The La Roche College men's basketball team went a perfect 18-0 in conference play and claimed their second straight AMCC regular season title and hosting rights to the 2019 AMCC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. First round games tip off Wednesday evening with #3 Medaille College hosting #6 Franciscan University and #4 Mount Aloysius College hosting #5 D'Youville College. Top-seeded La Roche and #2 Penn St. Behrend receive first round byes.
The Redhawks (23-2, 18-0 AMCC) are led by senior guard Zach Gould who ranks second in the AMCC in scoring with 15.5 points per game and has dished out 72 assists. Gould has been hot from long range all season with a conference-best 83 made three pointers on 47.7% shooting. Sophomore forward Tyler Frederick ranks second in the AMCC with 10.2 rebounds per game, while also adding 14.4 points per game. Rounding out the double figures for La Roche is senior guard Ray Quan Phifer who averages 12.0 points per game and also chips in with 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
#2 Penn St. Behrend (21-4, 14-4 AMCC) brings a balanced offense with four seniors averaging double figures, led by Justin Gorny and Andy Niland both averaging 14.2 points per game. Gorny also leads his team on the glass, grabbing 5.9 rebounds per game. Niland's 159 assists (6.4 assists per game) is second-best in the AMCC while his 42.9 three-point percentage ranks fifth. Senior guard Mike Fischer adds 13.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game to the Lion attack.
Medaille College (13-12, 11-7 AMCC) earned the #3 seed and is led offensively by senior guard Meghale Ford's 11.8 points per game and junior guard Kirk Hawkin's 11.2 points per game. Junior forward Jonathan Smith leads the Mavericks with his 7.1 rebounds per game, while also tossing in 10.2 points per game.
With the #4 seed under their belts, Mount Aloysius (13-12, 10-8 AMCC) will be hosting their first playoff game in program history. Freshman forward Carlos Palacio leads the Mounties with 14.5 points per game while junior guard Julian Stover adds 12.9 points per game.
#5 D'Youville (11-14, 9-9 AMCC) has earned their first postseason trip since the 2014-15 season. Senior guard Jeremy VanDuluitgaarden has led the Spartans all season, scoring 18.5 points per game and grabbing 10.3 rebounds while also adding 1.6 blocks per game. Sophomore forward Grant Beyer is the only other Spartan scoring in double figures, averaging 14.7 points per game.
Rounding out the field is #6 Franciscan University (13-12, 9-9 AMCC). The Barons secured their first regular season winning record since the 1972-73 season and will head to the AMCC tournament for the first time in program history. Sophomore guard Sean Hickey leads the offense, as his 15.4 points per game rank third in the conference. Junior center Matt Trent nearly averages a double-double with 13.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET
First Round: Wednesday, February 20
#6 Franciscan at #3 Medaille, 7pm
#5 D'Youville at #4 Mount Aloysius, 7pm
Byes: #1 La Roche and #2 PS-Behrend
Championship Round at #1 La Roche College
Semifinals: Saturday, February 23
5pm: #1 La Roche v. winner of 5v4
7pm: #2 PS-Behrend v. winner of 6v3
Finals: Sunday, February 24, 3pm