Box Score
ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University men's basketball team advanced to the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) semifinals with a 78-73 win over Marywood University in the first round Saturday afternoon.
Neumann was led by CSAC Rookie of the Year Mark Blount with 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Marquise Boggs notched 20 points as well. Patrick O'Connor netted 16 points and Mike Walukiewicz added 10.
Timothy Mullen led the Pacers with 13 points. John Foreman added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Both teams would hold substantial leads in the first half. Neumann built an early lead, 11-3, 2:47 into the game. Marywood responded by connecting on three-pointers and took a 10 points advantage, 36-26, with 4:16 left in the first half. The Knights ended the half on a 10-3 run and the Pacers held a three point lead, 39-26, going into the locker room.
The seconds half remained close and featured 13 lead changes and eight ties. Neumann took its first lead of the second half, 44-43, on a Blount lay-up at the 16:48 mark.
The last tied score came with 2:26 left on the clock, 69-69. Marywood's Jacques Robinson hit one-of-two from the line for a Pacer one point lead. Blount answered with a lay-up at the 2:03 mark. Blount would hit the next basket of the game with 55 seconds reaming to give the Knights a 73-70 lead. The freshman was also fouled on the play and completed the old fashioned three-point play to give Neumann a four-point advantage.
O'Connor and Blount then both went 1-for-2 from the lint to extend the Knights lead to six with 29 seconds remaining in regulation. Anthony Samuels hit a three-pointer for the Pacers with seven seconds left to but the lead back to three. O'Connor then sealed the win with two free throws with five seconds left.
The Pacers hit 12 three-pointers in the game, compared to the Knights one. Neumann connected on 75-percent of the free throws (27-of-36) while Marywood 46-percent (5-for-11).
Neumann improves to 16-10 and will travel to Cabrini College on Tuesday evening for a semifinal game. Marywood finishes its season 13-13. The other semifinal game will feature Gwynedd-Mercy hosting Keystone. Keystone defeated Immaculata 84-62 in the other first round game.
