Pat Maloney holds Walnut and Bronze.

SALEM, Va. — Senior guard Andy Rice scored 17 points to lead Catholic University to a 76-62 win over William Paterson in the title game of the 2001 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championships held at the Salem Civic Center. The title is the first for the Cardinals, who finish the season 28-5. William Paterson finishes the 2000-01 season with a 26-5 mark.

Rice’s 17 points came on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-for-5 from behind the 3-point arc. Senior guard Pat Maloney added 16 for the Cardinals, while senior guard Tim Judge and sophomore center Matt Hilleary  also scored in double figures, recording 12 points apiece.

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 their biggest lead of the game, 48-45.

Jenkins hit 1-of-2 free throws at the 6:50 mark to put the Pioneers up one, 51-50. Rice nailed a three on Catholic’s next possession to give them a lead they would keep the remainder of the game. Paterson trimmed the lead to four at the 3:27 mark, but Maloney nailed three-pointers on consecutive possessions to all but seal the win.

Catholic shot 46.2% for the game and was 76.2% from the charity stripe. William Paterson finished the game shooting 31.1% from the field and just 25.9% in the first half.

The Cardinals broke two NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship Series records for free throws made and free throws attempted. Catholic attempted 81 free throws in the two games breaking the record set by Illinois Wesleyan in 1997 (70). In addition, the 65 free throws made broke the old record also set by Illinois Wesleyan in 1997 (56).

The national title is the first for the Cardinals in just their first trip to the Final Four. With the victory today, the seniors on Catholic’s team have gained their 100th victory in their careers, finishing with an astounding 100-21 record.

Catholic University’s Maloney was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player while teammate Hilleary and William Paterson’s Jenkins made the All-Tournament Team. Rounding out the team were Chad Bostelman from Ohio Northern and Luke Kasten from Illinois Wesleyan.