Men's Basketball | 2/25/2020 1:29:13 PM
Nazareth College, St. John Fisher College, Utica College and The Sage Colleges will vie for the 2020 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship, which takes place on Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, Feb. 29, with all games played at Nazareth College. Top-seed Nazareth will host No. 4 seed Sage in the first semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Friday, while No. 2 seed St. John Fisher takes on third-seeded Utica in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2020 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday at 4 p.m.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2020 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, which begins on March 6-7.
Participating Teams
No. 1 Nazareth College (12-2 E8, 20-5 Overall)
No. 2 St. John Fisher College (12-2 E8, 17-8 Overall)
No. 3 Utica College (9-5 E8, 18-7 Overall)
No. 4 The Sage Colleges (8-6 E8, 15-10 Overall)
SEMIFINAL #1 – No. 4 Sage at No. 1 Nazareth
Top-seeded Nazareth enters the Empire 8 Tournament with a 20-5 overall record and finished 12-2 in league play. The Golden Flyers had their 11-game winning streak snapped in a 79-75 loss to regular season co-champion St. John Fisher in the regular season finale on Feb. 22. Despite the loss, Nazareth enters the tournament having won 14 of its last 15 contests and was the highest scoring team in Empire 8 play, averaging 84.4 points per game, while shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range. The Golden Flyers boast five players averaging in double figures, including Stephen Gabel, who leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.1 points to go along with 6.9 boards per game. Zach Stenglein is right behind, averaging 15.6 points per game, while leading the conference with 4.6 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Jonathan Park leads the league, shooting 60 percent from the floor, while averaging E8-best marks of 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. Cody Green leads the E8 with 69 made 3-pointers and is shooting 42.9 percent from behind the arc.
Sage won five of its last six regular season contests to finish the regular season with a 15-10 overall record, while finishing 8-6 in Empire 8 play. The Gators knocked off Utica, 72-67 in the regular season finale on Feb. 22. Sage allowed the fewest points in league play (72.0 points allowed per game). Sophomore Jalon Borders has enjoyed a breakout season, leading the team in scoring with 15.6 points to go along with 5.5 rebounds per game. The Gators have tremendous depth, as six players average between 6.7 and 8.9 points per game. Charles Davis has emerged over the second half the season, averaging 13.8 points on 75.0 shooting from the floor over the last five games. He earned back-to-back Empire 8 Rookie of the Week honors earlier in the month.
Nazareth won both previous matchups between the two schools this season, 86-63 in Albany on Jan. 17 and 87-69 at Kidera Gymnasium on Feb. 15. Gabel had 22 points and 10 boards for Nazareth in the win on Jan. 17 and added 20 points in the win on Feb. 15. Kevin Underwood averaged 19.5 points in the two Nazareth wins. Borders averaged 17.0 points in the two games to lead Sage.
SEMIFINAL #2 – No. 3 Utica vs. No. 2 St. John Fisher
St. John Fisher earned a share of the 2019-20 Empire 8 regular season title and enters the tournament with a 17-8 overall record, having finished 12-2 in Empire 8 play. The Cardinals became Empire 8 regular season co-champions after a thrilling 79-75 win over Nazareth in the regular season finale on Feb. 22. St. John Fisher averaged 83.9 points per game in E8 league play, while allowing 73.1 points per contest. Senior Sammy Robinson leads the Cardinals and is second in the Empire 8 in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game to go along with 5.3 boards per game. Classmate Dennis Hare is averaging 13.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 58.8 percent from the floor, which ranks second in the league. James Leone leads the team in rebounding (6.3 per game), while Sean Williams leads Fisher in assists (3.8 per game) and steals (2.1 per contest).
No. 3 seed Utica began the season by winning 12 of its first 14 contests and enters the tournament with an 18-7 overall record. The Pioneers, who finished 9-5 in Empire 8 play, scored 79.1 points per game in league play, while allowing 72.1 points. Utica has six players averaging at least 8.3 points per game in 2019-20. Sophomore Darius Hopkins leads the Pioneers in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game. He is shooting 42.7 percent from 3-point range and 82.6 percent from the foul line. First-year Thomas Morale is averaging 12.7 points per game on 51.6 percent shooting from the floor to go along with 5.9 rebounds per game. Junior Limerick Murphy is second in the league in both rebounds (9.0) and blocks (1.7) per game, while shooting 55.6 percent from the floor.
The Cardinals won both earlier meetings between the two schools this season, 90-80 in Utica on Jan. 17 and an 84-82 thriller at home on Feb. 15. Robinson had 28 points and eight boards in the win on Jan. 17 and poured in 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting on Feb. 15. Dennis Hare also averaged 20.5 points per game for the Cardinals in their two wins. Hopkins led the Pioneers by averaging 26.5 points in the two meetings versus Fisher. He had six made 3-pointers in the opening contest and poured in 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field on Feb. 15.
Nazareth is looking for its fourth league championship and first since 2017-18. St. John Fisher has won eight league titles, most recently in 2016-17, while Utica and Sage are looking for their first E8 titles.
This weekend's championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
2020 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Schedule
Friday, February 28 – Semifinals at Nazareth
No. 4 Sage at No. 1 Nazareth – 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 Utica vs. No. 2 St. John Fisher – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 29 - Championship Final
Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 at Nazareth – 4 p.m.
Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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