ASTON, Pa. – The No. 1 seeded Neumann University men's basketball, currently No. 15 in the latest poll, defeated No. 4 seeded Rosemont College 87-69 in a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) semifinal game on Wednesday evening.
 
With the win, the Knights will make their fourth straight appearance in the CSAC championship, however this will be the first men's basketball title game to be held at the Mirenda Center.
 
Four Knights netted double-digit points in the win. Carl Wallace tallied a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds. Darian Barnes netted 25 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. DeShawn Lowman added 20 points and Tyaire Hudson had 15 points.
 
The Knights never trailed in the contest, however there were tied scores during the first part of the game. The third knotted score game with 12:56 left in the first half and the teams tied at 12. Neumann then went on a 7-0 run, capped by a three-pointer by DeAndre Williams, to take a 19-12 advantage. The Ravens answered back netting five straight points. Barnes broke the Rosemont run with two free throws and followed with a layup for a 23-17 game. With 2:48 left in the first half, the Knights built a double-digit lead, 31-21, on two free throws by Lowman. Neumann took a 35-27 lead into halftime.
 
A jumper by Barnes with 14:36 left in regulation gave the Knights a 48-37 lead and, instead of last time when the Ravens chipped their way back into the game, the Knights buckled down and would hold a double-digit through for the rest of regulation. Both teams would make mini runs during the second half, but each time Neumann had a run, it would add on a little more to extend its lead. The Knights' biggest lead would be 20 points, coming in the final two minutes.
 
Neumann (24-2) will host Gwynedd Mercy on Saturday for the CSAC Championship. The Griffins defeated Cabrini with a buzzer-beating three-pointer in the other semifinal game. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 PM.