GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – It took every second of the regulation 40 minutes but the Cabrini men's basketball team continued its perfect season with tonight's 80-77 win in front of an excited capacity crowd at Gwynedd Mercy University. The victory improved the No. 2 Cavaliers to 17-0 overall and 11-0 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference.
Four Cavaliers scored in double figures but it was junior Aaron Walton-Moss' performance that stunned the crowd. The junior scored 20 points and recorded career highs of 22 rebounds and 13 assists for his second triple double of the season and just the eight of the season in Division III.
Senior Fran Rafferty added 17 points and fellow senior Jon Miller 15 on 7-11 from the floor. Junior Vinny Walls chipped in with 13 points off the bench.
The Griffins grabbed an early lead but a 10-0 Cabrini spurt put the Blue and White in front 19-12 just over nine minutes into the action. Cabrini continued to turn its pressure defense into offense as its lead continued to grow. Miller connected on a traditional three point play with 4:08 left in the opening half giving the Cavaliers 35-20 lead. A late Gwynedd Mercy three pointer sent the teams to the locker rooms with the Cavaliers leading 42-29 after 20 minutes.
The Griffins emerged from the locker room determined to defend their home court. After the teams exchanged baskets in the early minutes of the half, Gwynedd Mercy used an 8-0 run to cut Cabrini's lead to 53-49 with 13:21 to play. The Cavaliers immediately responded as sophomore Brad Fagan and Walls combined for back to back to back three pointers, returning Cabrini's lead to 64-51with 11 minutes to play.
The Cavaliers could not pull away and the Griffins' hot outside shooting continued to chip away at the Cabrini's lead. Trailing 76-69 with 2:05 to play, Gwynedd Mercy mounted its final run. The Griffins held Cabrini scoreless over the next 1:43 as it used an 8-0 run to grab a 77-76 lead with 22 seconds to play.
On Cabrini's next possession, Walton-Moss found Miller for a contested short jumper, which rimmed off to the left side of the rim into the hands of the perfectly positioned Walton-Moss whose put-back gave Cabrini a 78-77 lead with 11 seconds to play.
On the subsequent possession, the Griffins tried to drive the baseline but the Cavaliers forced a turnover. Gwynedd Mercy fouled Walton-Moss with 2.9 seconds on the clock. The junior calmly stepped to the stripe and knocked in a pair of free throws for a three point lead.
In the game's final possession, the Griffins drew up a play that created a three point attempt at the buzzer. The shot ball hung on the rim for what seemed like an eternity before falling off the rim.
Darnell Artis led Gwynedd Mercy (13-5, 9-2 CSAC) with 21 points, including 5-8 from beyond the three point line. Justin Knight added 15 points, while Tom McKeefery paired 10 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
The Cavaliers play their third consecutive road game on Saturday as they visit Rosemont College (9-10, 7-5 CSAC). Game time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.