Sophomore forward Terrence Shawell (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) scored exactly 20 points for the Crusaders (15-4, 10-2 PAC) for the third straight game, and the Crusaders nailed nine free throws in the last 64 seconds to seal the win. Freshman forward Matt King (Phoenixville, PA/St. Pius X) also reached double figures for the Crusaders with 12 and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
Alvernia erased an early two-point deficit with a 17-3 run that featured five straight 3-pointers. Shawell knocked down the first two and sandwiched a third between two from Etzel. The final one from Etzel posted a 20-10 lead for the guests. Seven minutes later a Marcel Roane (Philadelphia, PA/George Washington) bucket gave Alvernia its largest lead of the first half, an 11-point cushion at 29-18.
Cabrini rattled off eight straight points to close the first-half scoring and headed to the break down just three points, 29-26. Freshman Ryan Oxley (Germansville, PA/Northwestern Lehigh), who finished with 11 points, hit two 3s for the hosts during the final three minutes of the opening half.
Cabrini senior Randy Reid (Philadelphia, PA/Monsignor Bonner), who led the Cavs with 24 points, was the only one to score for the hosts during the opening six minutes of the second half, but Alvernia was only able to better Reid’s eight-point effort by a single point and held a 38-34 lead at the 14:47 mark. Etzel then rattled off five straight for a nine-point lead and answered a Cabrini bucket with another of his own to hold the gap, 45-36 with 12:36 to play.
The lead grew to 11 on a King 3, but Reid and Bruce MacLelland (Kimberton, PA/Phoenixville) combined to lead an 8-2 run that cut the gap to five. Etzel scored a bucket and a free throw and senior guard Ryan Finger (Lancaster, PA/Lampeter Strasburg) followed with a hoop to push the gap back to 10 with 4:36 to play.
Cabrini trimmed that gap to seven points before the Crusader began the parade to the free throw line with just over a minute to play. The Cavs scored nine points in the final minute of play, but Alvernia matched that with a 9-for-12 effort from the free throw line to seal the seven-point win.
Alvernia will return home to face Neumann College on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
Alvernia 73, Cabrini 66