Moravian Men Headed to DeSales for ECAC Division III South Quarterfinals Wednesday Night
CAPE COD, MA --- The Moravian College men’s basketball team has been awarded a berth in the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III South Championship Tournament announced Monday, and the Greyhounds will travel to second seed DeSales University, 21-6 this winter, for a quarterfinal game on Wednesday, February 27th at 7:00 p.m. in Billera Hall.
CAPE COD, MA --- The Moravian College men's basketball team has been awarded a berth in the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III South Championship Tournament announced Monday, and the Greyhounds will travel to second seed DeSales University, 21-6 this winter, for a quarterfinal game on Wednesday, February 27th at 7:00 p.m. in Billera Hall.
Moravian, which is 14-11 overall this season, will be making its third appearance in the ECAC Tournament and the first since the 2003 season.
Wednesday's other quarterfinal games will feature top seed Albright College (20-6) hosting eighth seed McDaniel College (14-11), third seed Juniata College (18-8) hosting sixth seed Medaille (N.Y.) College (18-10) and fourth seed LaRoche College (16-9) hosting fifth seed Bethany (W.Va.) College (16-10). The semifinals and championship are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, March 2nd & 3rd at the highest remaining seed.
Moravian head coach Jim Walker has the Greyhounds in the postseason for the second straight year after a Landmark Conference Tournament berth in 2012. Walker, who has an overall record of 425-406 in 33 seasons at Moravian, has the Greyhounds looking for the program's first ECAC Championship. The last time Moravian played this late in the season was when the Greyhounds hosted John Jay (N.Y.) College in the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2008.
Leading the Greyhounds on the court this season has been senior guard D.J. Strayhorn, who is averaging 15.3 points per game this year after becoming the 18th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. Strayhorn also leads Moravian with 91 assists, 46 steals and 42 three-pointers to go with 67 rebounds.
Senior guard Garrett Johnson has averages of 11.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest to go with 63 assists, 33 steals, 32 three-pointers and 16 blocked shots. Junior center Cameron Cullen is netting 10.1 points per outing while leading the team at 7.4 rebounds per game. Cullen has also added 25 steals, 24 assists and seven blocked shots.
Junior center Blake English leads Moravian with 33 blocked shots to go with averages of 8.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest, and he has 17 steals, 11 assists and 11 three-pointers. Sophomore guard Izel Dickerson in scoring 7.9 points per game to go with 54 rebounds, 43 assists, 31 steals and 31 three-pointers while junior guard Kenny Gula is netting 7.0 points per contest with 33 rebounds, 17 three-pointers and 18 assists.
Senior center Aaron Thieme is grabbing 5.1 rebounds per game to go with an average of 4.3 points per contest. Thieme also has 23 blocked shots, 22 assists and 15 steals while freshman guard Matt Bosch has contributed 85 points, 53 rebounds, 20 assists and 13 steals. Freshman guard Jarrod Dilts has 52 points, 16 rebounds, 13 three-pointers, 11 assists and nine steals while junior guard Mike Bonavita has 36 points, 12 three-pointers and six assists. Senior forward Mike Weinert has contributed 46 rebounds, 18 points and nine assists while sophomore forward Garrett Kashmer has added 24 points and 12 rebounds.
DeSales is 21-6 on the season and was 12-2 during the regular season in the Freedom Conference, earning the top seed in the Freedom Tournament before falling to Delaware Valley College in the championship game. The Bulldogs, under the direction of 20th-year coach Scott Coval, are making their 14th appearance in the ECAC South Championships, and DeSales has won a pair of ECAC South titles in 1991 and 2007.
For the full 2013 ECAC Division III South Bracket, visit www.ecacsports.com
