Finger’s layup answered a Eugene Moore jumper that ended a 10-2 run by Arcadia that pulled the guests within four, 61-57, with 2:56 to play. Junior forward Zach Straining forced a turnover on the Knights next possession and Etzel nailed his third 3 of the night from the right elbow at 1:59 to put the game out of reach. Straining, who tallied 19, and Talley, who poured in a game-high 20, combined to hit six free throws down the stretch for the Crusaders as Arcadia dropped a pair of 3s in the final 30 seconds.
Alvernia opened a comfortable 6-point edge following a Straining tip-in with five minutes gone in the first half. The Crusaders’ lead doubled to 12 as Straining hit a pair of 3s to start and end a 10-2 run. The lead was up to 14 with 10:06 remaining, but the Knights were able to trim it back to six, 34-28, with 1:51 left in the first half. Talley sandwiched a pair of layups around a steal and Etzel dropped a jumper, for two of his 13 points, as the Crusaders enjoyed a 40-30 advantage at the break.
Arcadia cut the gap down to five points on two different occasions early in the second half, but Alvernia turned a 48-43 lead into a 55-45 lead with 9:51 to go following a 7-2 run. Talley led the charge with five points over the 3-minute stretch. Finger, who finished with 10 points, and Talley then traded layups for single free throws on the next two possessions leaving Alvernia up 59-47 before Arcadia’s late 10-2 run.
Moore, a freshman reserve, led the Knights’ efforts with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and Eric Elliott and Dave Boettcher both scored a dozen for Arcadia.