RADNOR, Pa. – For the third consecutive season, the Cabrini men's basketball team will play for the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) crown following a dramatic 79-76 win against Neumann University in the semifinal round on Tuesday night at Nerney Field House. The victory is the Cavaliers' 33rd straight at home versus a CSAC opponent and 25th in a row at Nerney Field House overall.
The win moves Cabrini into the CSAC title game against rival Gwynedd-Mercy College for the second time in three seasons. The Griffins also advanced tonight in the league's other semifinal contest with an 85-65 victory against Keystone College.
Trailing 76-75 with under a minute to play, it was senior forward Dom Farrello's fall-away elbow jumper that put the Cavaliers ahead for good with 29 seconds remaining. Farrello was one of four Cabrini players in double figures, scoring 16 points, including 13 in the second half.
Out a timeout, Neumann elected to run the clock down and get a final look from senior guard Marquise Boggs. After a hand-off exchange in the far corner with junior guard Mike Walukiewicz, Boggs' game-winning shot attempt was blocked and corralled by Cabrini senior guard Lamar Fisher with two ticks on the clock.
Farrello calmly drained two foul shots before a desperation heave from Boggs at the horn missed the mark. Farrello mixed a game-high 11 rebounds with his 16 points for his seventh double-double of the season and the eighth of his career.
Sophomore point guard Cory Lemons led the Cavaliers' offense, coupling 21 points with eight assists and five rebounds. Lemons scored 13 points in the first half and shot 8-for-10 from the foul line for the game.
Sophomore center Goran Dulac paired 14 points, on 5-for-9 shooting, with eight rebounds. Junior guard John Boyd finished with 13 points, knocking down three 3-point field goals.
Freshman forward Fran Rafferty notched eight points and claimed six boards. Freshman center Jon Miller posted five points to go along with five boards.
It proved to be a tale of two halves for the Blue & White as the Cavaliers shot a season-low 32.5 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Yet, the win improves Cabrini's mark to 5-0 this season when trailing at halftime after facing a two-point deficit, 35-33, at the intermission.
The Cavaliers secured momentum on its side in the early-goings of the second half, using a 17-4 spurt en route to a 50-39 cushion at the 14:02 mark. Cabrini led by as much as 12 points, 64-52, with 9:42 left on the clock.
However, the Knights responded with a 20-8 run, grabbing its first lead of the game since the start of the second half, 72-71, with 4:09 remaining. Neumann (16-11) led 74-73 at the 2:25 mark before Farrello's go-ahead jumper and Fisher's critical defensive stop on Boggs.
Tonight's seesaw battle featured 21 lead changes and outlasted nine ties.
Boggs led all scorers with 35 points, shooting 13-for-24 overall and a blistering 6-for-10 from beyond the 3-point stripe. Junior forward Patrick O'Connor also scored in double figures, totaling 14 points.
The win is the Cavaliers' 15th in the last 16 games. Neumann snapped the Blue & White's 14-game win streak just four days ago with an 86-78 win at the Mirenda Center.
Tonight also marked the second time in two seasons that Cabrini and Neumann met in the CSAC Tournament. The Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2001-02 campaign with a 97-73 victory versus the Knights in last year's CSAC final.
Cabrini (21-5) meets Gwynedd-Mercy with an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament at stake on Friday, Feb. 25 at Nerney Field House. Game time against the Griffins is set for 7 p.m.