ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University men's basketball team held off a late surge by Cabrini University for a 92-83 win on Monday evening in Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) action.
All five starters for the Knights reached double-digits, led by
Aaron Johnson-Chavis with 23 points while adding 13 rebounds for a double-double.
Tyaire Hudson tallied 18 points, including going 6-for-8 from the line, and
Raquan Brown-Johnson added 17.
Billy Cassidy hit three from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points while handing out five assists.
Gemil Holbrook netted 11 points.
Jaquan Johnson dished out eight assists while adding eight points of his own off the bench.
The first part of the first half featured eight lead changes and five tied scores. A three-pointer by Cassidy with 6:44 left in the first half put the Knights on top for good 31-28, but it wouldn't be easy to hold off the Cavaliers. The three started an 8-2 run for Neumann as it took a 36-30 advantage, the largest lead of the game up to that point. The Knights would continue their run and took a double-digit lead, 42-32, on a layup by Hudson. Neumann took a 45-38 lead into the break.
The teams remained even throughout the first part of the second half, as the Knights held the Cavaliers just out of reach. However, with 3:32 left in regulation and Neumann holding an 84-72 lead, Cabrini started to make its move. Over the next two-and-a-half minutes, the Cavaliers scored 10 straight points to get to within two, 84-82. With 36 seconds on the clock, Johnson-Chavis broke the scoreless drought with a layup and put the Knights up by four.
The Cavaliers went 1-of-2 from the line for a one possession game, 86-83, with 30 seconds remaining in regulation. Johnson-Chavis went 4-for-4 from the free throw line over the final 15 seconds to help secure the win for the Knights.
Neumann (13-4, 8-3 CSAC) will head to Immaculata University on Wednesday for more conference action. The CSAC doubleheader with the women gets underway at 6:00 PM with the men tipping off around 8:00 PM.
