Moravian's Trip to 2008 NCAA Tournament Selected as Landmark Conference Men's Basketball Top Moment for 1st Decade
TOWSON, Md. --- The 2016-17 season marks the 10-year anniversary for the Landmark Conference. As part of the buildup to each sport’s championship season, fans were asked to select their favorite moment from the first decade from a list created by members of the conference. Each winning moment will be announced prior to the conference championship.
TOWSON, Md. --- The 2016-17 season marks the 10-year anniversary for the Landmark Conference. As part of the buildup to each sport's championship season, fans were asked to select their favorite moment from the first decade from a list created by members of the conference. Each winning moment will be announced prior to the conference championship.
After the final round of voting, Moravian's making the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2008 in the first year of conference competition received 42 percent of the votes to win the top moment. Juniata's overtime win to upset No. 2 Scranton in the Landmark semifinals came in second with 29 percent and Scranton-s 18-point deficit comeback came in third with 27 percent.
The 2007-08 Moravian College men's basketball team posted an overall record of 18-9 and a 9-5 slate in the newly-created Landmark Conference, and made it all the way to the first round of the 2008 NCAA Division III National Tournament for the first time in 25 years. Head coach Jim Walker and his staff of Ken Greb, Tyler Tripucka, Dennis Robison and Jeremy Walker were honored as the inaugural Landmark Conference Coaching Staff of the Year.
Moravian made the NCAA Tournament as a Pool B team, one of four independent schools to make the field of 59. Pool B is for schools that compete as independents or those in conferences without an automatic berth to the tournament. With the Landmark Conference, which Moravian is a member, in its first season, there was no automatic berth to the conference champion. The Landmark Conference began receiving an automatic berth beginning in the 2009-10 season. The University of Scranton, which won the 2008 Landmark Conference Championship, also received one of the four Pool B berths to the tournament.
Moravian was making its second NCAA Division III Tournament and first in 25 years. John Jay College won the game with an 80-74 come-from-behind victory in Johnston Hall. With the Bloodhounds trailing 59-53 with 10:21 to go in the game, John Jay went on a 13-0 run that saw John Jay take a 66-59 with 6:31 remaining in the contest.
In the game, Moravian jumped out to a 4-0 lead on baskets by senior guard Ryan Miller and freshman guard Maurice Young only to see John Jay tied the score. The Bloodhounds took their first lead of the game, 7-6, at the 14:18 mark of the first half on a three-pointer. The Greyhounds retook the lead, 11-9, on a three-pointer by senior forward Eric Whitman with 12:30 to go in the first half.
John Jay would briefly retake the lead, 15-14, on a pair of free throws before Moravian took the lead again, 17-15, on a Miller three-pointer at 10:17. The game would either be tied or the Greyhounds had the advantage until the 2:13 mark when a jumper put the Bloodhounds up 33-32.
John Jay headed to the locker room with a 35-33 lead after shooting 14 of 32 from the floor (43.8 percent), two of ten on three-pointers and five of six at the foul line in the first 20 minutes of the game. The Bloodhounds also had a 22-15 advantage on the boards in the first half. Moravian was just ten of 28 (35.7 percent) from the field in the first half, four of six on three-pointers and nine of ten at the foul line in the first half with eight turnovers. John Jay committed ten first half turnovers.
The Greyhounds came out of the locker room and needed two possessions to take the lead back with senior forward Mark Franzyshen hitting a lay-up and Miller connecting on a follow-up jumper to give Moravian a 37-35 lead with 17:53 to play. John Jay would take a 40-39 lead on a three-pointer with 15:55 to play only to see the Greyhounds retake the lead on a lay-up by freshman guard Steve Siracusa two possessions later.
Siracusa would score on a fast break lay-up after a steal by Miller to give the Greyhounds a 53-47 lead, their largest of the game, with 12:31 to play, and Moravian would lead by six points again, 59-63, at the 10:21 mark after a full court dribble and drive by senior forward Chris Earley. Ten seconds later, John Jay hit on a three-point play to start the John Jay 13-0 run and flip a six-point deficit into a seven-point lead for the Bloodhounds.
Moravian finally broke the run with a jumper by Earley with 5:44 to play, pulling the Greyhounds within 66-61. However, the Greyhounds would get no closer than four points the rest of the way with John Jay eventually pushing the lead to eight points, 79-71, its largest of the contest, after a pair of free throws with 40 seconds to play. The Bloodhounds were five of six from the charity stripe in the final 53 seconds of the game to seal the win.
Moravian shot the ball a little better in the second half, making 15 of 37 field goal attempts (40.5 percent), four of 15 three-pointers and a perfect seven-for-seven at the foul line.
Moravian also had four players in double figures with Franzyshen netting a team-high 16 points in his final collegiate game to go along with six rebounds and two assists. Earley had a double-double in his final career game with 13 points and ten boards to go with four assists, two steals and two blocked shots while Miller had 12 points, five rebounds and three assists in final game. Miller finished his career with 1,089 points, 15th in school history, and a school record 160 career three-pointers. Miller also completed his career with school record for three-pointers attempted with 435 and free throw percentage at 85.7 percent (191 of 223).
Freshman forward Chris Cullen tossed in ten points off of the bench for the Greyhounds while Whitman and Young each scored nine points. Whitman also grabbed six rebounds in the final game of his career while Siracusa had five points and five rebounds. Senior guard Chris Bays dished out three assists in his final collegiate game.
