BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College men's basketball squad clinched its third straight trip to the Landmark Conference Tournament with a 93-73 victory over Goucher College on Senior Day in Johnston Hall on Saturday.
The Greyhounds improve to 16-7 overall and 9-3 in Landmark Conference play with the victory to remain in second place in the conference standings.
"This senior class will leave a lasting impression on Moravian basketball," commented Head Coach Justin Potts, a 2000 Moravian graduate. "They will hold a special place in the programs history and the coaching staff Thanks them for their commitment to the program and all they have done for the Greyhound basketball family. They will graduate as one of the two winningest classes in school history and have several individual accomplishments among them; however, the most important impact they've had was the foundation that they help build for the future of Moravian basketball. They competed; appreciated the opportunity to wear the uniform were passionate about success and sacrificed for the betterment of those around them."
Moravian had four players in double figures led by senior forward Oneil Holder and junior guard C.J. Barnes, who both scored 21 points with Holder adding six rebounds and two assists and Barnes grabbing five boards and making three steals. Holder improved his career totals to 1,539 points, fifth all-time, and 667 rebounds, moving up to eighth in school history. Senior guard Jimmy Murray tossed in 15 points to go with six rebounds and two assists as he increased his career point total to 1,444, seventh all-time, while senior guard Nicholas Casazza added 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in the victory.
Freshman forward Steve Breeman contributed seven points and three boards while sophomore guard Matt O'Connor had six points and a pair of assists. Junior guard Elijah Davis added four points while sophomore guard Shon Wilson tossed in a three-pointer. Senior guard Will Brazukas dished out five assists to become the sixth player in school history to reach 300 career assists, now with 303, and he also had four rebounds, two points and a pair of steals while sophomore guard Keith Otto and junior guard Mike Martino both had two points.
The Greyhounds connected on 32-of-67 field goal attempts, 8-of-29 three-pointers and 21-of-24 free throws in the contest, and the Hounds had a 37-32 advantage on the boards. The Blue and Grey also forced Goucher into 21 turnovers while committing just 12.
The Gophers scored the opening points before Barnes hit a three-pointer to give Moravian a 7-4 edge. Three-pointers from Murray and Wilson had the Greyhounds leading 15-9 with 15:49 left in the opening half; however, Goucher scored 20 of the games next 24 points to build a 29-29 advantage with 11:28 remaining in the first half. Holder hit a pair of free throws to pull the Blue and Grey within a point, 36-35, with five minutes on the clock but the Gophers scored four straight points. Barnes would get the Hounds back within a point twice before Murray connected on a three-pointer with 1:12 before the intermission as Moravian moved back in front 47-44. Goucher hit the last three-pointer of the half to send the teams to the locker room tied at 47-47.
Barnes hit the opening three-pointer of the second half to key a 12-0 run by the Greyhounds to start the half with a jumper by Martino making the lead 59-47 six and a half minutes into action. The Gophers closed within seven points before a three-pointer from Casazza put the Moravian lead into double digits for the rest of the game at the 7:31 mark.
The Hounds are slated to return to action on Wednesday, February 13 in a Landmark Conference game at Susquehanna University tipping off at 7:00 p.m. in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.
