Senior guard Garrett Etzel (Shillington, PA/Governor Mifflin) knocked down the final two 3s of the run and led the Crusaders (8-2, 3-0 PAC) with 19 points. Sophomore Terrence Shawell (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) scored 12 of his 15 points after the break and finished the night with a game-high 10 rebounds.
Arcadia (4-7, 2-4 PAC) shot a dismal 19 percent from the floor in the first half, but kept from digging the hole too deep by hitting 11-of-13 free throws and benefiting from a 29 percent effort from the Crusaders over the opening frame. Alvernia held a 25-20 lead at the break led by eight from Etzel and five points from Ryan Finger (Lancaster, PA/Lampeter Strasburg). The Scarlet Knights hit just four field goals in the first half, one each from four different players, and combined for a 1-for-10 effort from the arc.
Shawell, who entered the game on a streak of four straight games with 20 or more points, missed all six of his first half shots including four from behind the arc. He improved dramatically at the other end of the floor going 3-for-4 from long range in the second half.
Alvernia jumped out to a 9-0 lead, but managed just one free throw over the next five minutes as Arcadia trimmed the gap to 10-9. Etzel scored six straight to push the lead to seven, a lead Alvernia held twice more in the first half. Arcadia put together a small run to cut the gap to three, but got no closer for the remainder of the half, and Alvernia freshman Nick Rivera (Reading, PA/Holy Name) closed the first half scoring with a layup.
Freshman Matt King (Phoenixville, PA/St. Pius X), who opened both halves with a 3, put the hosts up eight points early in the second, and after an exchange of hoops, Finger’s layup started a 7-0 streak that put the Crusaders up 13 points, 38-25. Arcadia trimmed that gap down to nine points, 41-32, but needed another six minutes to cut it to six, 51-45, with 6:41 to play.
King and Finger both hit a pair of free throws to regain a 10-point lead with 5:37 to go and Alvernia cruised to the 10-point win.
Alvernia improved its shooting to 45 percent in the second half including a 7-for-14 effort from the arc and hit 12 second-half free throws to seal the win. The Crusaders will travel to Marywood Saturday for a women’s and men’s doubleheader with the Pacers.