NEUMANN ENDS MEDAILLE'S SEASON IN ECAC SEMIFINALS

The Medaille College men's basketball team continued their magical postseason run on Saturday afternoon, taking on the Knights of Neumann in the ECAC DIII Men's Basketball Championship Semifinals. In what turned out to be a classic, the Mavs took a late lead but couldn't hold on as the Knights edged Medaille 89-85.
 
The first half set the tone for what proved to be a track meet from start to finish. The Knights connected on 52.9 percent from the floor while the Mavs didn't back down, hitting on 47.1 percent of their own shots.
 
Sparking the Mavericks offense was their shooting from distance, connecting on 8-18 from three with five of those coming from senior guard Jalen Smith who had 19 at the half. Both sides were even in almost every statistical category going into the break with one exception, the Mavericks committed seven turnovers compared to just two for Neumann.
 
Those extra possessions, along with 14-5 free throw advantage earned the Knights a four point lead at the break.
 
The fireworks didn't vanish in the second half, if anything they only got brighter. This time it was the Mavericks who would hit on 50 percent of their shots from the floor, giving Neumann everything they had.
 
Every time the Knights looked as if they were going to start to pull away, the Mavericks answered. A Billy Cassidy jumper put Neumann up seven but Matthew Sadowy quickly answered to cut it to five. Minutes later Jalen Smith did the same as his jump shot made it a 71-66 score.
 
Junior Cedric Mondjii made it 71-67 with a free throw and a clutch three from senior Justice Fagan made it a one point game with just over eight minutes to play.
 
Fagan came up big for Medaille in the final 20 minutes going 5-8 from the floor and 3-5 from three point range, turning it up when the Mavs needed it the most.
 
The three seniors did not want their season to end on Saturday, and Smith tied the game at 76 with a fast break lay-in at the 5:46 mark as Medaille looked to take the momentum into the final minutes. Sophomore Jonathan Smith, who one day earlier set a new program record with 19 rebounds in a game, followed Smith's lay-in with one of his own to give the Mavericks their first lead of the game at 78-76.
 
The two teams traded baskets following Medaille earning their first lead, something that seemed to benefit the Mavs as they held an 85-84 edge after a crucial three from Fagan at the 1:55 mark. Unfortunately for the Mavericks that was the last shot they were able to connect on, as the Knights came away with two key stops down the stretch and held on for the 89-85 victory.
 
Medaille's magical ECAC ride came to an end shooting 48.5 percent from the floor and having four different players score in double figures. Jalen led the way with 23 while Fagan chipped in with 16 of his own. Fellow senior Mike Hollenbeck ended his illustrious career with 14 points and six rebounds, while Jonathan Smith scored 12 and grabbed 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double.
 
Junior Meghale Ford had nine points, six rebounds, and four assists as well as the Mavericks end their season with a 19-11 overall record.