December 30, 2025
Greyhounds Top Ursinus in Final Second to Win 45th Steel Club Classic
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University men’s basketball squad saw a 14-point second half lead become a six-point deficit before rallying to win the 45th Steel Club Classic Championship with an 81-79 victory over Ursinus College in the final second of action Tuesday evening in Johnston Hall.
Ursinus College
79
Moravian University
81
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
27 | 52 | 79 |
|
|
38 | 43 | 81 |
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Ursinus College
Pts:
Jamie Murphy
- 18
Reb:
TEAM
- 12
Ast:
Jamie Murphy
- 5
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Ursinus College | Moravian University |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (30-74) | (30-70) |
| Field Goal % | 40.5% | 42.9% |
| Rebounds | 50 | 42 |
| Assists | 11 | 17 |
| Turnovers | 20 | 20 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 24 | 20 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 14 | 16 |
| Pts in the Paint | 46 | 42 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 23 | 11 |
| Bench Pts | 11 | 21 |
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University men's basketball squad saw a 14-point second half lead become a six-point deficit before rallying to win the 45th Steel Club Classic Championship with an 81-79 victory over Ursinus College in the final second of action Tuesday evening in Johnston Hall.
How It Happened
- The Bears opened the scoring with a basket nearly two minutes into action while senior forward Marquis Ratcliff got the Hounds on the scoreboard with a three-pointer at the 17:38 mark. The three started an 11-0 run for the Greyhounds that Ratcliff capped off with a lay-up for an 11-2 edge with 15:44 on the clock. Ursinus countered and pulled within two at 11-9 before junior guard George Cutler banked in a three-pointer for the Blue & Grey, and Moravian had a 14-12 edge midway through the half
- Senior guards Porter Kelly and Colin Farrell made baskets to push the advantage back to six points at 18-12, while junior guard/forward Riley Flood hit a free throw for a 26-16 lead with just under six minutes left in the first half. The Hounds edge reached 12 points, and Moravian headed for the intermission with a 38-27 advantage after a free throw by sophomore forward Brave Haugh in the final minute of the half
- Kelly began the second half scoring with a three-point play, and the lead was still at 14 points, 44-30, after Cutler hit a three-pointer from the corner a minute and a half into action. The Bears slowly began to chip away at the Hounds' edge, closing within three points at 52-49 with 12:53 on the clock. Ratcliff made two free throws and added a lay-up to push the edge back to seven points before Ursinus got within a point at 56-55 with just over 11 minutes remaining
- The Bears eventually took a 62-60 lead with 7:40 to go before junior guard Joel Baez sank a three-pointer to put the Blue & Grey back on top. Ursinus countered to take a 67-65 lead with 5:39 remaining before Ratcliff got the lead back for Moravian on a lay-up. The Bears hit a three-pointer on the next possession while Kelly tied the contest at 70-70 with a lay-up at the 4:03 mark
- Ursinus scored eight of the next ten points to build a 78-72 edge with two minutes to play. Senior guard Chad Kratzer connected on a three-pointer, and Baez had two free throws as the Greyhounds pulled withing a point at 78-77 with 1:25 to go. The Bears made it a two-point lead with a free throw before Kratzer tied the contest at 79-79 on a driving lay-up with 56 seconds to play. Baez would drive the baseline for a reverse lay-up with just 0.2 seconds remaining to give the Hounds the final lead
- Moravian is now 58-31 in tournament history as the squad won its 18th tournament title. The Hounds have played in the championship game 34 times in 44 tournaments with five tournaments set up to not have a championship game
Inside the Numbers
- Moravian had three players in double figures led by Ratcliff, who tossed in a game-high 23 points to go with nine rebounds, three assists and two steals as he was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player
- Kelly finished with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team while Baez had 12 points, six boards, three assists and a pair of steals
- Kratzer registered nine points and two rebounds while Cutler and Farrell both had six points and two assists with Cutler adding three steals
- Flood contributed five points and two rebounds while senior forward Liam Cummiskey registered seven rebounds, two points, two assists and two steals and Haugh had three boards and a point
- The Hounds were 30-for-70 from the field (42.9 percent), 8-for-35 on three-pointers and 13-for-18 at the foul line in the contest
Up Next for the Greyhounds
- Saturday, January 3 vs. Lancaster Bible College, 3:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, January 7 vs. The Catholic University of America, 1:00 p.m.
