Misericordia's NCAA Journey Ends

MARIETTA, Ohio -- Misericordia's second foray into the NCAA Tournament ended the way their first one did, falling in the first round.

The College of Wooster capitalized on a strong second-half shooting performance, defeating the Cougars 84-59. In this edition of sparkling offense vs. stingy defense, it was the Fighting Scots' 19th-best points-per-game output that came out on top on this night.

The Cougars were forced to play from behind for the final 35 minutes of regulation time. They last led 12-11 with 13:57 remaining in the first half. Seemingly, the Fighting Scots could not miss from that point on, ending the night shooting 51% from the field in total.

The balance of the game seemed to hinge on one play in the waning seconds of the first half. A trey by sophomore Griffin Sponaugle combined with a layup by fellow sophomore James Hawk trimmed a large Wooster lead to as few as 4. Off of the transition play, Wooster's Evan Pannell received an argued illegal screen from behind the arc at the top of the key, draining a three-point shot of his own as the buzzer sounded. That re-established the lead back to seven points at the half.

"It changed my mood," Misericordia coach Trevor Woodruff said. "I thought there was a clear missed illegal screen that got the kid open. Give him credit, he made the shot."

After that point, Wooster rode that emotional wave by outscoring the Cougars 40-22 in the final frame.

"I don't think that had a huge effect on the second half, but psychologically maybe going down four, not really having shot all that well, maybe that gives us a brighter outlook in the second half," Woodruff added.

"They came out and punched us in the face and we just couldn't get it back," senior guard Joe Busacca said after the game. "They were just making shots, and we weren't."

A usually reliable offense went completely silent in the second half. Misericordia made just seven buckets from the field in the second half, shooting 25%. They also only made two three-pointers all day, shooting a season-low 11.8% for the game.

The swan song for two of the most productive players in Misericordia basketball history ended in productive fashion. Busacca splashed 17 points in 39 minutes, and fellow senior Steve Ware added 12 points in 30 minutes of play. Busacca ended his career on a massive 19-game double-figure scoring streak.

"It was emotional," Busacca said of his exit. "I gave [the coaching staff] all I could."

Misericordia dictated the pace early, holding the lead within the game's first five minutes. Wooster led by as many as 10 thanks to Dan Fanelly's domination in the post. He finished with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Wooster's largest lead inflated to as many as 27 on two separate occasions in the second half. Their depth and speed outclassed the Cougars, who, according to Busacca, never gave up on the game.

Wooster had entered this game with loads of NCAA Tournament experience. They had reached the big dance for 20 of the last 21 years under experienced head coach Steve Moore. That aside, Woodruff did not see fear in his players' eyes.

"I didn't think our guys were just happy to be here," he said. "That's why I didn't see this coming. I thought we were even-keeled and focused. I thought they were really good offensively, they were equally as good defensively."

"Give credit to Wooster," Busacca concluded. "They were the better team tonight."

Wooster will move on in the tournament to play the winner of the nightcap between Marietta and Medaille.

Cougars Capture Second Freedom Conference Championship

Dallas, Pa -- Almost a year ago to the day, Misericordia University's men's basketball team stood inside Billera Hall with the culmination of a journey ending just short to DeSales University in the Freedom Conference championship game.

This time, however, the Cougars had no intention of coming up short for a second time. No ECAC tournament bid. No other option except to win. They did just that, defeating Delaware Valley College in the 2015 edition of the championship game 77-66 on Saturday.

Tournament MVP, Freedom first-teamer, player-of-the-year and two-time champion Joe Busacca led the way for the Cougars with 29 points in the win. At every turn, he outdueled opposing point guard Francis Arnold, and led his team, who never trailed, to a championship victory.

"I think we were just ready to go," Busacca said. "We had [the game] here on our home court, so we were just ready to go."

For the Cougars, it was their second Freedom championship victory since joining the MAC, and their fourth foray in a championship game in total. Yet, between the two championship victories, there is seemingly no comparison at all—at least, according to Misericordia head coach Trevor Woodruff.

"It's like picking between your children," he said. "I wouldn't say it's better or worse."

Woodruff only had one child to choose from to help him cut the net during the postgame fracas. His three-year-old son Bryce climbed the ladder among friends and family, completing the hallowed tradition to raucous applause.

“He asked me last night before bed. I told him 'we're going to cut the nets down tomorrow,' and he said 'dad, I want to help,'” an emotional Woodruff said. "So how could I say no?"

The ever-dangerous Arnold scored 15 of his team-leading 30 points in the contest in the second half, with 6 of them coming in the final minute of play. Yet, with each bucket he splashed, sophomore guard Jesse Urich responded at the free throw line after each foul, going a perfect 8 for 8.

A 14-4 run to start the game set the tone for Misericordia, led by Busacca’s 7 points in that span. His downtown three-pointer four minutes into the first half extended the Cougars’ lead to 10. While the Aggies sliced that lead to as few as four with 11:49 remaining in the first, the Cougars scored 22 of the final 37 points of the stanza to take an 11-point lead to the room.

“We were aggressive the entire day,” Woodruff said of his team's effort. "I thought starting with Joe, he just went, and the other guys followed him."

A journeyman of life, senior Steve Ware, added a double-double in the victory with 14 points and 11 rebounds—his sixth double-double in his last seven games, and fourth in a row. Ware, just a few years removed from an embattled existence in Atlanta, found himself celebrating with his teammates on this day.

He did not get to contribute to the first Freedom championship in 2012. He proved to be a significant reason why they won this season’s championship, scoring 31 points and grabbing 29 boards in the tournament.

"We said when we were freshman we were going to do this again," Ware said of his senior teammates. "To have it happen in our senior year, it's just a great feeling."

Delaware Valley fought its way to the championship game for the second time in three years. This time, however, they did not get the scoring depth they had all season. Freedom first-team forward Chris Moran, who averaged over 14 points per game, added 8 points. Third-leading scorer Nick Sullivan scored a lone three-pointer in the contest.

“We were kind of like a deer in headlights a little bit to start the game off,” Aggies head coach Casey Stitzel said postgame. “We did not have the same approach to the first half that we did [Wednesday].”

A confident Delaware Valley team dismantled DeSales in the Freedom semifinal game Wednesday, but the Cougars’ 19^th-best shooting defense held the Aggies to just 27.5% shooting from the field in the first half.

Woodruff outlined from the outset that he wanted his team to defend Anderson Center floor all season long. They ended the year with 13 wins and two losses at home.

“We thought we would be very difficult to beat [on home court],” Woodruff said. "I think you could argue we played our best game in the championship game. I think that says a lot about our team."