(Portions of this story contributed by Trinity University
athletics)
(Photo by Josh Moczygemba)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Tournament MVP Robert Kitzginer had
22 points and eight rebounds to lead Trinity University to an 82-70
victory over Centenary College in the championship game of the 2014
SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament Sunday afternoon on the campus of
Trinity. The title is the third consecutive for the Tigers who
improved to 19-9 and will represent the SCAC in the NCAA Division
III Tournament as the league's automatic qualifier. Box Score | Official
Tournament Website | Robert Kitzinger (TU)
Postgame Interview | Zach Lambert (TU) Postgame
Interview | Pat Cunningham (TU) Postgame
Interview | Adam Walsh (CENT) Postgame Interview
The Trinity duo of Zach Lambert pitched in with 18 points
and Jonathan Wilt had a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds
to join Kitzinger on the All-Tournament Team.
Centenary (18-10) was paced by Jonathan Blount, who had 24 points
and five rebounds. He and teammate James Sapp, who had a
double-double of 12 points and 20 rebounds, were also named to the
2014 All-Tournament team. The 20 rebounds by Sapp set a new SCAC
Tournament single-game record.
AJ Myres of Schreiner University was also named to the
All-Tournament Team.
Trinity (19-9) had already secured its third straight berth in the
NCAA Division III Playoffs, as Centenary is still in transition to
Division III (therefore not eligible for the postseason). The
pairings will be announced Monday morning, and the tournament
begins later in the week. Head Coach Pat Cunningham, elected the
SCAC Co-Coach of the Year on Saturday, earned his seventh
conference championship at the Tigers helm.
The Tigers led 44-33 at halftime, shooting over 53 percent in the
opening period. The Gents closed to eight points on several
occasions in the second half of play, including a 48-56 mark with
9:36 on the clock. But Trinity pulled away late, leading by as much
as 16 points (74-58) with 1:49 left in the game.
Kitzinger shot 7-15 from the field, sank 6-7 free throws, and
pulled down eight rebounds. He also tied Rich Skeen (1990-1994) for
Trinity’s all-time record in three-point field goals made
(225), scoring two in today's game.
Matt Selling contributed 11 points to round out Trinity’s
double-figure scorers. William Young led the matchup with seven
assists, surpassing 300 in his career.
The Gents concluded their season with an 18-10 record. Trinity and
Centenary split their two-game regular-season series.