SAN ANTONIO, Texas - A pair of Alex Dehoyos free throws with 3.7 seconds remaining provided the difference as fifth-seeded Schreiner University completed its miracle tournament run with a 69-67 victory over second-seeded Trinity University in the championship game of the 2023 SCAC Men's Basketball Championship tournament on Sunday afternoon at Trinity. Official Tournament Website | Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview | Men's Tournament Stats
Schreiner's victory in front of a raucous crowd of 1,178 marks the first time a five seed has ever won the SCAC Tournament which was introduced prior to the 2002-03 season. The previous highest men's seed to win the event was when fourth-seeded DePauw University took home the hardware at the 2006 championship. The championship is the first for the Mountaineers since 2018 and secures them the SCAC's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.
The Mountaineers needed a victory in the last game of the regular season just to qualify for this year's event. In a winner advances and loser's season is over contest, Schreiner defeated Texas Lutheran 86-69 to earn the final spot in this year's championship. A week later, the Mountaineers are headed to the NCAA Tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Schreiner jumped out to an early 12-3 lead on the strength of four three-pointers from Dylan Mackey.
- An A.J. Clark jumper pulled Trinity to within 18-12 at the 9:35-mark of the first half. Clark then connected on a layup at the 3:00-mark that cut the Mountaineer lead to just 28-26.
- Schreiner took a slim 34-33 lead into halftime
- Trinity took its first lead of the game on a 3-pointer from Jacob Harvey early in the second half (18:38) that made it 36-34.
- The Tigers pushed the lead to 44-36 on a Braxton Barry layup at the 14:54-mark.
- Schreiner then retook the lead on a Beau Cervantes 3-pointer to make it 52-51 with 7:37 to play in the second half.
- Using a full-court press, Trinity was able to force a turnover which led to a layup from Clark that tied the game at 67-67 with 1:24 to play.
- That led to Dehoyos drawing a fould with 3.7 seconds left in regulation, where he connected on both free thrwos to give the Mountaineers a 69-67 lead.
- After advacning the ball past half court, Trinity took a timeout with 2.2 seoconds left. Tanner Brown's game-winning 3-point attempt was no good as Schreiner hung on for the win.
- Schreiner shot 48.1 percent (25-of-52) compared to Trinity's 35.5 percent (22-of-62).
- The Mountaineers held a slim 38-34 edge on the glass.
- The Tigers forced 19 Mountaineer turnovers which led to 18 Trinity points.
- Mackey finished with five 3-pointers, just three shy of the tournament single game record.
- Schreiner's Kamden Ross finished with seven points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks. The five blocks were just two shy of the single game tournament record.
- A.J. Clark: 16 points, five rebounds, three assists
- Braxton Barry: 10 points, eight rebounds, one assist
- Jacob Harvey: 8 points, three rebounds
- Dylan Mackey: 17 points, 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, six rebounds, four assists
- Cris Rodriguez: 16 points, 7-of-7 FG, two rebounds
- Kamden Ross: 7 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks
- Schreiner's Kamden Ross was named the Tournament MVP. Joining Ross on the All-Tournament Team were teammates Alex Dehoyos and Dylan Mackey. Trinity's A.J. Clark and Tanner Brown also earned All-Tournament nods as did Centenary College's Seth Thomas. The all-tournament nods were the second for Ross and Clark.
- Schreiner (15-13) becomes the first five seed in SCAC tournament history to win the chamionship. Previous five seeds (Sewanee in 2005 and Dallas in 2019) to play for the title were 0-2.
- The Mountaineers improved to 2-1 all-time in program history in the SCAC championship game. Schreiner won the title in 2018 while losing in its first appearance back in 2017.
- Trinity falls to 20-7 on the season.
