Christian Burggraf jumper
Gene Walsh
88
Winner Penn State Berks PSBM 5-13, 5-7 NEAC
87
Cazenovia CAZM 5-14, 3-9 NEAC
Winner
Penn State Berks PSBM
5-13, 5-7 NEAC
88
Final
87
Cazenovia CAZM
5-14, 3-9 NEAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Penn State Berks PSBM 40 48 88
Cazenovia CAZM 45 42 87

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Burggraf carries Nittany Lions to win over Cazenovia

CAZENOVIA, N.Y. (February 7, 2014) - Christian Burggraf buried a pair of free throws with three seconds left in the game to lift the Penn State Berks men's basketball team to an 88-87 victory over Cazenovia College in a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) contest on Friday afternoon.

Burggraf, Darren Major, and Tom Smith alternated offensive outbursts throughout the game. The trio each finished with 20-plus points to help the Nittany Lions (5-13, 5-7 NEAC) finish off a come-from-behind win. The Wildcats (5-14, 3-9 NEAC) led by as much as 12 points in the first half and eventually took a 45-40 advantage into the break. Berks battled back and took the lead midway through the second half before the two teams exchanged leads a couple of times. Cazenovia had a six point lead with 53 seconds left in regulation.

Dameon Nixon responded with a layup and knocked down the free throw for an old fashioned three point play to cut the deficit to three points with :46 seconds left. Smith completed another old fashioned three point play to make it an 87-86 game with :08 seconds on the clock. The senior center then made one of the biggest plays of his career with a steal at the :03 second mark and Burggraf got the ball and was immediately fouled. Burggraf, known for his sharp-shooting ability, hit both free throws to give the Nittany Lions the late lead. A desperation 3-pointer by Nate Hudson came up short to give Berks the thrilling victory.

Burggraf set a season-high with his 24 point effort. The sophomore guard tallied 18 of those points in the first half and added four early on in the second stanza. He was held scoreless for the majority of the way before getting the clutch free throws at the end. Major committed two fouls early in the first half and sat on the bench until the break with zero points. He responded with 23 points in the second half on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor. Smith was a little more even keel with 22 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Nixon added eight points and Joey Lewis chipped in seven.

Smith picked up a double-double with 10 rebounds, while Joel Ellison also brought down the same amount of boards. Burggraf had a season-high eight rebounds, while Nygel Belizaire grabbed seven.

Ryan Gavin led the Wildcats with 20 points and 14 boards. Daniel Cunningham added 13 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.

The Nittany Lions will continue their playoff push with a NEAC contest at Morrisville State College on Saturday, February 8 at 1 p.m.
 
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