Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer

Moravian Men Fall to Hamilton in 38th Roosevelt's Greyhound Classic

Jimmy Murray '19 drives towards the basket versus Hamilton College.
Jimmy Murray '19 drives towards the basket versus Hamilton College.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College men's basketball team rallied from a 10-point deficit to lead undefeated Hamilton College in the second half but the Continentals responded to defeat the Hounds, 98-94, in the second day of the 38th Roosevelt's Greyhound Classic in Johnston Hall Sunday afternoon.

The Hounds finish the 2017 portion of the season with a 9-3 mark and the non-conference portion of the campaign with an 8-3 mark.

"I thought it was a really well played basketball game on both ends of the floor," stated Head Coach Justin Potts. "I have a lot of respect for Adam (Stockwell) and his team. They are undefeated and playing really well all year. I thought our guys did a great job. We played really well, and as I told them in the locker room, we came up just a few possessions short. I think both teams executed well, and played the style they wanted to play. It was a good game to watch obviously, and it was a great game to be in. I think the biggest thing for us is that it should make us a better team as we get ready to start conference play next weekend."

Juniors forward Oneil Holder and guard Jimmy Murray were both named to the All-Tournament Team for the efforts over the two days. Holder, who was also on the All-Tournament Team a year ago, netted a game-high 27 points to go with seven rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals while Murray tossed in 24 points to go with three boards and two assists. The duo combined to go 20-for-24 at the foul line in the contest.

The Greyhounds had three other players in double figures with junior guard Nicholas Casazza netting 14 points, junior guard Will Brazukas scoring 11 points with four assists and two steals and senior guard Matt Cardonne adding 10 points, two boards and two assists. Sophomore guard Elijah Davis had five points and a pair steals while sophomore forward C.J. Barnes added three points and senior forward Khalil Rhett had three steals and two assists.

Both teams shot over 50 percent in the game with the Greyhounds going 29-of-57 from the floor, 9-for-26 on three-pointers and 27-of-31 at the foul line. Hamilton finished with a 37-22 edge on the boards while Moravian's pressure defense forced the Continentals into 21 turnovers.

Hamilton scored the opening points of the game before Moravian took a 4-3 lead on a lay-up from Holder two minutes into the contest. The Continentals pulled out to a six-point edge, 15-9, before Casazza tied the score for the third time at 17-17 with a three-pointer at the 14:01 mark. Hamilton slowly pulled away and eventually took a 10-point lead, 38-28, with 7:25 before the intermission.

The Blue and Grey answered with an 11-2 run as Casazza hit a three-pointer with 3:37 left in the half to pull the Hounds within a point, 40-39. Holder hit lay-up with a minute left and then two free throws to end the opening 20 minutes of action as Moravian headed to the locker room trailing 52-50.

The Greyhounds tied the game for the fifth time at 58-58 just over two minutes into the second half on a three-pointer from Barnes, and Murray gave the lead back to the Hounds, 63-62, with a driving lay-up at 16:17. Hamilton would knot the score at 65-65 but a technical foul that sent Murray to the charity stripe started a 7-0 run by Moravian as the Blue and Grey built a 72-65 lead after a three-pointer from Casazza with 14:19 remaining.

The Continentals answered with a 7-0 run to tie the game again at 72-72. Neither team led by more than three points over the remainder of the contest until a final free throw from Hamilton with six ticks left on the clock set the final score. During the final 12 minutes of action, the score was tied eight times and there were three lead changes during that span as well.

The 192 combined points between the Continentals and the Greyhounds tied the tournament record for most points in a game, matching the 192 scored by Muhlenberg College and Delaware Valley University in 1979 in a 101-91 win by the Mules.

Moravian returns to action on Saturday, January 6, 2018 when the Greyhounds host Susquehanna University in a Landmark Conference game beginning at 2:00 p.m. in Johnston Hall.