Most Outstanding Player Pat Maloney |
Senior guard Andy Rice scored 17 points to lead Catholic University to a 76-62 win over William Paterson University in the title game of the 2001 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship. The title was the first for the Cardinals who finished the season 28-5.
Rice's 17 points came on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from behind the arc. Senior guard Pat Maloney added 16 for the Cardinals, while Tim Judge and sophomore center Matt Hilleary also scored in double figures with 12 points apiece.
- Full game story
- Highlight: Pat Maloney's back-breaking 3-pointer
(Pat Coleman and Rick Seidel on the call)
Senior guard Horace Jenkins led William Paterson with a game-high 21 points and also pulled down five rebounds in 39 minutes of play. Junior forward Mufeed Thomas chipped in with a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds).
The Cardinals jumped out to an early 13-4 lead to start the game. It wasn't until the 10:12 mark in the second half, on a free throw by Jenkins, that the Pioneers took their first lead at 46-45. Jenkins drained a running jumper at the 8:59 mark to give William Paterson its biggest lead of the game, 48-45.
Jenkins hit one of two free throws at the 6:50 mark to put the Pioneers up one, 51-50. Rice nailed a three on Catholic's next possession, however, to give them a lead they would keep the remainder of the game. The Pioneers trimmed the lead to four with 3:27 left but Catholic hit 11 of 14 free throws, including a stretch of 11 in a row, over the final 1:06 to preserve the victory.
Catholic shot 46.2 percent for the game and was 76.2 percent from the charity stripe. William Paterson finished the game shooting 31.1 percent from the field and just 25.9 percent in the first half.
Championship
Catholic 76, William Paterson 62
at Salem, Va. (att. 3,317)
2001 Tournament Coverage |
All-Tournament Team
Pat Maloney, Catholic (Most Outstanding Player)
Matt Hilleary, Catholic
Horace Jenkins, William Paterson
Chad Bostleman, Ohio Northern
Luke Kasten, Illinois Wesleyan
Third-Place Game
Illinois Wesleyan 76, Ohio Northern 73
National Semifinals
Catholic 82, Ohio Northern 76
William Paterson 67, Illinois Wesleyan 52