Jayson Hyman scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, earning the tournament's most valuable player award, as Immaculata stamped its first ticket to the Division III NCAA Tournament with an 85-68 victory over visiting Gwynedd-Mercy before a sellout crowd of 660 in the championship game of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference tournament Friday night at Alumnae Hall.
With the win, Immaculata (18-9) claims the PAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Gwynedd-Mercy fell to 19-9. The Mighty Macs were one of three teams to clinch tournament berths on Friday, along with the Kean women, who beat The College of New Jersey 70-61, and the Puget Sound women, who defeated George Fox.
Kyle Finklea tallied 15 points and Sean Fordham 14, lifting the Mighty Macs to their first conference championship in just the third year of the program.
“It is something that is very hard to explain,” said third-year coach Jamie Chadwin. “I am excited for everyone that is a part of this program. I was happy we were able to execute the game plan and play so well.”
The Macs went on a 10-0 run with 5:49 remaining in the game to sew up its first trip to the dance. Gwynedd-Mercy's Dave Smith knocked down a jumper to draw the Griffins within three (67-64). However, Immaculata answered by holding its guests scoreless over the next four minutes to open up its first double-digit lead of the game, 77-64.
That burst late in the game broke open an affair that was very much a see-saw battle for most of the contest. The Macs' Julius Lopez (five points) sent the home team into the locker room at halftime with a 46-41 advantage by nailing 3-pointer off the glass from 22 feet away at the buzzer. It was Lopez's first shot attempt of the contest as he had just checked into the game with four seconds remaining.
That 3-ball ended one of the highest scoring halves of the season, which saw Gwynedd-Mercy shoot 53 percent from the field (16-for-30) while Immaculata shot 46 percent (18-for-39). The Griffins cooled off in the second frame, but the Macs maintained its hot hand to outlast its visitors.
Dave Smith scored a game-high 17 points for the Griffins in the loss. Lemeire Talley scored 15.
Kean placed all five starters in double-figures as they captured the 2008 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship with a 70-61 victory over host The College of New Jersey at Packer Hall on Friday evening.
Junior guard Melissa Beyruti led the No. 12 Cougars (25-3) with 17 points, including 11 in the second half, while senior Chari' Cooper and freshman Tiffany Patrick each recorded double-doubles to capture their second consecutive NJAC title and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Cougars won back-to-back titles for the first time since they won the last two of their nine straight championships from 1982-83 through 1990-91.
After Kean extended their lead to as many as 20 points in the second half, TCNJ cut the deficit to single digits for the first time when cut the deficit to eight points at 53-45 with just under 10 minutes remaining. The Lions pulled to within eight points on three other occasions, the final time at 63-55 with just 2:02 left, but the Cougars held off TCNJ down the stretch.
For TCNJ, junior center Hillary Klimowicz scored a game-high 28 points and added 17 rebounds and five blocks. Cooper had 11 points and 18 rebounds to record her 20th double-double of the season, while Patrick had her first-career double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Junior guard Ebony Jackson added 10 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals for the Cougars, as her six assists gave her 465 for her career, tying the program record held by Crystal Gadsen (1999-2003).