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Basketball Day Camp Returns to Arcadia
GLENSIDE, PA: 5/11/09 - Arcadia University Men's Basketball head coach Pat Dorney will again host his annual Day Camp for students in grades 2 through 9, July 27th through July 31 at the Kuch Athletics & Recreation Center on the campus of Arcadia University in Glenside, PA.
Instructors will be comprised of local CYO, high school and college coaches, including former and current members of the Arcadia Knights basketball program. The staff will use a specific program designed to simultaneously encourage learning and improve play. Participants will take part in instructional stations covering each phase of the game, enjoy competative games and skills competition while employing standards of good sportsmanship.
The cost is $175 for five days of camp which also included daily lunch at the University's Dining Hall and a tee shirt.
Please click here to download the 2009 Day Camp brochure. For further information, please contact coach Dorney at (215) 572-2976 or via email.
Mulholland, Sparks to Receive Senior Scholar Athlete Award
GLENSIDE, PA: 4/15/09 - Senior Bobby Mulholland (Wildwood Crest/Wildwood, NJ) and fifth year graduate student Caitlin Sparks (Souderton Area/Harleysville, PA) will be honored this Sunday evening, April 19 at Arcadia University's Student Leadership Recognition Night at Stitler Auditorium on the campus of Arcadia University in Glenside, PA. Ceremonies begin at 7:30 PM. Mulholland and Sparks have been chosen by the Department of Athletics as the 2009 Senior Scholar Athlete award winners and will receive their awards along with other award winners from Student Affairs.
Mulholland, a four year member of the men's basketball team, is a criminal justice major, whose performance in the classroom has equaled his performance and leadership on the basketball court. In 97 appearances for the Knights, Mulholland made 54 starts and finished just 65 points shy of the 1,000 career point milestone, with 935. The engineer of the Knights offense for much of his career and a team captain for the 2008-09 season, Mulholland was a fan favorite, and a well-rounded performer for head coach Pat Dorney, as he finished his career with 297 rebounds, 209 assists, 128 steals and 11 blocked shots. He garnered Commonwealth Player of the Week honors in 2009.
Sparks finished her career in 2009 as a first year graduate student, meeting the NCAA Medical Hardship Waiver requirements after a knee injury sidelined her just 9 games into her sophomore campaign. Sparks dominated the paint in 
her seasons as a Knight, going on to join the 1,000 point club in during the 2007-08 season before taking over as the all-time scoring leader for Arcadia Women's Basketball in 2008-09 with 1360 points as well as the school's all time leader in blocked shots with 64. Sparks also ends her collegiate athletic career with 730 rebounds (3rd all-time), 116 assists, and 95 steals through 105 games played (84 starts). Her post-season accolades include 2009 Second Team All Commonwealth, 2008 First Team All Freedom and D3 Hoops All Mid-Atlantic Second Team, 2005 All Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Second Team, Freedom Conference Weekly Honor Roll, as well numerous academic accolades. Sparks received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education in May, 2008 and is currently pursing a masters degree in Special Education.
Knights Drop Season Closer to Elizabethtown
ELIZABETHTOWN, PA: 2/21/07 - Arcadia Men's Basketball shot 38% from the field and went just 4-19 from long range as the Blue Jays of Elizabethtown College held the Knights to their lowest offensive output of the season in today's 71-49 win for the playoff-bound Blue Jays. Arcadia closes out the 2008-09 season with an 8-17 overall mark and 3-9 against their Commonwealth opponents.
The Knights led for just 28 seconds, on a duece from senior Bobby Mulholland at 17:30 of the first half. While Elizabethtown would stay in front for the remainder of the half, Arcadia erased the Blue Jays 10 point lead to three at the half, 29-26 Etown. But the home team would regain that ten point lead and thensome, as Arcadia's offense sputtered in it's season finale, including a 56% showing at the free throw line.
Mulholland finished his last collegiate game with a team high 12 points for the Knights. He added 3 boards, 2 assists and a steal. Freshman Aquil Cook added 8 points for the Knights. Seniors Terrel Varnado and Blaise Pepitone also played their final games for Arcadia. Varnado scored 4 points, pulled down 5 rebounds, dished out 2 assists and made 2 steals while Pepitone added 5 points in 1 rebound.
The victors were led by four players earning double figure scoring including 16 points from Mike Church and 14 from this week's league player of the week, Joe Flanagan. Etown's Phil Schaeffer earned a game high 12 rebounds.
Arcadia’s playoff hopes dashed as Knights are unable to tame Albright
GLENSIDE, PA: 2/17/09 - Arcadia Men’s Basketball lost a must-win Commonwealth game against Albright College, 72-67 Tuesday evening in Glenside. Tonight was the first of their final two conference games and Arcadia needed wins in both to have a chance to grab a spot in next week’s tournament. With tonight’s win, Albright earns a 7-4 league record while the Knights fall to 3-8 in the Commonwealth. But it could have easily gone in Arcadia’s favor as the Knights trailed by only 3 with one minute remaining.
Albright opened the game with a quick two off the tip that turned into an 18-6 run, for a 12 point lead at the 13 minute mark. The Knights dwindled their deficit to 3 as junior Damien Palantino drained one of his 4 three’s and a 19-15 Albright lead. The Lions regained that 12 point margin two more times until the Knights busted Albright’s momentum with a thrilling 11-0 run capped off by buzzer beating slam dunk by freshman Khalief Trawick.
Senior Terell Varnado scored a layup for the Knights to open the second half, giving Arcadia their first lead of the game, 35-34 at 19:30 with senior Bobby Mulholland’s trey moments later making it a two point lead for the Knights. While the Lions creeped ahead soon thereafter, Arcadia managed to keep their deficit to single digits and got a resounding sound of approval from the home court fans when Mulholland slipped another three pointer through the twine at 2:20 making it a 61-59 Albright game. Andre Murphy took it upon himself to cancel Mulholland’s bucket as he drained a trey seconds later but Palantino found an opening and the ball found nothing but the bottom of the net with Albright up 65-62 with just over a minute to go.
But just as quick as Arcadia got back in the game, they found themselves out of it as Mulholland picked up his fifth and a lost possession on a turnover forced Arcadia to foul, where the Lions sealed 7-8 from the stripe in the final 40 seconds to escape with a hard-fought 72-67 win.
A physically played game from start to end, both teams saw three players land in double-figures. For the Knights, Palantino’s 21 led all scorers. He drained 4-8 from long range, earned 4 boards, 2 steals and dished out 2 assists. Mulholland added 14 and was 3-6 from three point range. Trawick scored 13, grabbed 8 boards and assisted 3 AU buckets.
For the Lions, senior Phil Hall poured in 17 and grabbed a game high 15 boards and blocked 5 shots. Murphy and Matt Ashcroft scored 13 apiece for the Lions.
For the game, Albright shot 49% and 76% from the line while the Knights made 38% from the floor and 70% from the line.
Playing their final home game of their collegiate career, senior Blaise Pepitone, Terell Varnado and Bobby Mulholland were welcomed by ovations from Alumni Gym.
Arcadia will close out the 2008-09 season this Saturday at Elizabethtown, a Commonwealth regular season finale at 3 PM.
Career Night for Vose but Knights Drop Fourth Straight
GLENSIDE, PA: 2/14/09 - With under five minutes remaining in the game, Arcadia Men's Basketball saw their eight point lead over the Patriots of Valley Forge Christian College disolve into a five point deficit as the Patriots 11-0 run to end the game sealed their 77-70 victory over Arcadia in local men's non-conference play Saturday in Glenside. The loss is Arcadia's fourth straight as they drop to 8-15 overall, while the Patriots improve to 22-6.
Valley Forge enjoyed a 33-point, 9 rebounds outing from Justyn Mitchell, who hit 5-9 from behind the arc to lead all scorer's. The Patriots also got 18 points and 7 boards from Michael Strum. Arcadia outshot the Patriots from all over the floor and took a slim edge in rebounding while committing less turnovers but the Patriots size combined with Arcadia's late game shooting woes, plagued the Knights who saw four players land in double-figures, including freshman Andrew Vose's first career double-double. Vose led the Knights with 16 points, and 13 defensive rebounds on 7-8 shooting.
The Patriots stormed out to a 15-5 lead with 11 points from Mitchell in that span, including back-to-back three pointers, before Arcadia would use a 10-0 run with five straight buckets in the paint to tie the game at 15. The two squads traded leads and then Arcadia senior Blaise Pepitone splashed a three pointer with 2:13 remaining in the half giving the Knights the 33-27 lead. But Mitchell immediately retaliated with a long range shot of his own before hitting a pair of free throws to give the Patriots the 35-33 edge at the half.
Arcadia senior Bobby Mulholland's three pointer at 16:48 sparked a 13-5 Arcadia run as the Knights would remain in front for the next 15 minutes. Valley Forge steadily chipped away at an Arcadia lead that once stood at 8 points with under five minutes remaining, going to the inside to Strum, whose basket with 53 seconds left put the Patriots in the lead by one, 71-70. Another bucket on the inside from the Patriots and an Arcadia foul allowed Valley Forge to go up by 5 with just :10 seconds left as the Knights failed to connect on their final four shots in the closing minutes to lose their second game in as many tries in the final minute of regulation.
Mulholland scored 11 points and added 5 boards, 3 helpers and 2 steals while freshman Khalief Trawick scored 11 points and dished out 4 assists for the Knights. Freshman Acquil Cook added 10 points, 7 rebounds on 4-5 from the floor. Junior Damien Palantino scored 7 points, caused 2 turnovers and led the Knights with 6 assists while sophomore Darrell Mills chipped in with 5 points and 7 rebounds.
Arcadia is off until Tuesday when they host Albright College at 8 PM in their final home contest of the season. Tuesday's game is senior night and a must-win for the Knights as they currently stand on the outside looking in at the fourth and final playoff slot available for the Commonwealth post-season.
Dutchmen Ward off Knights 76-69
ANNVILLE, PA: 2/11/09 - Arcadia Men's Basketball put forth a valiant comeback attempt late in the second half only to be answered by Lebanon Valley College's Kyle Enoch who drained one of his game high five three point buckets as the Dutchmen held on for a critical Commonwealth win Wednesday night in Annville. The loss moves Arcadia to 3-7 in the league, two wins shy of the fourth and final playoff berth with two games remaining on their conference schedule. Meanwhile, Lebanon Valley improves to 4-6 and remains one game out as the Dutchmen avenged an earlier season loss to Arcadia 76-72 back on Jan. 7.
The Knights enjoyed a small advantage at the onset of Wednesday's must-win for both teams until LVC's Anthony Trautman deposited three straight buckets in the paint giving the Dutchmen the 25-21 lead with under six minutes remaining in the first half. Arcadia struggled from the floor in the closing minutes of the half with LVC holding onto the 34-27 advantage at the break.
Arcadia's Bobby Mulholland converted an offensive rebound into a bucket to open to the second half only to be answered by a three pointer from LVC's Sean Macintosh. A quick layup by the Dutchmen gave them their first ten point lead but Arcadia senior Blaise Pepitone dropped a three pointer to cut it to 7 just two minutes in. The Dutchmen would enjoy the momentum until a layup from freshman Aquil Cook sparked a 12-3 Arcadia run as the Knights got themselves back into the game. Another bucket underneath from Cook at 5:09 gave the Knights their first lead of the game since the eigth minute mark of the first half. That lead grew to three before Enoch's drained a three ball and Joe Meehan and Macintosh followed with two more big time three balls increasing LVC's late game lead to 5, 72-67. Arcadia sophomore Darrel Mills added two points with 9 seconds to go making it a one posession game, 72-69 but an Arcadia technical foul sent Enoch to the line with under 1 second. Enoch, perfect from the line all night, drained 4 straight charity tosses with .2 seconds remaining, proving to be not enough time for a last chance shot from the Knights.
Enoch led all scorer's with 25 points on 7-10 from the floor, 5-8 from downtown and 6-6 at the line. He also contributed with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Meehan finished with 14 points and 6 assists while Dan Dunkleberger added 12 points and 6 rebounds.
For the Knights, freshman Khalief Trawick poured in 16 points on 6-9 shooting and added 3 boards, 3 steals and blocked 3 shots. Junior Damien Palantino scored 13 points and was 4-4 from the line with 2 steals while Mulholland finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. The Knights struggled from behind the arc, going just 3-19, a season low 16% from the three point line, and made only 14 of their 21 free throw attempts. Turnovers and field goal percentages were about even for both teams but the ability to shoot the long ball proved to be the difference as LVC drained 50% of their shots from downtown.
The Knights will do what they can to give themselves a chance at the post-season with two conference games remaining, Tues. Feb 17th at home against Albright (5-4 CC) and Sat. Feb. 21 at Elizabethtown (5-5 CC). Both are must wins for Arcadia who will need some help from the remaining Commonwealth matchups for a possible playoff berth. Until then, the team returns to action at home this Saturday hosting Valley Forge Christian College at 1 PM.
Basketball Returns to Commonwealth Play Wednesday
Arcadia Men's & Women's Basketball return to Commonwealth action Wednesday in Annville, PA, taking on the Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley College. The women will be the Dutchmen's hosts for their annual Pink Zone game at 6 PM. The women's game will feature a live radio broadcast and live stats while the men's team will tip off at 8 PM in a must win for Arcadia with live stats available.
Knights Get No Help in Playoff Pursuit at Lycoming
WILLIAMSPORT, PA: 2/7/09 - Trailing by just one at the start of the second half, Arcadia Men's Basketball watched as Lycoming shot an impressive 58% from the floor amidst a 20-4 run as the Warriors held on for the 82-66 win in Commonwealth Conference action. The win for Lycoming creates a log jam for one of four available playoff berths come Feb. 25 when the league semi-finals open.
Arcadia (8-13, 3-6) opened this afternoon's league battle on fire from three point land, draining their first 4 attempts from long range on an 11-0 run to take the 14-4 lead at 15:23. Lycoming (11-9, 4-4) fought back with their own 7-0 run to tie it at 25-all by the 7 minute mark and then junior Damien Palantino's layup at 4:13 gave the Knights the 33-30 lead. That would be the last lead of the game for Arcadia as Lycoming's Eric Anthony drilled a three bomb on the very next possession to tie the game at 33-all with the Warriors going on to take the 38-37 lead into halftime.
Lycoming needed a big play early, and got it from big man Greg Sye, who grabbed an offensive board and then scored the basket at 18:33, giving the Warriors a three point lead, 42-39. But then Palantino cashed in on a pair of charity tosses to bring his team back to within one, 42-41 with 17:09 showing on the clock. Palantino, who led the Knights in scoring for the second straight game, then added another lay in at 14:34 erasing a 6 point Warrior advantage to make it 47-45, Lycoming.
The Warriors got a spark from Jemayne Nowlin as he knocked down a three at 15:43 to start a 20-4 Lycoming run which created a 19-point lead over the Knights with 7:30 to play in regulation. The Knights would answer with their own 10-5 run with back-to-back three pointers, the first from senior Bobby Mulholland, the second from Palantino to cut Arcadia's deficit to 13 inside of the four minute mark but the Warriors nailed a three on the next play to spark a 10-7 run to close the game with the win. The win for Lycoming created a two-way tie for third place in the league standings (Messiah and Lycoming are now both 4-4), while Arcadia (3-6) remains in last place behind fifth place Elizabethtown (4-5) and sixth place Labanon Valley (3-5). Widener (6-2) and Albright (5-3) sit in the top two spots respectively.
Palantino led the Knights with 15 points on 5-9 shooting. Mulholland added 8 points and dished out 5 helpers for Arcadia while freshman Andrew Vose added 8 first half points and 7 rebounds (6 first half boards). Freshman Khaleif Trawick finished with 8 points and 4 boards, senior Blaise Pepitone added 7 points including two key three point buckets to open the game, while junior Glen Gagnon went 6-6 from the line and grabbed 4 rebounds for the Knights.
For the game, Lycoming outshot the Knights 52% to 39% from the floor, while the Knights held the advantage at the line 62% to 57%. The lead changed hands eight times in the first half before Lycoming went up for good with 3:11 remaining in the first half.
Arcadia will look to sweep their conference series with Lebanon Valley when they travel to Annville, PA Wednesday night. The Knights defeated the Dutchmen in Glenside 76-72 back on Jan. 6th. Then just two games remain on the conference slate, at home against Albright on 2/17 and at Elizabethtown on 2/21.
Palantino Erupts but Widener Free Throws sink Knights 68-62 in Cross Town Commonwealth Battle
GLENSIDE, PA: 2/3/09 - As a white out blanketed Glenside Tuesday evening Arcadia University Men's Basketball fans tried to Black Out cross town & conference rivals Widener University in an up tempo Commonwealth Conference playoff implications battle but it was the Widener Pride that survived 68-62 to maintain their hold on first place in the league.
Fittingly for the Knights, it was junior Damien Palantino's deep pull up three point swish to open the game's scoring before Widener jumped ahead 13-5. Palantino would finish as the game's scoring leader with 21. As the snow grew in intensity outside of Alumni Gym, the intensity grew inside with the speedy and confident Knights trying to outmuscle the height-heavy Pride in the paint. And then eventually Palantino drained another one from deep, this time off a pass from senior Blaise Pepitone that gave Arcadia the lead back 16-15 with 7:17 left in the half. The Knights would go up by five and then back to back three point buckets from Widener's leading scorer Charles Jones sent the Pride into the lockerroom with the 27-24 edge.
A quick Widener miss to open the second fell into the hands of Arcadia senior Terell Varnado who blasted down the court for two off the glass that would spark the Knights control of the inside game for the next 12 minutes. Six different Arcadia players scored over that span. A smoothering trap defense by the Pride flustered Arcadia on occassion with turnovers 22 for Arcadia, 16 for Widener, but the Knights managed to play through while never surrendering more than a 3 point deficit when Widener pulled ahead by 3 twice before the 2 minute mark.
Widener would take a short lead before Arcadia revisted theirs on a pair of charity strikes from Palantino with 5:20 to play putting the Knights in front by five, 51-46. By that 2:00 mark, the Pride benefited from a pair of jump shots and two free throws before a pair of critical turnovers by the Knights offense saw a five point Widener lead with 1:24 to go, stretch into 11 with 24 seconds to play. Palantino provided five more points in the closing seconds but the Knights were forced to foul and ran out of ticks against a strong Widener squad that improves to 5-2 in the Commonwealth, 15-5 overall. Arcadia falls to 3-5 in the league and 8-12 overall with four league games remaining.
Palantino was hot from the get go and steady all night, hitting 7-10 from the floor, 3-5 from long range and 4-4 from the line. He added two steals and an assist. Sophomore Darrell Mills led all Arcadia players on the boards with 7 and finished with 10 points. Freshman Khalief Trawick added 9 and Varnado 8 points, 4 rebounds for the Knights who shot 49% from the floor and just 60% from the line.
Jones led Widener with 17 followed by Matt Sosna's 15 points and 8 boards. Nyere Miller added 13 and 6 boards and Jamarr Johnson 9 points and 8 boards to help lift Widener to the win. The Pride shot just 43% from the floor but 75% from the line where they sealed the win by going 10-10 in the final 2:00 of regulation.
Arcadia begins a two game conference road stand where they visit Lycoming Sat. Feb. 7 (3 PM) and then Lebanon Valley on Feb. 11 (8 PM).
Mulholland, Trawick Help Knights to Commonwealth Win
GLENSIDE, PA: 1/31/09 - Senior Bobby Mulholland and freshman Khalief Trawick combined for 33 points to help Arcadia Men's Basketball defeat the Falcons of Messiah College 70-62 in the second half Commonwealth opener this afternoon in Glenside. Today's win avenges a loss to the Falcons just two weeks ago as the Knights improve to 3-4 in the league and 8-11 overall. Messiah also stands at 3-4 in the league and drops to 5-14 overall.
The Knights opened the game with nice 7-0 run, leading by as many as 18 in the first half. Messiah crawled their way back to make it an 8 point game at the half, 35-27 Knights, as Arcadia held the Falcons to just 27% shooting while causing 13 Falcon turnovers throught the opening twenty.
Although Arcadia never trailed in today's game, a layup by Jason Miller brought the Falcons to within 1, 46-45 with 11 minutes to play and to their credit Messiah kept Arcadia on their heels for the remainder of the game as a three pointer off the hands of Drew Sneeringer with 43 seconds to play made it a 64-62 game with Arcadia in front. Both teams were in the double-bonus down the stretch, but with Messiah forced to foul, both Trawick and Mulholland sealed perfection from the stripe in the final 27 seconds giving the Knights a much needed conference win.
Mulholland, playing the final 12 minutes with 4 fouls, was red hot this afternoon, nailing 7-9 from the floor and a perfect 4-4 strikes on the line for a 19 point performance with 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Trawick went 5-10 and 4-6 from the line to finish with 14 ponts and 7 rebounds. Trawick added 2 steals and put home a dunk in the first half. Senior Terell Varnado added 9 points, 7 rebounds and blocked 2 shots for a Knights squad that committed just 5 turnovers all day. Junior Damien Palantino netted 5 points and owned team highs in assists with 6 and steals with 5.
Arcaida shot 46% from the floor and 73% from the line, as their defense held the Falcons to just 35% shooting while causing 20 Messiah turnovers. Jamie Yoder led the Falcons with 18 while Colton Reitz contributed 16 points and 8 rebounds.
Arcadia will look to even the score with Widener University this Tuesday at home at 7 PM. The Knights lost to the Pride on January 20th, 73-51.
Arcadia Ends First Half of League Play with Loss
READING, PA: 1/28/09 - Despite four players leading the way with double figures scoring, Arcadia University Men's Basketball dropped their final Commonwealth game of the first half of league play Wednesday night, 86-78 to host Albright College. The Knights drop to 7-11 overall and into a tie for last place in the Commonwealth standings with a 2-4 league mark while the Lions improve to 12-7 and hold onto their fourth spot at 3-3.
Trailing by four at the half, Arcadia would finally take their first lead since one minute remaining in the opening stanza, with 7 minutes to play in regulation. Junior Damien Palantino hit a jumper then assisted on three point bomb from freshman Khalief Trawick to make it 67-65 Knights. The Lions would tie it up and then senior Bobby Mulholland hit a bucket as the Knights regained a one possession lead. But Albright big man Phil Hall drained a three at 4:49 followed by another one from Zac Shaeffer, giving the Lions a 4 point lead and the eventual win as Arcadia's shooting grew cold in the remaining minutes.
The Knights shot just 45% from the floor, including at the free throw line while the Lions enjoyed at 54% night shooting and 72% output from the charity mark.
Leading the way for Arcadia was Trawick with a stellar 18 point night on 7-8 shooting and a perfect 3-3 outing from beyond the arc. Senior Terell Varnado added 13 ponts, 5 boards and 3 assists while Mulholland scored 12, grabbed 6 boards and dished out 4 helpers. Senior Blaise Pepitone also scored 11 for the Knights while Palantino finished with 9.
The Knigths open the second half of Commonwealth play this Saturday at home, hosting the Falcons of Messiah College at 3 PM.
Knights Fall to Elizabethtown 72-58
GLENSIDE, PA: 1/24/09 - Elizabethtown College handed the Knights of Arcadia University their first Commonwealth Conference home loss of the season, defeating the Knights 72-58 in a heated battle of conference rivals. The Blue Jays improve to 10-8 overall and 4-2 in the league while the Knights drop to 7-10 overall and 2-3 against Commonwealth opponents.
The fast paced first half featured three lead changes early on before the Blue Jays went up by 11 with 4:20 remaining. But junior Damien Palantino nailed back-to-back treys for the Knights rigth before senior Bobby Mulholland swished his own three point bucket to make it a 31-29 game as the Knights trailed by only four at the half, 33-29.
While the Blue Jays would never relinquish their lead, Arcadia kept it close in the second half. Senior Blaise Pepitone rang home his first three pointer of the game at 5:32, brining the Knights to within six, 58-52 but Mark Vogel drained a triple on a second attempt for Elizabethtown at 5:19 to take a 61-52 lead as the Blue Jays enjoyed the double-bonus through regulation, going onto to win 72-58.
Elizabethtown's Keith Fogel led all scorer's with 25 points on 8-13 shooting from the floor and a perfect 6-6 from the line. Mike Church added a dozen for the Blue Jays. Palantino led the Knights with 15 while freshman Khalief Trawick added a dozen with 4 assists. Mulholland scored 8 points and pulled down a team high 6 rebounds for Arcadia. Senior Terell Varnado added 9 points and 5 defensive caroms.
The Blue Jays nailed 53% from beyond the arc, 45% from the floor and were 60% from the charity stripe while the Knights struggled form long range, hitting just 33% and shot only 41% from the floor and a season low 28% from the stripe.
Arcadia returns to the court at Albright College on Wednesday, January 28 for an 8 PM tip in Commonwealth play.
Varnado Comes Up Big but Knights Fall Short as Widener Pulls Ahead in Commonwealth Hunt
CHESTER, PA: 1/20/09 - Coming off their second Commonwealth win on Saturday, the Pride of Widener University earned their third (3-1 CC/ 12-4) with a convincing 73-51 win over Arcadia University in local men's basketball conference play Tuesday night in Chester. The Pride saw their largest lead at 23 with 1:36 remaining, but did most of their damage holding Arcadia's top aces senior Bobby Mulholland (Wildwood Crest, NJ) and junior Damien Palantino (Philadelphia, PA) without a field goal all night, with just a pair of freebies in the books from Mulholland, this week's Commonwealth player of the week.
The Pride matched their defensive play on the ball as well, with an astounding performance from Nyere Miller, perfect from everywhere on 8-8 from the floor, 7-7 from downtown, 2-2 on freebies, a rebound, assist and triple steals, making his own case for player of the week honors next week. Widener also got 19 points from Charles Jone, less perfect from the floor, but contributed 4 caroms and caused 4 of Arcadia's 27 turnovers. With tonight's win, the Pride take sole claim to first place atop the Commonwealth ladder, leaving the Knights in a five-way tie for second with their next battle against one of those teams in the Elizabethtown Blue Jays who visit Glenside on Saturday.
Widener led 24-19 at the half and shot 41% in the second half to outscore the Knights 49-32. The Pride held AU to an 0-8 night from long range and just 37% overall from the wood. Both teams struggled from the line where Arcadia held the small edge, 58% to 55%. For Arcadia, the lone stat senior Terell Varnado (Forest Hills, MD) didn't earn tonight was a three pointer as he led the Knights with 17 points on 5-7 shooting and 7-9 from the line. Due for big night, Varnado also stepped in with 6 caroms, 3 assists, a steal and his lone block, which got things started on Widener's first shot attempt of the game. Freshman Khaleif Trawick (Philadelphia, PA) provided a ten point-five rebound effort on 5-9 shooting and the Kngihts also got six and seven respectively from senior Blaise Pepitone (Vineland, NJ) and sophomore Darrell Mills (Philadelphia, PA).
This Saturday, the Knights host Elizabethtown College in Alumni Gymnasiam in game two of the Commonwealth doubleheader at 3 PM, following the women's contest against the Blue Jays at 1 PM.
Live Stats Available for Tonight's Commonwealth Doubleheader
Widener University will provide live stats and play by play for tonight's Commonwealth doubleheader for men's and women's basketball. Stats for the women's game will be available at the 6 PM tip, followed by the men's game at 8 PM. Widener's women are 10-6 and 1-2 in the Commonwealth while their men's squad is 11-4 and tied for first place with the Knights at 2-1, along with Albright. Fans attending the doubleheader are asked to bring a canned good or make a donation to City Team Ministries. Live Stats
Men's & Women's Basketball Game Photos Featured on D3 Hoops
Arcadia welcomed D3 Hoops photographer Lou Rabito to Alumni Gym on Saturday for the Commonwealth doubleheader with Lycoming College. Photos are available for purchase. Women Men
Mulholland Named Commonwealth Player of the Week
ANNVILLE, PA: 1/19/09 - Arcadia senior guard Bobby Mulholland (Wildwood Crest, NJ/Wildwood) has been voted this week's Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week for helping his Knights improve to 2-1 in the league and 7-8 overall.
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Mulholland provided a 15-pt. performance against Lycoming on Saturday, a 61-56 win for the Knights, propelling them into a three-way tie for first with Widener (11-4) and Albright (11-5).
Mulholland poured in 11 first half points and was a perfect 4-4, (1-1 on 3 PT) and 2-2 from the line in the first half alone as the Knights overcame a two point deficit at halftime going on to win 61-56.
With the game tied at 40-all and ten miutes remaining, Mulholland nailed a three point bucket at 9:07 put the Knights in front by four, where they stayed. Earlier in the week, he scored 18 at Messiah, a 63-50 league loss for Arcadia. He dished out seven assists in a week where he averaged 16.5 points and 5 rebounds, both above his season averages of 14.1 ppg and 3.1 rpg.
Trawick, Knights Rally for 61-56 Win over Lycoming
GLENSIDE, PA: 1/17/09 - Arcadia Men’s Basketball clinched their second Commonwealth conference win of the season defeating Lycoming College Saturday afternoon with a fast-pace and exciting 61-56 decision over the Warriors. The Knights improve their overall record to 7-8 and are 2-1 in the Commonwealth Conference. Freshman Khalief Trawick (Philadelphia, PA) rallied the Knight’s offense and with a gutsy 16 point performance to pace the Knights.
Although the Warriors had the height advantage, the Knights used their speed to push the ball up court and work the ball on offense. Trawick, senior Bobby Mulholland (Cape May, NJ) and junior Damien Palantino (Philadelphia, PA) led all Arcadia scorer's, all ringing in twin figures. Palantino was hot from 3-point range, connecting on 3 from behind the arc, while Mulholland crashed the boards hard, leading the team with 6 rebounds. Trawick scored many key points throughout the game but Mulholland’s 15 and Palantino’s 11 provided breathing room against a fighting Lycoming squad. Rallied behind their offense, the Knights’ win was truly a team effort on both ends. Sophomores Darrell Mills (Philadelphia, PA) and Glen Gagnon (West Springfield, MA) teamed to hold Lycoming center Greg Sye to ten points on the evening on 2-9 from the floor, while Arcadia’s bench provided productive minutes on the floor down the stretch.
The Knights gained their first lead of the game five minutes in when Mulholland connected on a 3-point basket, putting the Knights up 7-6. Arcadia would maintain this lead for much of the first half, leading the Warriors by as many as 8. The Warriors fought hard to keep the game close. Using their height advantages, the Warriors worked the boards and fought hard down low. With 5:13 remaining in the half, the Knights were still fighting, but the Warriors fought back harder, regaining their early lead to head into the locker room two points on top of the Knights, 26-28.
Arcadia was quiet coming out of the locker room for the second half. Similar to the opening twenty, the Warriors held off the Knights early on in the half. The Knights were scoreless for the first five minutes, and the Warriors led Arcadia by as many as 10. Arcadia began to get into foul trouble early on in the half as the Warriors size definitely presented as threat to the Knights. Then, with 10:14 on the clock Trawick drew a Warrior’s foul, converting on a 3 point play to incite the anxious crowd and knot the game at 40-all. With momentum in hand, Arcadia held tight to their lead for the remainder of the game and with 1:41 remaining Arcadia freshman Acquil Cook (Philadelphia, PA) iced the game with a crowd-roaring fast break and dunk.
Lycoming's Eric Anthony led all scorers with 18 points. Anthony also picked up 6 rebounds. Sebastian Sabella scored 11 while Sye finished with 10 for the Warriors who drop to 8-6 overall an 2-2 among Commonwealth opponents.
The Knights will travel to play Conference rivals Widener College on Tuesday 1/20/09. Widener is 10-4 on the year, 1-1 in conference action.
Lead Slips Away Against Falcons as Men's Hoops Fall 63-50
GRANTHAM, PA: 1/14/09 - With twelve minutes to play, the Knights of Arcadia University allowed a four point lead to slip away as Messiah College gained momentum and pulled out the 63-50 victory in tonight's Commonwealth battle. Senior Bobby Mulholland led Arcadia with 18 points on 50% shooting, grabbed 4 rebounds and dealt out 4 assists. With the loss, Arcadia drops to 7-7 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Messiah opened the game with a breif three point lead when sophomore Darrell Mills rallied the Knights offense with six points to put Arcadia in front 10-5 at 16:28. The Knights managed to stay ahead, retaining their five point advantage on a made three point bucket from Mulholland at 9:31 of the first half until the game's leading scorer, Messiah's Andy Hawk put back a Falcon miss and then drained a three at 6:17, erasing the Knights lead as the Falcons went on to take 23-21 lead at the break.
In the opening minutes of the second half, a Mills lay in and made three pointer from junior Damien Palantino cut Messiah's lead to one until Mulholland added a quick 7 points, giving the lead back to Knights 33-30. A Messiah three pointer would tie the game at 35-all at 12:56 but again the Knights responded, regaining a small lead off a layup from senior Terrell Varnado and a pair of strikes at the line from senior Blaise Pepitone giving Arcadia a four point lead with a dozen minutes to play. But the Falcons quickly converted three Knight turnovers into points, to go ahead by four on a triple from Tyler Ritzman and the Falcons would remain in front, going on to win by 13, 63-50, over Arcadia.
Along with Mulholland's team high of 18, Mills added 10 points and 7 rebounds. Varnado contributed 8 points, grabbed 5 boards and made 2 steals. Hawk finished with 23 for Messiah.
The two teams traded halves with field goal accuracy, with the Knights outshooting the Falcons in the opening stanza 42% to 36% and the Falcons outshooting Knights overall 44% to 42%. The Knights struggled from the line, shooting just 50% and couldn't find the long distance range, making just 4 of 15 attempts from beyond the arc.
Arcadia, now 1-1 in the conference will host Commonwealth foe Lycoming (8-5/2-1) at home on Saturday for a 3 PM tip, which follows the women's game at 1 PM. Lycoming's 2-1 mark in the conference includes a pair of wins over Lebanon Valley and Widener and a loss to Elizabethtown. Live stats and play by play will be availabe at game time.
Follow the Knights as they battle Messiah College in Commonwealth Conference Action
Arcadia Men's and Women's Basketball travel to Grantham, PA to take on the Falcons of Messiah College in Commonwealth Conference play this evening. The women will tip-off against the 2008 Commonwealth champion and Division III runner-up Falcons at 6 PM, followed by the men's game at 8 PM. Live stats and play-by-play radiocast will be available at gametime. Live Stats-Women Live Stats-Men Radio
Knights Sink Late Free Throws to Defeat Lebanon Valley in Conference Opener
GLENSIDE, PA: 1/7/09 - A lay in underneath with 27 second remaining by freshman forward Khalief Trawick (Philadelphia, PA) gave Arcadia their first lead since the 16 minute mark of the opening stanza and set the stage for a trio of free throws by senior Terrell Varnado (Forest Hills, MD/Archbishop Curly) in the closing seconds to hand Lebanon Valley College a 76-72 loss in tonight's Commonwealth Conference opening game. The Flying Dutchmen drop to 6-6 overall while Arcadia improves to 6-7.
Senior Bobby Mulholland (Wildwood Crest, NJ/Wildwood) opened the scoring with a triple and the Knights would take an 8-3 lead on a three point bucket from Varnado at 17:13 before momentum would swing to Lebanon Valley. Three straight Arcadia turnovers led to points for the Flying Dutchmen, who took their first lead of the game at 16:20. A steady pace allowed LVC to grow their lead to 11 with 1:23 remaining in the first half, thanks to a dozen first half points from Dan Hodge.
The Knights would cut that lead to one on another Mulholland three at 18:28 but the Flying Dutchmen were strong inside and eventually regained a double figure lead over Arcadia, 60-48 with 12:38 to go. A Trawick bucket on the inside cut the lead to single digits before Mulholland's third three pointer of the game fell through the twine at 8:07 making it a one possession game 69-52.
It took Arcadia less than four minutes to tie the game at 67-all when junior Damien Palantino (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge) sank the second of his two three pointers but a relentless LVC squad would again build their lead to five with two minutes to go on four free throws from Dan Dunkelberger.
Leading 72-69, LVC would turn the ball over and Palantino would feed Trawick on a fast break making it a 72-71 game with LVC still in front. Arcadia would get the ball after an LVC foul and Trawick layed in another two underneath with 27 seconds remaining, giving Arcadia their first lead since early in the opening half, 73-72. LVC would miss on a three point attempt and yet another Flying Dutchmen fould would lead to a made free throw from Varnado, who would go onto sink a pair of charity tosses in the final second of the game to seal the 76-72 win over Lebanon Valley.
Dunkelberger led all scorer's with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists for LVC while Hodge added 17 and Kyle Enoch 11 points. Varnado led five Knights in double figures with 17 points, 6 boards and 3 steals. Palantino added 16 points, Mulholland 15 points, 5 assists and was perfect from beyond the arc. Trawick finished with 13 for Arcadia. The Knights outshot LVC 55% to 46% and also led in three point percentage.
The Knights return to play at Messiah College on January 14th for an 8 PM tip.
No. 20 St. Mary's Get Past Arcadia 74-62
St. Mary's City, Md. - 1/3/09: Four Seahawk players in double digits helped the No. 20 St. Mary's College of Maryland men's basketball team notch a 74-62 non-conference victory over the visiting Knights of Arcadia University Saturday afternoon.
Junior guard Camontae Griffin (Baltimore, Md./Dunbar) led all players with 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor and a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. He also matched his career-high with a game-high five assists. Sophomore forward Mike Bowden (Columbia, Md./Long Reach) also put on a strong performance for the Seahawks as Bowden contributed 16 points off the bench on 8-of-12 shooting.
Arcadia (5-7) played the Seahawks (9-2) tough in the first half as the Knights held a 31-28 margin at intermission behind 10 points from senior guard Bobby Mulholland (Wildwood Crest, N.J./Wildwood). The first stanza witnessed six lead changes as neither team was able to truly pull away. Both squads made 50% of their shots, but AU edged St. Mary's from behind the three-point line, 4 to 1.
The Seahawks did out-rebound the Knights, 18-8, as senior forward Calvin Wise (Bel Air, Md./Calvert Hall) and sophomore guard Alex Franz (Catonsville, Md./Cardinal Gibbons) combined for nine boards. Franz paced SMCM in the first 20 minutes with eight points and four caroms.
Sophomore forward Mike Fitzpatrick's (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) two free throws at 9:59 sparked a 20-12 run which finally gave the Seahawks control of the game as SMCM led 62-55 with 4:20 left in the contest. In the second half alone, St. Mary's shot a blistering 75% from the floor as the Seahawks missed only six attempts en route to their 12-point victory.
In addition to Griffin and Bowden, Franz and Wise also finished in twin figures. Franz added 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Wise chipped in 10 points and a game-high nine caroms, making five of his six attempts. The Seahawks finished with a 36-22 rebounding margin as well.
Junior guard Damien Palantino (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) paced his Knights with 15 points as Palantino went 5-for-9 from downtown, while Mulholland ended up with 13 after going 1-for-4 in the second half. After shooting 50% in the first 20 minutes, Arcadia dropped to 33% in the second stanza.
Arcadia returns to Glenside for their Commonwealth Conference opener, hosting Lebanon Valley College on January 7th at 7 PM. Live stats and play by play will be available. Live Stats
Men's Basketball Travels to Maryland to Open New Year
GLENSIDE, PA: 1/2/09 - Arcadia Men's hoops returns to action after more than two weeks off, traveling to St. Mary's City, Maryland to play #20 St. Mary's College (8-2) on Saturday, January 3rd at 2 PM. The Knights (3-4), who are looking to rebound from an 89-82 loss to Gwynedd on 12/15, will face a tough Seahawk squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the Division III tournament a year ago. The Seahawks went just 1-2 in the month of December but are coming off a 90-76 victory over Alfred (NY) on 12/30 and remain undefeated at home.
.gif "Damien Palantino")
.gif "Blaise Pepitone")
.gif "Darrell Mills")
Palantino '10 Mulholland '09 Pepitone '09 Mills '11
Arcadia features four players scoring in the twin figures with junior gaurd Damien Palantino (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge) leading the way with 14.8 ppg. senior gaurd Bobby Mulholland (Wildwood Crest, NJ/Wildwood) is averaging 13.7 ppg, senior gaurd Blaise Pepitone (Vineland, NJ/Sacred Heart) with 10.5 ppg and sophomore forward Darrell Mills (Philadelphia, PA/Engineering & Sciences) with 10.3 ppg and a team leading 7.5 rebounds per contest.
Griffins Sneak out Win over Arcadia 89-82
GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. – Arcadia Men's Basketball dropped a wild 89-82 decision at the Griffin Complex against local rival Gwynedd-Mercy College Monday evening to fall to 5-6 overall. Despite a game high 26 from senior Bobby Mulholland and three other Knights scoring in double-figures, a key three point play in the final 36 seconds sent the Knights home with a loss.
Senior Tim McCauley was one of five Griffins in double figures scoring 10 points, but his key three-point play with 36 seconds turned the tide for good, breaking open an 83-80 lead.
Gwynedd (7-1) shot 56.0% in the second half but saw the pesky Knights (3-4) keep things close with under four minutes in the game.
Mulholland scored four of his game-high 26 points during a 9-0 run which erased an 11-point Gwynedd lead midway in the second. The Knights rallied to get it at 83-80 with 1:25 left on a three-pointer from senior Blaise Pepitone before McCauley drew a foul on his fast break layup after a steal at midcourt which got the crowd to its feet.
The Griffins raced out to a 20-8 lead early in the contest only to see a 21-8 AU run as the Knights took their first lead, but the Griffins muscled their way to a 45-39 halftime lead.
Pepitone scored 15 points, sophomore Darrell Mills netted 12, and sophomore Glen Gagnon totaled 10 points for the Knights who shot 40.6% (26-of-64) for the game, but shot just 13-of-21 from the stripe in the second half.
Gwynedd was outrebounded for just the third time this season (40-32) but shot 32-of-60 and 9-of-20 (3FG) for the game.
The Knights return to action in the new year, traveling to St. Mary's College (Md.) on Saturday, January 3 for a 2 PM contest.
Mulholland Powers Knights to Second Straight Win
SEWELL, NJ: 12/10/08 - Senior guard Bobby Mulholland (Wildwood Crest, NJ/Wildwood) scored 10 of his game-high 15 points in the second half to spark the Arcadia University men’s basketball team over Rutgers University-Camden, 65-54, in a non-conference game in Sewell, NJ Wednesday night. The victory was the second straight for the Knights, who evened their record at 5-5. Rutgers-Camden, which has dropped three straight, falls to 3-6.
The two teams were deadlocked at 30-30 at halftime and traded the second-half lead three times before Arcadia took the lead for good, 46-45, when Mulholland assisted on a layup by junior forward Steve Sharp (Media, PA/Penncrest) with 9:52 remaining.
Arcadia added 11 points apiece from senior guard Blaise Pepitone (Vineland, NJ/Sacred Heart) and sophomore forward Darrell Mills (Philadelphia, PA/Engineering & Sciences). Mills scored nine of his 11 points in the second half. He also added a game-high 11 rebounds as the Knights held a 38-31 advantage off the boards.
Rutgers-Camden received 14 points from senior guard Bill Banks (Berlin, NJ/Eastern Regional), while junior guard Joshua Askew (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) added 12.
Arcadia shot 48.9 percent from the floor (23-for-47), while the Raptors were 20-for-55 (36.4).
The Scarlet Raptors play their last game of the semester with a 4 p.m. contest at Gwynedd-Mercy College Saturday. Arcadia also faces the Griffins in their next game, playing a 7 p.m. game at Gwynedd-Mercy Monday.
Arcadia Posts 82-77 Victory over Penn State Hazleton
Hazleton, PA: 12/9/08 - Arcadia Men's Basketball team improved to 4-5 overall with Monday nights 82-77 victory at host Penn State Hazleton in non conference action. Five players landing in double-figures paced Arcadia in their first win in three games.
The Knights sealed the first half advantage making all eight free throw attempts, entering the second half up by one, 37-36 and would go 16-20 from the charity stripe in the second stanza and won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding the Lions 34-22 en-route to the 82-77 win.
Junior guard Damien Palantino led the Knights with 23 points, including 7 three pointers and 4 steals. Senior guard Bobby Mulholland added 17 points, a team high nine assists and 4 steals, while first year Khalief Trawick and sophomore Darrell Mills added 13 and 10 respectively. Senior Terrell Varnado was two rebounds shy of a double-double, earning 10 points and 8 rebounds.
The Knights return to action this evening against non-conference Rutgers-Camden University. The game will be played on the campus of Gloucester Community College at 7 PM.
Delaware Valley hands Knights Second Straight Loss, 70-66
Glenside, PA: 12/06/08 - Delaware Valley College sophomore James Jones poured in a game high 24 points and was a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line to help the Aggies hand Arcadia University their second straight loss, a 70-66 setback in local non-conference men's basketball action. Arcadia drops to 3-5 overall while the Aggies (2-4/0-1 Freedom) win just their second of the season.
The first half went back and forth as the lead changed hands ten times. Jones dropped in a dozen first half points while Arcadia sophomore Darrell Mills added a dozen for the Knights, who trailed by two at the half 31-33.
The Aggies opened with second half momentum with a three pointer by freshman Chris Mayo and Jones' second basket of the half, giving Delaware Valley their largest lead of the contest, 42-34 at 16:05. The Knights matched that with a triple from junior Damien Palantino and a jumper from senior Terrell Varnado quickly cutting the Aggies lead to 3, 42-39 but Jones was red hot, scoring 6 of the Aggies next 8 points to regain their 8 point advantage, 48-40.
A three point play by senior Bobby Mulholland and a basket by freshman Khalief Trawick brought the Knights back within three with just under ten minutes to play but again the Aggies nailed a pair of triples and hit two more buckets to take a ten point advantage. The Aggies would keep their lead above 7 until Palantino layed in two underneath to bring the Knights within 4, 65-61 with 1:23 left however the Aggies would hit 5-6 from the line in the closing seconds, going on to win 70-66. Today's win for Delaware Valley avenges a 83-74 loss last season to the Knights in Doylestown.
Along with Jones' 24, senior Jason Seipt added 11 for the Aggies. Mulholland led the Knights with 17 points on 6-7 shooting from the floor. Mills chipped in with 14 points and 8 boards while Varnado added 12 points and 6 caroms.
The Knights travel to Penn State Hazleton on December 8 and play at Gwynedd-Mercy on December 15 before returning home for their Commonwealth Confernce opener on January 7th against Lebanon Valley College.
Arcadia Settles for Season Low Scoring in 68-50 Loss at The College of New Jersey
Ewing, NJ - 12/3/08: The College of New Jersey men’s basketball team hosted Arcadia University on Wednesday night with the Lions coming away with a 68-50 win over the Knights in non-conference play. The Lions improve to 4-2 overall, while Arcadia drops to 3-4. The Lions held the Knights to just 50 points, a season low for Arcadia.
TCNJ led 33-20 at the break after pouring in 50.0% of their shots from the floor (14-28), while holding the Knights to just 33.3% shooting on an 8-24 effort and forcing 16 turnovers. TCNJ’s junior guard Jay Frank (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) and junior Aaron Syvertsen (Midland Park, NJ/Midland Park) paced the Lions with six first half points, while Frank had five rebounds, and three steals.
Leading the way at the break for Arcadia was senior guard Blaise Pepitone (Vineland, NJ/Sacred Heart) as he had six points at the break.
Arcadia struggled at the free throw line, making just 7 of 19 attempts.
By game’s end, Syvertsen had a game-high 15 points and Frank chipped in 13 for the Lions. Frank added seven rebounds, three assists and five steals to pace the team to the win.
Pepitone finished the night as the only Knight in double digits as he added 10 points. Senior Terrel Varnado (Forest Hills, MD/Archbishop Curly) and junior Damien Palantino (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge) added eights points each for the Knights.
Arcadia will host non-conference opponent Delaware Valley College this Saturday, December 6 at 1 PM. Last season, the Knights dealt the Aggies an 83-74 loss in Doylestown, in a Freedom Conference game.
Men's Basketball Improve Record to 3-3; 75-59 Victory over Moravian College
Glenside, PA: 12/1/08- The Arcadia Knights came away with another "W" Monday night with a 75-59 win over the Moravian College Greyhounds in non-conference play. The Knights, who improve to 3-3, held their lead for almost the entire game and withstood an late second half push by the Greyhounds. The Greyhounds, who returned just one starter from their 2008 NCAA tournament team, drop to 1-4.
Four Knights scored in the double digits: sophomore Darrell Mills, senior Blaise Pepitone, first year Khalief Trawick and junior Damien Palantino. Mills posted his second straight double-double outing in two games, ringing in with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Palantino netted 15 with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a pair of steals. Trawick, playing 33 minutes, rang in with career highs in points (15), steals (4), and assists (3). Trawick also nabbed four rebounds. Pepitone added 4 helpers .
The Knights and the Greyhounds played a tight first-half with neither team leading by more than three baskets. Both teams worked hard on both ends of the court hoping to out-hussle one another. Early on, the Greyhounds looked to their bench, allowing tired players adequate rest. The Knights kept pushing hard, showing off their endurance and keeping up with the fast-paced game. Then, with 6 seconds remaining in the half, junior Steve Sharp hit a jumper from inside the arc, giving Arcadia their largest lead. The Knights headed into the locker room at halftime up by seven, 30-23 Knights.
The Knights offense exploded early in the second half widening their gap by as many as 15 points. The Greyhounds made it clear though that they were not going down without a fight. With 6:05 left to play, Moravian's high-scorer Chris Cullen connected on a lay-up, bringing the Greyhounds within 3, 53-50. This would be the closest the Greyhounds would get however. With multiple players in foul trouble, the Greyhounds soon lost their momentum allowing the Knights to pull away and ultimately, secure their victory 75-59.
The Knights will be away for their next game, Wednesday, against The College of New Jersey Lions. The Lions are 3-2 this season. Live stats will be available for a 7:30 PM tip off. Live stats
Knights Drop Close 65-63 Decision to Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA: 11/25/08 – Arcadia University Men’s Basketball team played with Swarthmore College for the entire contest Tuesday night before losing a close decision 65-63. This was Swarthmore’s first win of the season after dropping its opening two games, the Knights fall to 2-3 on the season.
The opening twenty minutes saw the Knights shoot 27.3% from the field versus the Garnet’s 53.8% allowing Swarthmore team to gradually build a lead in what proved to be a very stingy defensive contest. With 4:50 left in the first half Swarthmore utilized strong defensive pressure to go on a 13-4 run to end the half putting the Knights down by their largest deficit of the game, 10 points, capped off by a buzzer beating 3 pt. shot by Swarthmore forward Ryan Carmichael to end the first half.
The Knights would storm out of the locker on fire with a 9-0 run within the first 45 seconds of the second half; Damien Palantino would start things off with one of his seven 3 pt. makes of the evening. Following a foul by Swarthmore, the Knights would get the ball back and convert immediately with another 3 pt. bomb from Palantino. Turning up the pressure defense the Knights were able to force a turnover and again convert a 3 pt. play this time the conventional way with Darrell Mills hitting a lay while getting fouled and converting the free throw. Swarthmore would then settle down and answer with an 8-0 run of its own.
Hustle plays from Mills inside and increased defensive pressure would again bring the Knights back. With 8 minutes to go in the game the Knights would finally get over the hump and take their first lead of 54-53 since the 14 minute mark of the first half. Two three point shots by senior Bobby Mulholland sparked the Knights to their biggest advantage of the contest with 5 minutes to play. It looked as though Arcadia would be able to hold off a bigger Swarthmore team, however, junior guard Matt Allen would hit two critical baskets down the stretch, as well as forward Raul Ordonez which would ultimately seal the win for the Garnets.
Palantino led the Knights with 25 points, 7-12 from behind the arc shooting 56% on a night where the team was only able to convert on 34% of its shots from the field. Mills added 10 points to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds, 8 on the offensive. Blaise Pepitone contributed a team-high 5 assists.
The Arcadia men's basketball team will return home to face the greyhounds of Moravian College Monday December 1, 2008 in a match-up slated for 7 pm.
Arcadia Men's Basketball Mounts Comeback in 83-71 Win over Penn State-Harrisburg
Mulholland Named to All Tournament Team
Lancaster, PA: 11/22/08 - Arcadia Men's Basketball turned a 15-point first half deficit into a 12 point victory Saturday evening against Penn State-Harrisburg in the consolation game of the Franklin & Marshall Rotary Tip-Off Tournament. The Knights snap a two-game losing streak to improve to 2-2 overall, while the Nittany Lions drop to 2-2.
The Nittany Lions opened the game on a three pointer at 19:46 and gradually racked up a 15 point advantage by the 7:48 mark with Jason Kuch hitting for 13 of his 20 first half points. Kuch went on to finish with a game high of 22 for Penn State. With the Knights' defense finally settling in, Arcadia caused 7 Nittany Lion turnovers from that point on and used a 20-6 run on offense to narrow Penn State's lead to one by halftime, 39-38.
Arcadia senior Blaise Pepitone opened second half scoring giving the Knights their first lead of the contest at 40-39 and then connected on a three pointer at 18:33 to make it 43-39 Arcadia. Junior Damien Palantino layed the ball of the glass and in at 12:18 to stretch the Knights' lead to 6 and the Knights quickly took away the Lions' outside game, allowing just four points outside of the paint through regulation. Arcadia maintained their advantage but the Nittany Lions would threaten at 5:48 as a pair of free throws made it a one-possession contest, 67-66 Knights, however, Pepitone immediately drained another shot from downtown, sparking a 13-5 run for the Arcadia to close the game with the 83-71 victory.
Senior Bobby Mulholland (#23 at left) led the Knights with his fourth straight double figure performance, a season high 19 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and a team high 3 steals. Mulholland was 6-7 from the charity stripe and was selected to represent the Knights on the All-Tournament Team. Palantino added 17 points and 4 assists while senior Terrell Varnado added 12 points, ten coming in the first half, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Pepitone would also finish with a dozen for Arcadia with 2 blocks and 1 steal while first year Andrew Vose went 4-4 from the floor tying his career high with 11 points and 7 rebounds.
The Knights out-shot the Nittany Lions from the floor 50% (31-62) to 42% (25-60) and capitalized with 27 points off Penn State turnovers. Frankllin & Marshall defeated Mary Washington 79-55 in tonight's title game.
Arcadia travels to local rival Swarthmore College, Tuesday, November 25 for their final game before the Thanksgiving break. They return to action at home on Monday, December 1 against Moravian College at 7 PM.
Mary Washington Nips Knights at Franklin & Marshall Tip-Off
Lancaster, PA: 11/21/08 - Arcadia University Men's Basketball found themselves in another pressure cooker Friday evening at the Franklin & Marshall Rotary Tip-Off Tournament, facing a Mary Washington University squad playing what was their season opener, but this time the Knights came out on the losing end, as the Eagles held on to nip Arcadia 82-77. Mary Washington moves onto tonight's championship game to face tournament host Franklin & Marshall, who toppled Penn State Harrisburg 114-74 in Friday's nightcap. Arcadia will battle for third place against the Lions of Penn State - Harrisburg tonight at 6 PM.
The Eagles opened the game draining one of their team high 8 three point buckets but never built up more than an eight point lead. The Arcadia defense caused five Eagle turnovers until the Knights went on a 10-0 run with four minutes and change remaining in the opening half. Senior Blaise Pepitone began the run and a layup by sophomore Darrell Mills made it a one possession game at 3:34. Senior Bobby Mulholland would cause another Eagle turnover and found Pepitone waiting behind the arc, draining the triple for the Knights' first lead of the contst, 32-31 with 3:20 remaining in the half. First year Andrew Vose converted a one-and-one chance to push the Knights lead to 4 but the Eagles sunk three straight long-range buckets to close the half with a 7 point advantage 46-39.
Mary Washington's seven point halftime lead grew to ten, four minutes into the second half but solid free throw shooting kept the Knights alive. Arcadia threatened on eight different occassions, positioning themselves within a one-possession contest, with their final threat a steal by junior Damien Palantino that led to a pair of charity tosses with 43 seconds remaining putting the Knights within two, 79-77. But the Knight's scoring would cease and the Eagles would go on to hit 2 of 3 from the line in the closing seconds to escape with the 82-77 win.
Arcadia featured four different playing scoring double figures with Mills leading the way with an end to end solid effort. Mills's team high of 17 points came on 5-6 from the floor, 7-8 from the line with 8 rebounds in 23 minutes. Pepitone netted 15 while Mulholland and Vose added 11 apeice to pace the Knights. Senior Terrell Varnado added 9 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Mary Washington's Matt Hale led all scorer's with 23 points, 5 assists on a perfect night at the line (7-7).
Arcadia to Play Mary Washington at Franklin & Marshall Rotary Tip-Off Tournament
Arcadia Men's Basketball will look to go up 2-1 on the early season when they take on Capital Athletic Conference member Mary Washington University Friday at 6 PM in the opening game of the Franklin & Marshall Rotary Tip-Off Tournament in Lancaster, PA. This will be the season opener for Mary Washington. The winner of Arcadia-Mary Washington will move on to face the winner of Franklin & Marshall vs. Penn State Harrisburg, which tips off at 8 PM in Mayser Gymnasium. Saturday's consolation game will begin at 6 PM with the championship game following at 8 PM.
Fans unable to travel to Lancaster can view live game stats for all four games. For $6/game, fans can also watch the live pay-per-view webcast. Live Stats | Pay-Per-View Webcast
Knights Give Way to Stockton 83-55
Pomona, NJ: 11/18/08 - Following a thrilling triple overtime victory against NJAC powerhouse Rowan University over the weekend, Arcadia Men's Basketball couldn't solve 2008 NJAC Champions and NCAA selectionalist Richard Stockton College, falling to the Ospreys 83-55 Tuesday night in non-conference action. With the loss, the Knights even their record at 1-1 while the Ospreys improved to 3-0.
The Knights' Blaise Pepitone swished a three point bucket at 16:31 of the first half to make it a one possession game and Arcadia remained within four points of the Ospreys until Stockton turned an early 11-9 lead into a 27-9 advantage with seven minutes left in the half. Stockton scored 16 consecutive points, including three three-pointers by senior Jerome Hubbard during the run. Hubbard later hit three-pointers to begin and then cap a 14-2 spurt that gave the Ospreys a commanding 46-14 lead on their way to a 46-17 cushion at halftime. Hubbard led all scorer's with 19 points, including his five first half three pointers.
The Knights struggled from long range, making just 3-11 from behind the arc all night while the offensive driven Ospreys enjoyed the services of four players scoring in double figures, shooting 10-24 from three point land. Along with Hubbard, Kai Massaquio contributed 16 points while Chad Davis and Michael Farrow added ten points each for the victors.
Sophomore Darrell Mills led the Knights with 11 points on 5-6 shooting from the floor and 3 rebounds while senior Bobby Mulholland rang in with his second double figures scoring performance in two games, adding 10 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds. Sophomore Dwayne Bradley also scored ten for the Knights while shooting a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe. Arcadia played without the services of junior guard Damein Palantino, whose 29 point outing against Rowan landed him Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week honors in the opening week.
Arcadia travels to the Franklin & Marshall Tournament this Friday for a 6 PM tip against Mary Washington.
Palantino Named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week
On Saturday in the Knights season opening contest against a strong Rowan University squad, Damien Palantino (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge) made his first collegiate start and rang in with a career and team high of 29 points and 5 assists to help Arcadia open the season with a 94-90 triple overtime victory. For his efforts, Palentino was named the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week for the opening week of collegiate competition. Forced to leave the game in the opening minute after a gash to his face results in blood Palantino returned soon enough to contribute a dozen points through regulation before strapping the Knights onto his back with a gutsy 17-point performance in the three overtime stanzas alone. Palantino finished the game with 29 points on 9-17 from the floor with four three point baskets, 3 defensive boards, 5 assists and a 70% performance from the charity stripe.
Knights Need Triple Overtime to Nab Season Opener
Glenside, PA: 11-15-08: It wasn't an easy victory but Arcadia Men's Basketball escaped with a 94-90 victory after three overtimes periods were needed to decide the non-conference season opener between the Knights and the Profs of Rowan University Saturday afternoon in Glenside. Playing just five minutes shy of two back-to-back regulation contests, the Knights allowed Rowan to chip away at their 8 point halftime lead, with the Profs scoring 17 second half points off of Knight turnovers while using 23 points from their bench in the second half to force extra minutes.
Rowan gradually built up a 9 point lead after ten minutes of play but the Knights hung around and with the first of five three point buckets from senior Blaise Pepitone, the Knights took a 19-17 lead before finishing out the half leading 36-28.
That lead would grow to 14 as sophomore Darrell Mills worked hard under the glass to make it 44-30 with three minutes gone by in the second stanza. But just as the Knights did to them in the first half, the Profs chipped away with near perfection from the charity stripe and a dominating presence in the paint, going on to erase the Knights 14 point advantage as Rowan senior Kevin Darby hit the back end of a one-and-one with 2 ticks remaining in regulation, sending the game into overtime tied at 67-all. While Darby would go onto finish with a game high of 31 points, the Profs couldn't solve the red-hot junior Damien Palatino, who not only led the Knights with his career high of 29, but poured in 17 points through three overtimes stanzas.
Palantino swished a trey to open the first overtime and Darby finished for Rowan on a pair of free throws with seconds remaining to force the second overtime, tied at 75-all. Rowan's Dan Reddan put the Profs in front with one minute left in the second overtime but Pepitone took the ball into the paint and made it 83-all. The Knights failed to get off a shot in their final possession thanks to swarming defensive play by the Profs and the two resiliant squads gladly kept playing until a winner was decided. Palantino hit another triple and then a jumper to open the third extra stanza, giving the Knights the 88-85 edge but Rowan would again tie it with 37 seconds left thanks to a triple from Aaron Spellman. Palatino hit another jump shot and a layup underneath from first year Khalief Trawick put the Knights in front for good 94-90.
Palantino finished with 29 points, 3 boards and 5 assists to lead Arcadia. Pepitone poured in 21 on 5-8 from behind the arc and added four assists. Senior Bobby Mulholland added 11 and nabbed 5 steals. Senior Terrell Varnado added eight points and a team high 10 rebounds. Three other Knights would finish with 7 points apeice, including Mills, who also added four steals and 3 assists, Trawick, who pulled down 4 caroms and first year Andrew Vose who pulled down 8 caroms while blocking a team high 3 shots.
The 1-0 Knights travel to Richard Stockton College on 11-18 for a 7 PM contest.
Widener Selected as Commonwealth Preseason Favorite; Knights Tabbed Seventh
Annville, PA: 11/10/08 - Widener University has been chosen as the favorite to win the Commonwealth Conference cronw during the 2008-09 men's basketball season by the conference coaches in the annual preseason poll. The Knights have been selected to finish seventh in their first year in the conference.
Arcadia will look to overcome last season's loss to Manhattanville that would have secured them a playoff berth in the Freedom ranks. The Knights, losing Sterling Green, 1000 point scorer Eric Elliott and Kevin Brown, bring back seniors Bobby Mulholland, Terrell Varnado and Blaise Pepitone. Mulholland led the Knights last season in points scored in the conference (15.3 ppg) while averaging over 30 minutes per start. Full Release
Commonwealth Conference Preseason Poll
1. Widener
2. Lycoming
3t. Lebanon Valley
3t. Albright
5. Messiah
6. Elizabethtown
7. Arcadia
Arcadia University Men's Basketball 2008-09 Season Preview
As the Arcadia Men’s Basketball team begins their first season in the Commonwealth Conference, they will look to improve on last year’s 12-13 record and make it over the final hurdle that stands between them and post-season play. They finished the 2007-08 season 6-6 in the Freedom conference, just one win shy of clinching a playoff berth. For the 2008-09 season, head coach Pat Dorney (6th season) will count on his returning players to bring leadership and experience to the team in order to punch a ticket to the Commonwealth tournament in late February.
While the Knights will have to replace the leadership and scoring ability of last year’s graduates, Sterling Green ‘08, Kevin Brown ‘08, and 1,000 point scorer, Eric Elliott ‘08, the team has nine returning players, including the trio of senior captains, Bobby Mulholland (Wildwood Crest, NJ/Wildwood), Blaise Pepitone (Vineland, NJ/Sacred Heart), and Terell Varnado (Forest Hills, MD/Archbishop Curly). All three veterans are talented wing players who have proven themselves ready to take on a leadership role in their final year. Coach Dorney describes Varnado as a big, strong wing that can defend, rebound and play with high energy. Pepitone is a versatile and able to play multiple positions on the floor. Mulholland returns as the team’s leading scorer, averaging 13.2 ppg last year as all three of these seniors will be major contributors on and off the court this season.
The remaining returning players consist of juniors Damien Palantino (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge), Daune Robinson (Philadelphia, PA/Overbrook), and Steve Sharp (Media, PA/Penncrest). Palantino is a feisty guard that can shoot in the tightest of situations, Sharp is a wing player with long range and Robinson has the versatility to play both inside and out. The returning sophomores include Darrell Mills (Philadelphia, PA/Engineering & Sciences), Alexis Alfonso (Cape May, NJ/Lower Cape May), and Brett Sharpe (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern). Coach Dorney is looking to these returners to bring leadership on and off the court and help the new members learn the ropes of NCAA basketball.
The newcomers to the team include freshmen Andrew Vose (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge), Khalief Trawick (Philadelphia, PA/Franklin Learning Center), Jason Thompson (Cape May Court House, NJ/Middle Township), Billy Beck (New Providence, NJ/New Providence), Dan Drennen (Willow Grove, PA/Bishop McDevitt), and Marcus Booker (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast) as well as junior transfer Dwayne Bradley (Philadelphia, PA/Martin Luther King). These players have been working hard in practice during preseason and will look to contribute when the season gets underway.
Coach Dorney returns a veteran coaching staff to the sideline this year in assistant coaches Ryan Kilkenney, Chris Rumsey, Omar Wells and George Dillon. Dorney boasts of the team’s depth, reporting to have “nine to eleven players who will all be competing for minutes through the preseason. We are not a big team but we are long and athletic.”
The Knights have a tough schedule ahead of them, but are more than ready for the challenge when they open the season on Saturday, November 15 at home against Rowan University at 4 PM. Commonwealth Conference play opens up against Coach Dorney’s Alma Matter, Lebanon Valley College on January 7.
