Penn State Behrend Men's Basketball
Captures AMCC Championship and Advances to NCAA Tournament
Penn
State Behrend captured the 2008 AMCC men's basketball tournament
championship on Saturday,
March 1 in the Junker Center gym, defeating defending-champion Lake Erie
57-54. With the win Behrend (23-4) receives the league's automatic bid
to the NCAA Tournament.
The blue and white rallied from a five-point halftime deficit, clawing back
during the second half. Behrend took the lead with seven
minutes to play when senior Kevin Buczynski (Erie/Villa Maria) scored on
back-to-back drives, the second off a terrific pass from Tom Newman
(Erie/Northwestern) to lead 45-44. Lake Erie fought back to claim the lead and eventually go up three.
Then with four minutes left, Behrend junior
Drew Seker (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) came off the bench to nail a clutch three-point shot to tie the
game at 51-51.
Lake Erie's Darnell Campbell came right back, hitting a clutch bucket at the
three-minute mark to put the storm up two. Behrend responded, again
from downtown as sophomore Adam Kaiser (Erie/Cathedral Prep) hit one of his four
buckets from long-range to put Behrend up 54-53, with just over two minutes
to play, electrifying the crowd of 487.
Lake Erie tied the game with one minute remaining at 54-54 on John
Dickinson's made free throw. Buczynski was fouled on the next
possession and missed at the foul line on the 1-and-1, but hustled to grab
his own rebound. Behrend's second all-time leading scorer went back to
the line and connected to put the blue and white up 55-54. After Lake
Erie came up empty on the offensive end, Justin Kovac made them pay by
hitting two clutch free throws to extend the lead to three with 16 seconds
to play. Lake Erie missed a three point shot and in the ensuing
scramble could not regain possession to try again as
time ran out and the Behrend celebration began.
For Behrend, Buczynski finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, and four big
blocks in the win. Kaiser had 13 points including four clutch three
point baskets. Newman finished with seven points, five boards, and
four assists. Kovac and Dan Ziegler (Johnsonburg/Johnsonburg)
each added six points for the blue and white.
Leading the way for the Storm was Derrick Thornton who finished with 19
points (including three buckets from downtown) to go with eight boards.
Campbell added 12 points and also grabbed eight rebounds, while Rick Leasure
scored nine.
Behrend now advances to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time under coach
Dave Niland. Game times and pairings will be announced Monday, March 3. First
round action begins Wednesday, March 5.