By Joseph Caruso
Staff Writer
For the first time since the 1990 season, the College earned an at-large bid to the Division III NCAA Tournament, securing a first round matchup with the Pitt-Bradford Panthers on Friday, March 7.
The Lions saw their New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship hopes end after their third loss this season to Montclair State University, where they had an abysmal day shooting the three and taking care of the ball, leading to an 80-62 defeat.
The College will try to get back to their winning ways, but they will face a tough Pitt-Bradford squad that tied a program record for wins this season, with 23 compared to just three losses.
This is the second straight season that the Lions have made it to the NCAA Tournament, having experienced a gut-wrenching loss by just one point to Eastern University last year.
Junior’s Nick Koch and Matthew Soloman both received All-NJAC honors for their seasons, with Koch receiving first-team and Soloman getting an honorable mention.
A historic year for Koch included reaching 1,000 career points, while ranking top three in the conference in scoring (20.8 points per game) and fourth in assists (4.1 per game). He scored 30 points or more three different times, and nobody in the NJAC made more field goals than him (201).
As for Soloman, this is his second consecutive year earning an NJAC honorable mention, averaging over 11 points and nine rebounds per game while accumulating eight double-doubles, and led the team in field goal percentage and blocks as well.
The College will need both Koch and Soloman to play at their best, facing a Panthers lineup that plays at a fast pace and is third in all of Division III in points per game (104.4) and turnovers forced per game (23.4).
Senior Jamarion Butler leads the way for Pitt-Bradford, averaging 21 points per game along with 7.3 rebounds. Their lineup features five different players who average double-digit points per game.
This has the making of a tough matchup for the College, who has scored 100 points in just two contests this year, compared to the Panthers, who have accomplished that in 17 of their 26 games.
In their previous game against Montclair, the Lions turned the ball over a season-worst 20 times, while also making just two of 14 three-point attempts, also a new low for them this year. If the College wants to keep up with the fast-paced Panthers, taking care of the ball will be integral.
With a lot of defensive pressure on Koch, other guards like sophomore David Alexandre and senior Jack Vreeswyk will need to continue to step up. Senior forward and second-leading scorer Matthew Okorie will also continue to play a huge part for the Lions.
If the College comes away with a victory, they will play the winner of the Hampden-Sydney against Bryn Athyn game, at 6:40 p.m. on Saturday for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen.
