The Griffins claim the PAC title for the second year in a row and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.
Tournament MVP Badou Gaye led the charge, registering 26 points and 18 rebounds, both game highs as Gwynedd-Mercy downed Alvernia in the finals for the second year in a row.
Gaye, who also claimed his second-consecutive tournament MVP award, also reached a milestone, as he scored his 2,000th career point with his bucket with 3:09 in the first half.
Sophomore Chris DelBrocco contributed 17 points.
Chris Talley led the Crusaders (17-10) with 23 points. Mike Brock added 12 and Lamar Brickus chipped in 10. Alvernia shot 21-of-65 (32%) but connected on 11 treys in the game. Talley and Brock drained four each.
The Griffins never trailed in the contest as DelBrocco's three-point play off layup and foul shot gave GMC a 35-26 lead with 2:45 in the first half. Gwynedd-Mercy went into the locker room up 39-28.
Alvernia opened the second half by nailing back-to-back longballs to cut the deficit to 39-34. But back came the Griffins, using a 15-5 run capped by sophomore Francis Bowe's three-pointer to take a 54-39 lead with just under 12 minutes in the contest.
From there, the Griffins pushed their lead to as much as 20 points as GMC won their fifth-straight game.
Bowe added eight points while senior Courtney Griffin recorded six assists, five boards, and four points. The Griffins connected on 28-of-63 (44%) from the floor and outreboudned Alvernia, 50-33.
Newspaper Box Score Alvernia vs Gwynedd-Mercy College 02/25/05 7 p.m. at Gwynedd Valley, Pa. Griffin Complex At Gwynedd Valley, Pa. Griffin Complex GWYNEDD-MERCY COLLEGE 81, ALVERNIA 63 ALVERNIA (17-10) Chris Talley 8-16 3-4 23; Mike Brock 4-15 0-0 12; Lamar Brickus 3-6 2-3 10; Zach Straining 2-11 2-4 6; Ryan Finger 2-4 0-0 4; Garrett Etzel 0-9 3-4 3; Josh Gerloff 1-2 0-0 3; Tremayne Pickett 1-1 0-0 2; Steve Royles 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-65 10-15 63. GWYNEDD-MERCY COLLEGE (23-4) Badou Gaye 12-16 2-2 26; Chris DelBrocco 5-12 4-5 17; Francis Bowe 2-5 2-2 8; Jeff Thomas 3-9 2-7 8; Frank Barder 1-1 2-2 5; Courtney Griffin 2-7 0-0 4; Rashid Santiago 1-4 2-2 4; Troy Bixler 0-1 2-4 2; Kenny Faison 1-1 0-0 2; Joe Kilpatrick 1-3 0-0 2; Kevin Lauer 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 28-63 19-28 81. Alvernia...................... 28 35 - 63 Gwynedd-Mercy College......... 39 42 - 81 3-point goals-Alvernia 11-31 (Mike Brock 4-12; Chris Talley 4-7; Lamar Brickus 2-3; Josh Gerloff 1-2; Garrett Etzel 0-4; Ryan Finger 0-1; Zach Straining 0-2), Gwynedd-Mercy College 6-13 (Chris DelBrocco 3-6; Francis Bowe 2-5; Frank Barder 1-1; Kevin Lauer 0-1). Fouled out--Alvernia-None, Gwynedd-Mercy College-None. Rebounds-Alvernia 33 (Chris Talley 5; Zach Straining 5), Gwynedd-Mercy College 50 (Badou Gaye 18). Assists-Alvernia 15 (Lamar Brickus 4; Ryan Finger 4), Gwynedd-Mercy College 21 (Courtney Griffin 6). Total fouls-Alvernia 24, Gwynedd-Mercy College 16. A-500 2005 Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Badou Gaye, tournament MVP, surpasses 2,000 career points at 3:09 of the first half Griffins win second PAC Championship in a row