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RADNOR, Pa. – The 21st-ranked Cabrini men’s basketball team has captured its ninth Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) title all-time, and first since the 2001-02 season, with a commanding 97-73 win versus Neumann University Friday night in Nerney Field House. The win advances the Cavaliers to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since that 2001-02 campaign.
The victory is also the Blue & White’s 25th overall in 2009-10, setting a new program record for most wins in a single season.
Freshman point guard Cory Lemons guided a scorching Cabrini offense, coupling a game-high 25 points with 10 assists and six rebounds. Lemons, who shot 10-for-15 from the field overall, earned the game’s most valuable player honor.
Senior forward Kevin Misevicius notched a double-double with 21 points and 14 boards. Misevicius also recorded four blocked shots and knocked down five 3-point field goals.
Junior forward Dom Farrello netted 15 points and handed out three assists. Junior guard Lamar Fisher and sophomore forward Brandon Carter also reach double figures, each contributing 10 points.
The Cavaliers’ attack shot 55.2 percent from the field overall and 52.9 percent from long range. Cabrini scored 54 points in the first half and led by 23 at the intermission behind a scorching 64.7 percent shooting clip.
The Blue & White led by as much as 27 points, 84-57, with 6:51 remaining in the second half.
Senior guard Na ‘Sheed Linton led Neumann with 18 points, including the 1,000th of his collegiate career. Junior guard Marquise Boggs (16), senior forward Sean Armstrong (14) and sophomore forward Patrick O’Connor (12) also scored in double figures for the Knights.
The Cavaliers also knocked off the Knights, 71-67, in the teams’ last conference title tilt in 2001-02. The Blue & White hosted the CSAC championship game tonight for the first time since the 1997-98 campaign.
Cabrini will play in the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in program history. The Cavaliers qualified for the national postseason six consecutive seasons from 1993-98. The 2001-02 season ended with Cabrini advancing to the “Sweet 16” round.
The win improves the Cavaliers record to 13-0 at home this season. Cabrini has now won 24 straight games, including 19 under second-year head coach Marcus Kahn, versus CSAC opponents on the Nerney Field House hardwood.
Kahn, named the CSAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season Feb. 21, owns a 47-10 record in less than two full seasons at Cabrini. The victory tonight was his first in a conference championship game as a head coach.
Cabrini (25-2) will learn of its fate in the NCAA Tournament Monday, March 1. The NCAA and CBS College Sports will broadcast the 2010 selection show online via NCAA.com at 10 a.m.