ASTON, Pa. – The No. 2 seeded Neumann University men's basketball team held off No. 3 seeded Cabrini College 76-75 in a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) semifinal game on Wednesday evening.
 
This is the Knights third straight appearance in the CSAC Championship game. Neumann won its first Conference title last season.
 
Darian Barnes led the Knights with 22 points and 14 rebounds. The junior added four blocks. James Butler netted 18 points and DeShawn Lowman added 16 points.
 
The game was a tale of two halves. The Knights held the pace during the first half. The Cavaliers sank the first basket of the game. A free throw by Butler and a layup by Lowman put Neumann in the lead. With 15 minutes left in the first half, the Knights built up a 15-6 advantage. The Cavaliers then went on a 10-2 run to get back to within one. After the teams traded some baskets, and Neumann up 26-24, the Knights scored six straight points for a 34-24 lead. Lowman hit a buzzer beater at the end of the half and Neumann took a 46-34 lead into halftime.
 
The Knights built their lead to 18, 60-42, six minutes into the half. The Cavaliers then started to make their move. Cabrini cut Neumann's lead to seven, 65-58, with 8:38 on the clock. The Knights still held the seven point advantage, 73-66, with under five minutes remaining. The Cavaliers pulled to within two, 75-73, with 1:26 left in the second half. Barnes went 1-for-2 from the line to take back a three-point advantage. Cabrini came down the court and lit a layup with 25 seconds for a one point game.
 
Cabrini fouled Neumann, sending the Knights to the line for 1-and-1. Both times the Knights missed on the first throw, unable to seal the win. With seven seconds left, and Cabrini in control of the ball, the Cavaliers turned the ball over. Barnes missed on a layup with three second and Cabrini had one more shot to score. The Cavaliers attempted a desperation shot as the buzzer sounded, but it wasn't close and the Knights held on for the 76-75 win.
 
Neumann (19-7) will travel to Gwynedd Mercy for the CSAC Championship game on Saturday. The Griffins defeated Rosemont 92-84 in the other semifinal game.