Top 10 Stories of 2017-18 - #1 Men's Basketball Claims First Landmark Conference Title
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Moravian College finishes its look back at its 2017-18 athletic campaign today. The final story in the second list of the summer as part of the Top 10 Stories from the past year selected by the athletic administration is our No. 1 story – the men’s basketball team claiming its first Landmark Conference Championships and an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Moravian College finishes its look back at its 2017-18 athletic campaign today. The final story in the second list of the summer as part of the Top 10 Stories from the past year selected by the athletic administration is our No. 1 story – the men's basketball team claiming its first Landmark Conference Championships and an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
The Greyhounds, under the direction of third-year Head Coach Justin Potts '00, posted a 20-8 overall record, which marked the first time in the program's 81-year history that Moravian has hit the 20-win plateau. The conference title was the first in the 11 years of the Landmark Conference for the Hounds, and Moravian's only other conference championship listed in the record books was in 1940. The Blue and Grey made their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2008. The program's other NCAA appearance came in 1983.
Moravian opened the 2017-18 season with a 21-point win over rival Muhlenberg College before winning two straight games to capture the Gettysburg College Tip-Off Tournament including an overtime victory over Bridgewater (Va.) College in the championship game. The Hounds dropped a six-point game at DeSales University before Thanksgiving before a four-game winning streak that included a win in the final 10 seconds at Elizabethtown College to begin the Landmark Conference regular season pushed the Blue and Grey to 7-2 as finals for the first semester started.
The squad traveled to Miami and split a pair of games at the Hoop MIA D3 Holiday Shootout including hitting the 100-point mark for the first time this season with a 100-96 win over Eastern University. Moravian also split a pair of games in the Roosevelt's 21st Greyhound Classic before returning to Landmark Conference action after New Year's with a 106-74 victory over Susquehanna University.
The Greyhounds dropped three of their next four Landmark Conference contests with the only win being a 103-101 overtime victory over The Catholic University of America in Johnston Hall. The Hounds responded with seven-game winning streak to clinch a berth in the Landmark Conference Tournament as the second seed before the regular season ended with a two-point loss at Catholic to finish 10-4 in Landmark Conference play.
Moravian hosted Drew University in the Landmark Conference Semifinals and rallied for a 96-91 overtime win, making the Greyhounds 3-0 in overtime for the year, a game that was number four on the Top 10 Games of 2017-18, read the story at https://www.moraviansports.com/sports/mbkb/2017-18/releases/20180622eoyfmr.
The Greyhounds then traveled to Juniata College and rallied again for an 81-78 victory and the conference title. That game was the top contest on the Top 10 Games of 2017-18, read the story at https://www.moraviansports.com/sports/mbkb/2017-18/releases/20180702n5vgjt.
The Hounds headed to Williams (Mass.) College for the NCAA Division III Tournament First Round where the historic season came to an end with an 86-61 loss to Ramapo College of New Jersey.
To read game recaps from the entire season along with links to photo galleries and videos from the season, visit https://www.moraviansports.com/sports/mbkb/2017-18/schedule.
