digits. In the final three minutes of the half, Brady scored seven of his 13 points, finishing at the rim just before the break to put the Cavs up 35-22.
After the intermission Cabrini and Centenary exchanged baskets, but the Cavaliers continued to press and eventually increased their lead to 58-36 on back-to-back scores from Mack as he finished a fast break layup and hit his fourth triple of the contest. The Cyclones trimmed the Cabrini lead to 13 with 8:33 left, but by the 3:51 mark, a layup from
Ryan Byars gave the Cavs a 23-point advantage and iced Cabrini's first conference victory of the year.
Mack's 20-point performance led the Cavs offense as he went 4-for-8 from beyond the arc and 6-of-13 from the field overall. Byars finished with his third double-double of the year as the senior put up 15 points and led the defensive effort, grabbing 15 boards. Stewart and Brady also put up double figure points as the pair finished with 17 and 13, respectively.
Wednesday night's game was just the second time this season that four or more Cavaliers finished in double figure scoring with the first coming in an 86-60 win over Goucher back on Dec. 19.
The Cavaliers are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 21 as Cabrini heads to Gwynedd Mercy University for an Atlantic East battle against the Griffins. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
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