Morrisville State men earn first ever bid to Big Dance; defeat Penn State Harrisburg 76-72 for 2012 NEAC Championship

The Morrisville State College men's basketball team battled back from a seven point deficit late in the second half to overcome Penn State Harrisburg by a 76-72 final and claim the 2012 North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Championship Tournament Title, earning the institution's first ever bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament.



This is the first NEAC Championship Title for the Mustangs, who improve to 19-8 on the season, and will await further tournament information as the NCAA selection show for Division III takes place tomorrow at noon.



Penn State Harrisburg concludes their season at 20-7 overall.



Mickey Davis (Jamesville, N.Y.) led Morrisville State with 22 points and 14 rebounds, nine coming on the offensive glass, while four additional teammates were in double figures, including Andrew Lucio (Solvay, N.Y.) with 14. Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, N.Y.) had 11 points and 12 boards, while Brandon Hanks (Syracuse, N.Y.) and Kyle Gordon (Riverhead, N.Y.) each had 10. Gordon added five assists and three steals to his tallies on the day, earning him the Most Outstanding Player honors for the tournament.



Amani Glenn (Harrisburg, Penn.) had 18 points to lead the Nittany Lions, including hitting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while Kenton Alston (Harrisburg, Penn.) added 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and four blocks to the Harrisburg efforts. David Reisinger (Harrisburg, Penn.) rounded out top scoring with 12.



Morrisville State led for most of the first half until Alston converted a three-point play with 2.5 seconds remaining to put Harrisburg in front 40-39 at the break.



With both teams playing pretty even in the second, Harrisburg went on a 14-6 run over a five minute span midway through the half, claiming the seven point lead with just 4:55 remaining on the clock.



Chipping away at the Nittany Lion advantage, Gordon nailed a three from the corner to bring the Mustangs within two with just over three to go, igniting Morrisville State on both ends of the floor, as they closed out the remainder of the contest with an 11-2 run.



Morrisville State shot 41 percent from the floor (28-for-69) and was held to just 30 percent from beyond the arc, as Harrisburg hit 45 percent of shots taken from the floor. The Mustangs held the 46-40 advantage on the boards, collecting 19 alone on the offensive glass, and forced 12 Harrisburg turnovers.