Box Score

HAMBURG, NY - The Medaille College men's basketball advanced to the AMCC title game for the fourth time in the past five seasons as they outlasted top seeded Hilbert College (72-69) on the road in the first conference semifinal game.  The Mavs used a dominant performance from beyond the arc to dispatch of the Hawks.

In what has been a staple all season long for Medaille, the Mavs knocked down (11 of 22) three-point attempts, while the Hawks managed just (2 of 15) from long range.  That stat proved to be the difference as Hilbert controlled the paint, the glass, and the points of turnover categories. Despite all of that, the Mavs trailed just once in the game (51-50) with (11:08) left in the game, and led by as many as (12) points in the win.  The Mavs outshot the Hawks from the field (46.9%) to (40.6%) to go along with their tremendous three-point shooting night. For the season, the Mavs have connected on (87) more three pointers than their opponents.

Senior Tyler Stevens put together a tremendous performance as he prolonged his final season with a (7 for 9) effort from the floor, which included connecting on (5 of 7) shots from beyond the arc, in matching a game high with (19) points.  Teammate Jammal Coleman also netted (19) points while pulling down (5) rebounds, dishing out (4) assists and coming up with a block and a victory winning steal in the games waning seconds as Hilbert was desperately looking for a game tying bucket.

Senior point guard Josh Laureano chipped in with (8) points while matching Coleman with (4) assists while sophomore Alex Baron tallied (6) points and grabbed a team high (6) boards.

The Mavs jumped out to an early (12-4) lead and would extend to double digit leads several times throughout the game, only to see Hilbert fight through and keep the score close.  However, the Mavs never waivered as they seemingly came up with clutch buckets and key free throws to stave off all of the Hawk comeback attempts.  In the games final thirty seconds, Josh Laureano connected on four straight attempts from the charity stripe which helped preserve the victory.

The win is the 14th straight for Medaille over Hilbert dating back to February 17, 2007 and it is the second straight year that the Mavs have beaten the Hawks in the AMCC semifinals.  The Mavs improve to (18-9) with their third straight win and they will face the winner of the Penn State-Behrend vs. La Roche College semifinal winner tomorrow at 3:00pm on Hilbert's campus.  The winner of that game will receive the AMCC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

SEASON STATS