RADNOR, Pa. – The Cabrini men's basketball team is returning to the "Sweet 16" Round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history following a 91-84 win versus SUNY-Purchase on Saturday night at Nerney Field House. The Cavaliers overcame a 13-point halftime deficit en route to their 28th consecutive home victory.
Sophomore point guard Cory Lemons led all scorers with 29 points, including 20 in the second half, on 9-for-17 shooting overall. Lemons also mixed in nine rebounds and seven assists while shooting 10-for-11 from the free throw line.
Senior forward Dom Farrello paired 18 points with 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season and the eighth of his Cabrini career. Farrello shot just 6-for-17 overall, but converted 6-of-6 from the charity stripe late in the second half.
Junior guard John Boyd and freshman forward Fran Rafferty also reached double figures, scoring 16 (all in the second half) and 10 points (all in the first half), respectively. The Cavaliers are 13-1 this season when their offense generates four or more scorers in double figures.
Sophomore center Goran Dulac finished with eight points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Lamar Fisher claimed six rebounds in 22 minutes played off the Cabrini bench.
The Cavaliers faced its largest halftime deficit of the season after shooting just 35.1 percent from the floor overall. Coupled with Purchase's 50.0 percent shooting performance in the first half, Cabrini needed its second second half comeback in two games.
And in similar fashion to Friday night's come-from-behind victory versus New Jersey City University, the Blue & White shot 56.3 percent overall in the second half en route to its sixth win all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Cabrini is a perfect 7-0 this season when trailing at the break.
The Cavaliers kick-started the rally with a 16-3 run out of the gates in the early minutes of the second period. Cabrini took its first lead of the game, 66-64, with 7:24 remaining. Cabrini pushed its lead to six points, 74-68, at the 5:20 mark.
However, Purchase (24-5) cut the Blue & White advantage to one possession on three occasions in the final two minutes. Yet, the Cavaliers shot 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final 1:35 to seal the victory.
Cabrini aided its comeback by shooting 56.3 percent from the floor overall in the second half. The Cavaliers have shot better 50.0 percent in either the first or second half on 23 different occasions in 2010-11.
Senior forward Marvin Billups led the Panthers with 24 points, shooting 8-for-15 from the floor. Senior guard Michael McNair shot just 3-for-14 from the field, but finished with 16 points.
The victory is Cabrini's 28th straight at home since the start of the 2009-10 regular season. The Cavaliers are 44-2 at Nerney Field House under third-year head coach and three-time Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Coach of the Year Marcus Kahn.
Kahn now owns a 71-16 record during his time with the Blue & White. He is 148-106 in less than nine full seasons as a head coach.
The win advances the Cavaliers to the "Sweet 16" for the second time in program history. Cabrini last moved past the second round of the NCAA Tournament during the 2001-02 season.
Cabrini (24-5) next meets North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opponent the College of Wooster (OH) in the "Sweet 16" Round of the NCAA Tournament. Date and location are to be determined.