CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The No. 3 seed Arcadia University men's basketball team captured its first Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) Championship and second MAC title overall with a 74-61 win at top-seeded DeSales University on Saturday afternoon. Jalen Watkins was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Nas Johnson led all scorers with 23 points. Justin Money and Joshua Okocha added 16 each while Watkins contributed 13. Nobody in the Bulldogs starting lineups surpassed double-figures in points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Knights came out on fire as a Johnson three-pointer started a 12-2 run to begin the contest.
-DeSales used a 17-6 streak to secure a 19-18 advantage with 9:10 on the clock.
-Arcadia trailed 35-34 going into the break.
-The Bulldogs hit a three-pointer to begin the second half that was immediately matched by one from Money.
-The Knights trailed 46-45 with 13:43 left in the game before an 8-0 run gave Arcadia a 53-46 lead with 12:03 left in the game.
-The Knights continued to hit their shots as time wore down as DeSales was unable to trim the advantage.
-Arcadia stormed the court as time expired to celebrate the first men's basketball conference crown since the 2018-19 season.
KNIGHT LEADERS
Points: Johnson (23) / Money (16) / Okocha (16) / Watkins (13)
Rebounds: Watkins (12) / Money (7) / Okocha (7)
Assists: Watkins (4) / Money (3) / Dom Vazquez (3)
Blocks: Watkins (3)
Steals: Vazquez (2)
INSIDE THE STATS
-The Knights shot 50 percent from three while holding DeSales to 26.9 percent.
-Arcadia shot over 50 percent from deep in both MAC Freedom Tournament contests after hitting 53.3 percent against Lycoming.
-Those two figures represent the Knights' two best showings of the season.
-Arcadia also scored 74 points in its win at Lycoming on Wednesday.
-The Knights have scored 74 points five times this season, all of them victories.
-Arcadia hit 83.3 percent of its free throws, the second best number this season.
-Watkins secured his 17th double-double of the season.
-Johnsons and Okocha both set a new career-high for points.
UP NEXT
The Knights will now wait to see where they are headed for the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Tournament. The selection show is scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. and can be viewed at ncaa.com.
