BOX SCORE

St. Mary's City, Md. (Mar. 4, 2011) - Sixth-ranked Randolph-Macon (25-4) hit a game-tying 3 in the final seconds of regulation then made just enough plays in overtime to steal a 62-59 win over Alvernia University (18-7) Friday evening in opening round action of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championships at St. Mary's College.

Alvernia's signature defense put the clamps down on Macon in the second half holding the Yellow Jackets to 15 points over the first 18-plus minutes while the Crusaders were able to erase a seven-point deficit and take their own seven-point lead 51-44 with 2:33 to play.

The Crusaders were within a step of going up nine, but a pass from senior guard Tad Gillis (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) went off the hands of junior Brian Nerney (Middletown, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) with 1:40 left, and Macon's Eric Pugh pushed the ball downcourt hitting a 3 in transition.

The next possession looked like it would result in a six-point cushion, but junior center Cory Boone (Howard, Pa./Bald Eagle Area) was whistled for a charing foul--one of five called against the Crusaders--and the Jackets followed with a bucket in the post to cut the gap to two with 31 seconds left.

Knowing Macon would have to foul, Alvernia tried to inbound to Gillis, but a triple-team forced the ball to Boone who was immediately fouled.  Boone hit the first free throw for a three-point lead, but missed on the second attempt.

Pugh, looking for the tying 3, couldn't shake Gillis who hounded him for much of the second half, and the Crusaders were able to double him well beyond the arc.  With the clock ticking under 10 seconds Pugh found RMC leading scorer Danny Jones at the left elbow and he rattled in the 3 to knot the score at 51-all.  Gillis pushed the inbound and got the ball to Boone, but his 3 at the horn was off the mark.

"We certainly had our opportunities," said Alvernia head coach Mike Miller following the game.  "You gotta put games away, and that's not turning the ball over and make foul shots."

With the score deadlocked at 59-all in the final minute of overtime, Alvernia turned the ball over, but was able to force an errant pass from the Jackets at the other end of the floor.  The loose ball hung in the paint with players from both teams diving after it.  RMC reserve Lamar Giggetts somehow emerged with the ball and a clear path to the hoop where he laid in his only bucket of the game for a 61-59 lead with 48 seconds left.

Alvernia junior Stefan Thompson (Philadelphia, Pa./G.A.M.P.) was off the mark on a fading jumper and the Crusaders fouled Pugh--who shoots at better than 80 percent from the line-- with 17 seconds left. 

Pugh only made 1-of-2 free throws to push the lead to three giving the Crusaders a shot at a 3 to tie.  Gillis worked off a screen at the top of the arc and got the ball to Seth Cornell (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor) who had a decent look, but was just long.  Macon corralled the rebound and advanced to the second round where it will face the winner of the St. Mary's / Medger Evers game.

Jones, one of four RMC players in double figures, led the Jackets off the bench with 14.  Boone finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds while Nerney reached double figures with 13.  Alvernia's five starters combined to play 208 of the game's 225 minutes, and it would have been more had Boone and Nerney not gotten into foul trouble.

"They gave it all they got," said Miller. "They gave their heart and soul the whole year."

Alvernia is now 0-3 all-time against Randolph-Macon having faced the Jackets twice in the NCAA Championships.  Both games had eerily similar finishes with missed free throws and last-second 3s.

"Sixth in the nation and they knew they were in for a dogfight," said Miller.  "I must have received 50 compliments about how this team played.  We certainly put Alvernia on the map."

Randolph-Macon 62, Alvernia 59 (OT)