Monday, February 25, 2008

MORAVIAN HOSTS SCRANTON IN LANDMARK CONFERENCE MEN’S BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College men’s basketball team will make its first appearance  in the postseason in five year in the inaugural Landmark Conference Tournament, and the Greyhounds are the second seed, hosting third-seeded the University of Scranton a semifinal contest on Wednesday, February 27th at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday’s other semifinal contest will have top-seeded Susquehanna University hosting fourth-seed Juniata College at 7:00 p.m.  The winners of Wednesday’s semifinal games will meet on Saturday, March 1st for the first-ever Landmark Conference championship.

The Greyhounds, who finished the 2007-08 regular season with an overall record of 18-7 and a 9-5 slate in the Landmark Conference, will be playing their first home playoff game since the 1995-96 season, when Moravian fell to Drew University. 

Moravian head coach Jim Walker has the Greyhounds in the playoffs for the eighth time in his 28 years as head coach.  Walker, who has a record of 371-330 at Moravian and a mark of 386-340 in 29 years of coaching, has the Greyhounds playing at home for just the second time in the postseason in his tenure.

Senior guard Ryan Miller (Easton, PA/Easton HS) leads a quartet of players in double figures for Moravian, tossing in 16.1 points per contest with a team high 65 three-pointers (the second highest single season total in school history), 62 rebounds, 56 assists, 22 steals and two blocked shots despite having missed two games with an injury.  Miller, who became the 18th 1,000-point scorer in school history, now 16th with 1,063 points, and set the school career record for three-pointers currently with 156, is also ranked second nationally in free throw percentage at 93.9 percent (62 of 66). 

Senior forward Mark Franzyshen (Somerset, NJ/Immaculata HS) is contributing 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game to go with 34 assists, 22 steals and 21 blocked shots while senior forward Chris Earley (Brielle, NJ/Manasquan HS), who has missed a game with an injury, is netting 13.8 points and grabbing a team high 7.6 rebounds per contest while adding a team leading 60 assists, 28 steals, 20 three-pointers and 22 blocked shots.  Senior forward Eric Whitman (Blairstown, NJ/Notre Dame East Stroudsburg {PA} HS) is adding 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game with 53 three-pointers, 32 steals, 25 assists and eight blocked shots. 

Freshman guard Maurice Young (Philadelphia, PA/Chestnut Hill Academy), who has missed two games this season, is contributing 7.2 points per contest while adding 43 assists, a team high 38 steals, 42 rebounds, 15 three-pointers and five blocked shots while sophomore forward Eric Weaver (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury HS) is netting 4.8 points per outing to go along with 68 rebounds, 21 assists, 15 three-pointers and five steals. 

Freshman forward Chris Cullen (East Islip, NY/East Islip HS) is adding 4.4 points per outing to go with 38 rebounds, 13 three-pointers, six assists, six steals and four blocked shots.  Senior guard Chris Bays (Hackettstown, NJ/Pope John XXIII HS) has 44 points, 24 assists, 17 steals, eight three-pointers and 15 rebounds off the bench for the Greyhounds while freshman guard Steve Siracusa (New Providence, NJ/New Providence HS) has added 48 points, 46 rebounds, 19 assists, five three-pointers and 11 steals while starting two contests. 

Freshman guard Ryan O'Donnell (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury HS) has netted 19 points and added four rebounds, two assists and two steals while sophomore guard Patrick Bray (Neshanic Station, NJ/Somerville HS) has eight points, all at the foul line, and two assists.  Sophomore forward Joseph Munley (Macungie, PA/Emmaus HS) has 13 rebounds and 11 points in limited action this season while freshman forward Alvin Adams (Newark, NJ/Marist HS) has 12 rebounds, three blocked shots, three steals and two points in his debut season.

Scranton, which defeated Moravian 82-60 in Johnston Hall last Saturday and fell to the Greyhounds, 96-85, back on December 1st in Scranton during the season, finished the regular season with a 17-8 overall record and a 9-5 slate in Landmark Conference action.  The Royals, under the direction of seventh-year head coach Carl Danzig, have won three straight games.