ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Blue Jays Hold Off Albright, 79-75

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ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Senior Mike Schatzmann (Paradise, PA/Pequea Valley) scored a game-high 28 points as Elizabethtown College snapped a four-game losing streak with a 79-75 victory over Albright College in Commonwealth Conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

Sophomore Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) tied a career high with 19 points while senior Chad Piersol (Elverson, PA/Owen J. Roberts) netted 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Blue Jays (15-6 overall, 2-5 Commonwealth), who withstood a pair of potential game-tying shots in the closing seconds to claim the victory.

Albert Medoro led the Lions (14-6 overall, 4-3 Commonwealth) with 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds while Zac Schaffer added 13 points off the bench, but Albright shot just 5-for-22 from three-point range and 6-for-15 from the foul line in the defeat.

A 9-2 run over a three-minute span late in the game turned a 67-66 deficit into a 75-69 Elizabethtown lead, with Church giving the Blue Jays the lead for good on a layup with 5:50 to go.

However, the Blue Jays went scoreless for nearly three minutes, and the Lions pulled within 77-75 on a jumper by Andre Murphy with 37 seconds to go. A foul shot by senior Bryce Rodgers (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) gave the Blue Jays a 78-75 lead with 28 seconds to go.

Albright had a pair of shots to tie the game, but missed on two three-point tries and the Blue Jays were able to add the clinching point on a foul shot by Schatzmann with nine seconds remaining.

The Blue Jays scored the first 11 points of the contest in just 2:05 and held a 13-2 lead with 17:21 remaining in the half behind 10 points from Schatzmann. Albright responded with a 10-0 run to pull within 15-14 with 12:49 left in the half, and took its first lead at 33-30 on a three-pointer by Zac Schaffer with 4:24 left.

Elizabethtown held a 40-39 lead at halftime after shooting 48.3 percent (14-for-29) from the field and 6-for-11 from three-point range. Schatzmann led all players with 15 points while Church added 11 points for the Blue Jays, while Zac Schaffer paced the Lions with 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting off the bench.

Albright finished with a 47-44 edge on the glass, with Kyle Brudvig contributing nine rebounds to go with eight points in 26 minutes off the Lion bench. As a team, Elizabethtown shot 45.9 percent (28-for-61) from the field and 7-for-14 from three-point range, while hitting on 16-of-22 shots (72.7 percent) at the foul line.

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE 79, ALBRIGHT COLLEGE 75
ALBRIGHT COLLEGE (14-6, 4-3 Comm.)
Albert Medoro 7-14 2-4 16; Zac Schaffer 5-9 0-2 13; Tom Murphy 5-12 2-2 12; Jeff Sparrow 3-6 0-0 8; Kyle Brudvig 4-12 0-2 8; Andrew Pomager 3-7 0-0 6; Phil Hall 3-9 0-1 6; Andre Murphy 2-5 0-2 4; Matt Bazsika 0-4 2-2 2; Adam Van Zelst 0-1 0-0 0; Taylor Steltz 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-80 6-15 75.
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE (15-6, 2-5 Comm.)
Mike Schatzmann 7-16 10-14 28; Mike Church 8-12 2-2 19; Chad Piersol 5-12 0-0 11; Josh Houseal 3-4 0-0 6; Bryce Rodgers 1-4 3-4 5; Phil Schaffer 2-3 0-0 4; Nick Kennedy 1-2 0-0 3; Keith Fogel 1-4 0-0 2; Tony Romero 0-2 1-2 1; Ben Schlosser 0-0 0-0 0; Jordan Dirago 0-1 0-0 0; Chris Jones 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-61 16-22 79.
Albright College.............. 39 36 - 75
Elizabethtown College......... 40 39 - 79
3-point goals--Albright College 5-22 (Zac Schaffer 3-7; Jeff Sparrow 2-4; Andrew Pomager 0-1; Phil Hall 0-1; Andre Murphy 0-2; Matt Bazsika 0-1; Tom Murphy 0-5; Albert Medoro 0-1), Elizabethtown College 7-14 (Mike Schatzmann 4-8; Nick Kennedy 1-1; Mike Church 1-2; Chad Piersol 1-3). Fouled out--Albright College-None, Elizabethtown College-None. Rebounds--Albright College 47 (Albert Medoro 14), Elizabethtown College 44 (Chad Piersol 11). Assists--Albright College 17 (Zac Schaffer 4), Elizabethtown College 14 (Phil Schaffer 4). Total fouls--Albright College 19, Elizabethtown College 18. Technical fouls--Albright College-None, Elizabethtown College-None. A-450