Men Cagers End Season with Upset LossMatt Gibson scored 24 points to pace five players in double figures as Merrimack upended Albany, 92-82, in the semi-final round of the 1998 ECAC Division II Tournament on March 6 at the Recreation and Convocation Center. The Great Danes, who were the tourney�s top seed, finished the season with a 19-8 record.
Merrimack, seeded fourth, went on to win the ECAC championship with an 80-75 victory over St. Michael�s. The Warriors snapped a a 25-25 deadlock in the first half against Albany with 11 consecutive points, and never trailed the rest of the way. Gibson, who canned 10 of 16 field goals, hit a jump hook to start the run. Matt Van Leeuwen (11 points) ended the stretch with a three-pointer.
Andre Duncan, who recorded his 12th double-double of the season with 28 points and 12 rebounds, helped the Great Danes rally from a 55-44 deficit midway through the second half. The 6-foot-6 senior�s follow shot sliced the Merrimack lead to 65-62 with 6:34 remaining. However, Albany never got any closer, as the visitors responded with seven of the game�s next eight points. Shawn Brown (13 points, 6 assists) hit a layup after a steal for a 72-63 cushion.
UA�s Todd Cetnar, a sophomore guard, matched a season-high with 19 points, while senior Darrin Jahnel ended his career with 12. Tom McGoldrick also wrapped up his final college season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Dane Notes: Merrimack�s Barry Spears was the ECAC tournament MVP, and has 19 points and eight rebounds in the championship game ... Albany made its first appearance in an ECAC tournament since 1989 ... Andre Duncan, who joined Spears on the ECAC all-tourney team, finished his career ranked fifth in scoring (1,453), ninth in rebounding (696) and first in blocks (184) on Albany�s all-time charts ... Duncan, who had 19 career double-doubles, posted the sixth highest season total in UA annals with 520 points ... Tom McGoldrick completed his career as the 12th all-time scorer with 1,135 points, and reached the 500-mark in rebounds (505) ... Darrin Jahnel, the third 1,000-point scorer on the team, finished 17th in scoring (1,065), and is the school�s all-time three-point shooter with 246 made and 627 attempted.
Duncan Voted to Two All-Star Squads
Andre Duncan was selected last week to the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Northeast Region Team and was voted First-Team All-ECAC North by the region�s head coaches.
Duncan, the 1998 New England Collegiate Conference Player of the Year, and a first-team all-conference choice, averaged 19.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks this season, and has scored 20-plus points on 13 occasions. The UA senior is the first player in school history to combine for 1,400+ points, 650+ rebounds and 150+ blocks in a career.
Women Lose in ECAC Semi, 71-67
Sophomore guard Megan Moran scored 10 of her 16 points in the final period as Adelphi rallied for a 71-67 victory over Albany in the semifinals of the 1998 ECAC Division II Tournament on March 7 at Woodruff Hall. Adelphi, the tourney�s top seed, improved to 18-11, while the Great Danes ended their third Division II campaign at 14-13 overall.
Albany, the fourth seed, shot 64 percent from the field in the first half en route to a 38-33 halftime advantage. Sophomore Megan Buchanan netted 11 of her 16 points in the period.
Adelphi, a member of the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference, opened the final stanza with an 8-2 run. Molly McHugh, who had all 12 of her points after the intermission, and added seven assists, canned a jumper for a 41-40 lead.
The Great Danes went back in front at 47-44 with 11:26 remaining on consecutive baskets by Buchanan and Marlana Wheelwright. But Adelphi tallied 12 of the game�s next 16 points to go ahead for good. McHugh�s free throw snapped a 49-all tie, before Lauren Pellegrino (12 points) made a short jumper for a 56-51 advantage with 6:35 left. Kelly Paolino had 10 points and five assists for Albany, while freshman Liz Tucker was the third Great Dane in double figures with 10.
Dane Notes:
Albany made its first appearance in an ECAC tournament since 1987 ... Kerry Ochal, a senior from Amsterdam, N.Y., set a school record for career games played with 106, and finished ninth in career rebounding (447) . . . the Danes established single-season records for 3-point field goals made (125) and attempted (420) . . . Kelly Paolino, a second-team All-NECC choice, will enter her senior campaign ranked seventh in both assists (235) and steals (191) on UA�s all-time charts.