(2/12/09) In what was an exciting CSAC contest, it was the Centenary Cyclones who were able to take down conference leading Cabrini College by a final score of 72-65. The story of the game was the clutch foul shooting from the Cyclones never allowing Cabrini a chance to get back into the game down the stretch. The win for the Cyclones brings them back to .500 with a record of 11-11 and a CSAC record of 6-7. For Cabrini the loss now drops them to 16-6 on the season as well as 9-4 in the conference.

In what was an up and down first half, it was Centenary who began to build an early lead, pulling ahead 15-6 five minutes into the half. Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) scored nine of the 15 in the early going. Cabrini weathered the storm, albeit briefly when they came back within six, when Kevin Misevicius converted on a steal and a lay up to make the score 18-12 Cyclones with 10:58 left to play. Centenary though came right back and opened up their largest lead of the half at 15 when Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) hit a three pointer with 1:33 to go in the half, making the score 37-22. The Cavaliers held the Cyclones scoreless the rest of the way and were able to put three more points on the board for themselves to make the half score 37-25 in favor of the Cyclones.

After Centenary was able to expand their lead to 16 points, their largest of the game, in the second half’s first two minutes Cabrini answered by outscoring the Cyclones 29-11 over the half’s next 11 minutes. The Cavaliers took their first lead since the game’s opening minutes when they were ahead 6-4, on a three pointer from Greg Zabel which made the score 54-52 Cabrini with nine minutes remaining in the half. Cabrini held the slight advantage over the next five minutes of the game, but Centenary was able to answer and regain the lead when Urie beat his man off the dribble and finished a lay up to put the Cyclones ahead 59-58 with four minutes to play. The Cyclones maintained a four point lead with a minute and a half to play, but Cabrini’s Glen Washington was able to free himself of the defense and knock in a three pointer to pull his team within one, 64-63. On the next possession, however, with less than a minute to play and the shot clock winding down, Urie again was able to convert a lay up, this time in acrobatic fashion putting the Cyclones back up three, 66-63 with 37 seconds left to play. In the final half minute Cabrini could do nothing but foul the Cyclones, but Centenary was up to the task going six of six at the line to close the game out and win by a final score of 72-65.

Down the stretch the difference for the Cyclones was Urie who scored nine of his team’s final 11 points and in the second half sunk 10 free throws, and finished with 19 points, four assists, and five rebounds for the game. Joining Urie was Kearney who finished with a double double, 17 points and 10 rebounds. Centenary put two more players into double figures, with Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) finishing with 10 and Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) finishing with 13.

The Cavaliers were lead by Kevin Misevicius who recorded a double double himself by scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as well as getting eight steals. The lone other Cavalier in double figures was Glen Washington who finished with 12 points and hit two three pointers.

Boxscore

(2/9/09)  Forty minutes was not enough in a battle of two teams separated by only a game in the CSAC Conference. The matchup between the Baptist Bible Defenders and Centenary College took an additional five minute overtime period to settle this one, and in the overtime period it was the Defenders who outscored the Cyclones nine to six to secure the victory, 88-85. In this game there were 11 ties as well as 11 lead changes. For the Defenders, the win now puts their conference record at 7-7 while it drops Centenary to 5-7 in the CSAC on the year. 

In what turned out to be an evenly played first half, the score was tied at 12-12 with 12 minutes to go in the half. For the next five minutes though Centenary was able to open up a slight lead taking an eight point lead on a Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) jumper with 5:55 seconds left in the half. Baptist Bible fought back though and Justin Cook hit a three to bring his team back to within one with 1:43 left. In that final minute, however, neither team was able to get a basket and the score remained at 34-33 in the favor of the Cyclones.
 
The second half played out much the same way the first half did: The score remained close to the 8:10 mark of the half, when again Centenary was able to open up a lead of eight points. This time it was a foul shot from Kearney which put his team up 62-54. Centenary hung on to that lead all the way down to three minutes remaining when Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) hit a three pointer which kept Centenary ahead by eight, 75-67. In the final three minutes though Baptist Bible was able to hold Centenary to only four points, and knocked in a pair of three pointers to bring themselves within three points with under a minute to go. In the final minute of regulation with Centenary clinging to a three point lead, 78-75, it became all about who could make the big foul shots. Baptist Bible was four-four while Centenary was only one of three, including a chance to take the lead with 12 seconds remaining, from the line and the game was sent to overtime with both teams tied at 79. 
 
In overtime, the Cyclones started off with a pair of lay-ups from Kearney and held on to a two point lead, 85-83, with 33 seconds left, but it was the Defenders Tom Waszaj who nailed a huge three pointer to give his team the final lead of the game, 86-85. A pair of free throws from Baptist Bible and a missed three pointer in Centenary’s last possession gave the game its final score, 88-85.
 
For the game the Cyclones were lead by Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) who finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots on 10-15 shooting. Kearney for Centenary added 19 and nine rebounds as well as three steals. Baptist Bible put four players into double figures. Among them was Travis Wash who went for a double double with 29 points and 11 rebounds. Tom Waszaj added 19 points knocking four three pointers. Also contributing was Khristian Collins who only scored five points, yet dished out 12 assists and four steals for the Defenders.

Boxscore

(2/7/09)  For today’s men’s basketball game, three was the magic number for Centenary. Three pointers that is, as the Cyclones connected on 13 for the game and shot it at 65%. Keystone could not hold off the shooting barrage as Cyclones rolled on their way to an 84-77 victory over the Giants. The win for the Cyclones keeps them right in the thick of the playoff race improving their conference record to 5-6 and overall now brings them back up to .500 at 10-10. On the losing Keystone is now 7-5 in the CSAC while boasting a 13-7 overall record.

In the first half it was raining three pointers for the Cyclones. Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) managed to hit six in the half 22 points. With seven minutes remaining in the half, Centenary found themselves down seven 26-19 but it was at this point that the three pointers began. Their next five made baskets were threes, four of them coming from Atkinson the other was from Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) and Centenary took back the lead 36-34 on a lay-up by Corey Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) with 2:30 seconds left to play in the half. Keystone, however, outscored the Cyclones 6-2 the rest of the way and took a 40-38 point lead into the locker room at half.

Having fallen behind by four to start the half, Centenary took a lead with 17:41 left on the clock when Corey Kearney hit a three, a lead which the Cyclones would not relinquish the rest of the half. Just five minutes later Centenary had stretched their lead out to 12 points when they led 59-47. The Cyclone advantage got up to as big as 15 midway through the half when the score was 64-49. A late Keystone run brought them back within striking distance, trailing only by eight with 2:23 left to play in the game. The Cyclones were able to hold them off, and Urie was money from the foul line down the stretch going four of five to close out the game and give the Cyclones the victory 84-77.

The story of the game again was three pointers and no one hit more on this day then Will Atkinson who was all but perfect from beyond the arc going 8 for 9. Atkinson finished the game with 30 points, four rebounds and three assists. The point total and three point totals were both season highs for Atkinson. Playing another strong game for the Cyclones was Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) who finished with yet another double double, this time going for 15 points and 14 rebounds while also rejecting four shots. The Kearney brothers combined for 27 points as Ryan went for 16 to go along with seven rebounds and Corey finished the game with 10 points and two assists. Rounding out the efforts today were Urie who finished with 11 points and seven assists.

For Keystone they were led by Spencer Lunger who went off 22 points and six threes of his own. Also starring for the Giants was Malcolm Boone who was able to chip in with 18 points and eight rebounds.

Boxscore

(2/5/09)  In a hotly contested CSAC game, it was Centenary who was able to fend off the furious comeback made by Immaculata to hold on for their fourth conference win of the season, taking the game with a score of 80-72. For Immaculata the loss now drops their record to 6-13 overall and lowers their conference record to 4-6. The Cyclones’ win gives them an overall record of 9-10 and conference record of 4-6 as well.

For tonight’s game it was the Cyclones who came out rolling and raced out to an early nine point advantage with the score of 13-4. Centenary kept their foot on the gas pedal all half and were nearly able to double their lead jumping ahead by 17 on a foul shot by Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) which made the score 32-15 with two and a half minutes to go in the half. Immaculata, however, went on a late run cutting the lead to 8 when Pat Kelly hit a three pointer just before the buzzer making the score 34-26 still in favor of the Cyclones.

In the second half Centenary maintained their lead, however, around the 12:30 minute mark of the half Immaculata began chipping away at the lead. Robert Siter was able to steal the ball away from the Cyclones and go in for a lay-up to cut the Cyclone lead all the way down to two points, when the score was 50-48. Right after Immaculata’s run, Centenary was able to get some breathing room by hitting back to back threes. The first came when Corey Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) found Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) at the top of the key for a three, then on Centenary’s next possession it was Urie who joined the act when he hit a three of his own and Centenary was back up eight, 56-48. With two minutes left in the game Centenary had built their lead up to 13 again, however, once again Immaculata got it close lowering their deficit to five with 30 seconds to play. The Cyclones though took care of business at the foul line and closed out the game, winning 80-72.

Centenary on this night put four players in double figures. Paving the way for the Cyclones was Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) who was a force inside and outside getting a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while also knocking in two threes. Joining Kearney with a double-double of his own was Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) who scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while also adding three blocks. The other two players in double figures were the backcourt tandem of Atkinson and Urie who scored 18 points and 17 points respectively. Atkinson also added eight rebounds.

For Immaculata they too put four players into double figures. Tops for them was Kyle Finklea who scored 16 points, followed by Julius Lopez who scored 12. Sean Fordham and John Boyd were the other two Mighty Macs to hit double digits.

Boxscore

(2/3/09) In today’s men’s basketball game played at the Izod Center in East Rutherford it was Maritime College who came away with the win, 74-59. For Maritime the win makes them now 10-8 on the year and for Centenary the loss drops them to 8-10.

Both teams seemed to take a little to adjust to the new playing environment and the shooting and point totals showed. Both teams shot worse than 30% from the field for the half. Neither team cracked double digits until the seven minutes had elapsed from the game clock. Centenary held an eight point lead with 11 minutes to go at 15-7. Maritime climbed all the way back though and took a seven point lead into the half at 27-20.

In the second half Maritime could not extend their lead in the early going as Centenary hung in with a few timely baskets. Centenary cut the lead to just two points with eight minutes to go when Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) made a lay-up. This would be the closest the Cyclones go however as just three minutes later the lead for Maritime was back up to 11. Maritime closed out the game making most of their free throws and finished the game winning 74-59.

Starring for the Cyclones was Baker who finished with 15 points and six rebounds and Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) who finished with 11 points and three rebounds. For Maritime Giovanni Hurley finished with 19 points and nine rebounds and Tim Dougherty who finished 12 and 10 rebounds.
Boxscore

(2/2/09) The men’s basketball team suffered their ninth loss of the season, dropping a 72-65 decision to Cabrini College. The story of the game was turnovers, as Centenary more than doubled the Cavaliers total, finishing the game with 26 to the Cavaliers 13. The win for Cabrini was their 14th on the season and improved their conference record to 8-3. For Centenary the loss now makes them 8-9 overall on the year, and 3-6 in the CSAC.

In the first half, Cabrini came out hot and had Centenary reeling, racing out to a 25-8 advantage in the game's first eight minutes. Shooting nearly perfect at 11 of 12 from the field, the Cavaliers were able to take a 20 point lead 30-10 at the mid point of the half. It was at this point, however, that Centenary started their comeback and fought their way back into the game with a 19-4 run and held Cabrini to nearly eight minutes without a field goal right before halftime. The score at halftime was 38-31 in favor of Cabrini.

In the second half, the Cyclones were able to scrap their way nearly for the entire half never trailing by more than 10 points. Twice in the last 10 minutes of the game Centenary was able to cut their deficit to just one possession. With 24 seconds left to go in the game, Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) hit one of his five three pointers and cut the Cabrini lead to three, 68-65. Cabrini’s clutch foul shooting, however, preserved the win for them, as they went 6 for 6 in the final 35 seconds. The final score after a few more Cavalier free throws was 72-65.

For Centenary Kearney and Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) both finished with double doubles. Kearney finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds while Baker had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) netted two three pointers on the way to 10 points and seven rebounds. For the home Cavaliers they were led by Dom Farrello with 16 points and six rebounds, and Kevin Misevicius who finished with 14 points and five rebounds. Boxscore

(1/29/09) In what was an exciting conference matchup, the Centenary Cyclones hung on to beat Neumann College with a final score of 69-66. The 40 minute game boiled down to the game’s final minute in which the Cyclones were able to make more plays to get the win. This win keeps Centenary in the playoff hunt, giving them a CSAC record of 3-5, and puts them at 8-8 overall. For Neumann they dropped to 8-10 while being 4-5 overall.
 
In the first half, both teams started off with quick runs. Centenary flying out of the gates started out quickly rolling off a 7-0 run. Neumann after a time-out answered right back with an 8-0 run for themselves and took back the lead. From there both teams took turns trading the lead back and forth until about the midway point in the half when the Cyclones gained control. A lay-up from Corey Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) gave Centenary their biggest advantage of the half at nine. Neumann however connected on a jumper, and after getting a steal with just seconds remaining on the clock Na’Sheed Linton was able to beat the buzzer with a lay-up cutting their deficit to five, 36-31, to close out the first half.

The second half started much the same way the first half did with Centenary going on a 6-0 run to go up 11 on the Knights, 42-31. Neumann then began their comeback, regaining the lead with 10:37 remaining when Toure’ Wright made a lay-up and made the score 51-49 Knights. The Knights were able to stretch the lead to eight with just five minutes left to go in the game. The Cyclones cut the lead to two with two minutes left to play, when Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) found Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) who drilled a huge three pointer now giving the Cyclones back the lead 61-60. The Cyclones pushed the lead up to four with 20 seconds left on the clock when Eli Hitchens of Neumann kept his team in the game with a three pointer of his own making the score 67-66 Cyclones. Then on the following inbounds, Neumann was able to force a turnover regaining the ball and a chance for the lead with 12 seconds remaining. On the possession Linton drove and found Hitchens underneath but Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) made a game saving block and then hit the clinching foul shots to preserve the win for Centenary, 69-66.

For the game, Centenary was lead by Urie who finished with 21 points, three assists and five rebounds. Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Will Atkinson and Ryan Kearney rounded out the double figure scoring for the Cyclones, Atkinson with 13, and Kearney with 14. On Neumann’s side they were lead by Eli Hitchens who posted totals of 15 points and seven rebounds, and Michael Hitchens who finished with 11 points and two rebounds.  Boxscore

(1/24/09) In today’s men’s basketball game it was the Gwynedd-Mercy Golden Griffins who got the better of Centenary winning by a final score of 101-68. Gwynedd held a double digit advantage for most of the game, and never allowed Centenary to creep back into the game. With the win, Gwynedd remains unbeaten in the CSAC with a record now of 5-0, and pushed out their overall record to 12-2. The Cyclones loss lowers their CSAC record to 2-5 and drops them a shade under .500 overall with a record of 7-8.

In the first half of this game it was Gwynedd-Mercy who forced the tempo using a press to disrupt the Cyclones offense and create some turnovers. A jumper and lay up from Golden Griffins’ Dave Smith combined with a three pointer from Matt Johnson had the Cyclones on their heels in the early going falling behind 13-3. Centenary was able to fight back however and cut the lead to seven after Corey Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) sank a lay-up. The gap was closed only momentarily however as the Griffins came right back, and this time opened a lead as big as 19 with four minutes to play in the half. The Cyclones however managed to cut the lead back to single digits, however giving up a lay-up right before the halftime buzzer was sounding left them down 11, 47-36.  In the second half, it was all Gwynedd-Mercy as they managed to take their 11 point lead and double it nine minutes into the half. Centenary never got any closer than trailing by 20 points throughout the half as their offense just was not clicking on this day. Gwynedd-Mercy never letting up even after their reserves were in the game managed to open up a 30 point lead, and finished off the Cyclones winning by a final of 101-68.

For the Cyclones on this day, they were led by Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) who scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds, and came away with two steals. Also scoring in double figures was Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) who had 13 points to go along with six rebounds, and Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) who finished the day scoring 13 points.

Gwynedd-Mercy was led by point guard Matt Johnson who played an all around great game, scoring 16 points, dished out nine assists, and grabbed four rebounds. Lemeire Talley also played well, slashing to the hoop en route to 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Boxscore

(1/19/09) After trailing for most of the first half, the Cyclones were able to rally and put up 53 second half points and hold off the scrappy Philadelphia Biblical team to preserve the 80-65 victory. The win now improves the Cyclones back to .500 at 7-7 and 2-4 in the CSAC while dropping the Crimson Eagles to 1-12 and 0-5 in the CSAC.

In the first half the visiting Crimson Eagles put the pressure on the Cyclones forcing some early turnovers. Philadelphia Biblical took those extra opportunities and converted some three pointers, and on Willie Miller’s connected trey took a 13 point lead at 21-8 with 13 minutes to play in the half. The Cyclones however battled back and were able to bring the lead back down to six before the half closed out, 33-27.

In the second half it was Centenary this time that came out with more defensive intensity. Two foul shots from Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) at the 14:25 mark made it a brand name game as both teams were tied up 39-39. Over the next five minutes Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) was able to sink two of his game high six three pointers which pulled the Cyclones ahead by a margin of 10, with just over five minutes to play. Philadelphia Biblical left with nothing else to do but foul, however Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) was able to ice the game going a perfect 10-10 from the line.

For the game, the Cyclones were lead by the outside shooting of Atkinson who finished with 22 points, connecting on six threes and also grabbing three rebounds. Playing solid minutes off the bench was Larry Lenahan (South Amboy, NJ/South Amboy) who finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. For the Crimson Eagles, they were once again lead by the strong play of Tom Arthur who finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Boxscore

(1/17/09) The men’s basketball team was able to end their three game losing streak and pick up their first CSAC win in the process as they took care of the Defenders winning easily by a score of 86-54. This win now gives the Cyclones a record of 6-7, and now drops the Defenders to 4-8 on the season.

The Cyclones wasted no time taking control of this game as they raced out to a 20 point lead, 36-16 with four minutes remaining in the first half. From here the Cyclones only extended the lead even further, ballooning it to 27 as the half closed out 43-16 in favor of the Cyclones. Centenary’s first half was a story of excellent shooting as they shot 68% from the floor, and were able to dig in defensively to hold Baptist Bible to just 28% shooting. Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) was able to go four of five shooting and continued his success at the line, making seven of nine free throw attempts giving him 15 points for the opening half, and he pulled in five rebounds as well. Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) sank two three pointers on his way to 10 first half points.

In the second period it was more of the same success for the Cyclones, as they again mixed good shooting with tough defense. They never allowed Baptist Bible to get back into the game, and stretched out their lead to as large as 37. The final score was indicative of how the whole game went for the Cyclones with them winning, 86-54. For the game the Cyclones shot an impressive 65% from the field as well as connecting with eight three pointers. This game saw the Cyclones put four players into double figures, Baker who finished with 23 points and seven rebounds, Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) who had 17, and six, and Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) who finished with 13 points, two rebounds and two assists. Rounding out the double figure scorers was combo guard Ludner Innocent (Asbury Park, NJ/Academy Charter) who had 11 points, and four rebounds. Also playing a strong game was Larry Lenahan (South Amboy, NJ/South Amboy) who was perfect from the floor going two of two from the field and two of two from the line, for six points, and three rebounds in just 15 minutes of action. For the Defenders, they were led by Nathan Greve and Travis Wash who both had nine points. Boxscore

(1/15/09) The men’s basketball team dropped another road game, this time to Immaculata University 81-71. Centenary trailed at half 39-36 but had a stretch of three minute in which they did not score, and during that time Immaculata took over the game.

In the first half the Cyclones used their height to create most of their scoring opportunities. It was Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) and Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) who combined for 24 points in the half, and nine rebounds. Julius Lopez for the Mighty Macs found his shooting stroke in the half however, and connected on five three pointers giving him 15 points for the half.

The Mac’s with a slight edge after one, was unable to gain any ground on the Cyclones until with about 10 minutes left, Immaculata tightened up their defense and really prevented Centenary from doing what they wanted to do. Along with their defense the Mac’s continued to score and opened up a lead of 11 with eight minutes to play. The Cyclones although remaining in striking distance over the final eight minutes could never close the gap as the game ended 81-71 in favor of Immaculata.

Leading the way for Centenary was Baker who finished the game with 23 points and 14 rebounds as well as going 13-14 from the foul line. Kearney finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds, and Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) provided 13 points, five rebounds and three steals. For Immaculata Kyle Finklea scored a game high 26 points and dished out three assists, and Julius Lopez finished with 17 points, and seven rebounds. Boxscore

(1/12/09) In the men's game against Neumann both teams played an even first half, with the lead changing hands five times, and neither team taking more than a 5 point advantage. When the half ended it was Centenary who found themselves holding a slight two point advantage over Neumann, 29-27 in the first half. Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) led the way in the half scoring nine points and dishing out two assists for the Cyclones.

In the second half, Centenary was able to increase their lead up to as many as nine points 38-29 with 15 minutes left to play. Neumann however never panicked and took their final lead for good with 2:50 left to play on a pair of free throws by Eli Hitchens. Trailing by six with a minute left to play, Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) hit a jumper bringing the Cyclones to within four, but that was as close as they would get. The final score being that in favor of Neumann, 60-52.

For the game, Ryan Kearney paced Centenary with 19 points and two rebounds. The other Cyclone in double figures was Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) who had 12 points and six rebounds. For Neumann, Eli Hitchens finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, and Michael Hitchens scored 10 points to go along with seven boards. Boxscore

(1/12/09) Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) was selected to the CSAC Honor Roll for the week ending on 1/11. He averaged 22.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists for the week, shooting 63 percent from the floor in helping the Cyclones go 1-1 for the week. This is the third time Urie has been selected for CSAC Honors.

(1/7/09) The men’s basketball team took their first loss of the New Year, a 76-52 decision to Kings College (PA). The story of the game may have been rebounding as King’s had a 52 to 26 advantage on the glass. This loss drops the Cyclones record back to .500 while it improves King’s to 7-5 on the season.

King’s seemed to be ready to go right from the tip, as they let Centenary have their only lead of the game, a 5-3 margin in the first two minutes of the half, and after that King’s regained the lead, and never trailed again. Jim Schule of the Lions had three first half three pointers on the way to 13 first half points to pace his team. For the Cyclones it was Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) providing most of the scoring, sinking a pair of three pointers in the half.

In the second half, it was the Cyclones who found themselves down 39-24 and were looking for a run to get them back in the game. A three pointer by Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) cut the Cyclone deficit to 11 and seemed to be the answer the Cyclones were looking for however, King’s was able to push their lead back up to 20 points shortly after and never look back again. The final score a 76-52 result in favor of the Lions.

For Centenary it was Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) who led the scoring with 13, followed by Kearney and Atkinson who finished with 12 and 11 respectively. Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) who was fighting foul trouble all game, still managed to haul in 11 rebounds and blocked three shots. For the Lions, they were Schule with 15 points and Kevin Conroy who finished with a double double, scoring 11 points and grabbing a game high 13 rebounds. Boxscore

(1/5/09) The men’s basketball team saw major contributions tonight from the tri-captains as Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River), Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) and Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) combined for 85 points and 19 rebounds as Centenary pulled away in the second half topping the Mount Saint Vincent Dolphins 102-79.

Things were not as easy as they may have seemed however, as the Dolphins jumped on the Cyclones early in the first half raining threes on route to taking a lead as big as 13. Joe Cooke, Mount Saint Vincent’s leading scorer, had 11 in the first half after three three pointers, and Nick DiMaggio hit a pair of threes giving him 10 in the first. Urie however seemingly brought back the Cyclones by himself going a perfect five of five from three point land in the first half and Centenary took a 52-48 lead into the locker room.

The second half Centenary used their size to their advantage as Baker and Kearney took their turns inside scoring. The Cyclones began building a lead and despite some attempts from the Dolphins to get back even, Centenary was able to continue extending the lead pushing it to as big as 22 points and eventually finishing the game with a final score of 102-79.

For the game Urie finished with 32 points, five assists and three rebounds. Baker finished with another double double scoring 28 points and pulling in 11 rebounds. Kearney was big in the second half scoring 18 points and finishing with 25 points, five rebounds and 4 assists for the game. For Mount Saint Vincent’s Joe Cooke finished with 24 points and two assists, Eric Van Tine had 15 points including three three pointers. Boxscore

(12/10/08) The Cyclones men's basketball lost a thrilling game to the DeSales Bulldogs 82-80. Centenary had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but their lay-up attempt fell just short. This win for DeSales keeps them unbeaten at 7-0 while the lose now drops the Cyclones to 4-4.

The first half was played at a fast pace which seemed to favor DeSales a little more. Defending with pressure, they were able to force Centenary into throwing eight turnovers. Leading the defense was Brian Hunter who had four first half steals to go along with his 16 half points. The fast pace led to many shots which in turned created rebounding opportunities which for the Cyclones Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) was able to clean up hauling in nine rebounds in the half. DeSales took its largest lead in the half at 16 when Darnell Braswell hit a three pointer with three minutes left to play but the Cyclones were able to cut that lead to 10 in the final three minutes as the half closed out with the Bulldogs leading 47-37.

Centenary came out in the second half a different team, playing through Baker and Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) the Cyclones were able to take back the lead, 68-67, when Kearney hit a lay-up with 8:52 remaining. DeSales however took the lead right back, and continued to keep the host Cyclones at bay.  With just one miniute remaining the Bulldogs still held the lead by two. The Cyclones sent Hunter to the line for the front end of a one, in which he missed giving Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) the chance to go length of the court for the tie, but his attempt came up short giving DeSales the win 82-80.

For the game the Bulldogs were led by Hunter with 22 points, five steals, and three assists. Darnell Braswell played a good game as well contributing with 19 points and seven rebounds.

For the Cyclones Baker finished with another double-double totaling 21 points and 14 rebounds. Ryan Kearney finished the game with 21 points and six rebounds, while Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) finished with 22 points including four three pointers. Boxscore

(12/4/08) The Keystone Giants went into halftime trailing the Cyclones by three, 27-24, but used 48 second half points to defeat Centenary with a final score of 72-65. This loss now drops the Cyclones to 4-3 while improving the Giants to 4-2.

In the first half, it was defense that was dictating the play. The Cyclones were mixing zone and man to man defenses to frustrate Keystone into 27% shooting from field, while Keystone was using their depth and athleticism to hold the men to only 35% shooting. This relatively low scoring first half ended with a score of 27-24.

For the second half both teams made a bigger effort to score, and the results showed. The Giants after having fallen behind by seven, took their first lead since early in the first half, on a made jump shot by Tercel Taylor. This triggered a Keystone 6-0 run and the Giants now had the lead 49-43 with just over nine minutes to play. Coming out of a timeout the Cyclones were able to fight right back and retake the lead, when Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) made a running lay-up while getting fouled, putting the Cyclones ahead 52-51. The Giants however again had the answer, and after hitting several three pointers in the game’s final five minutes, now had a commanding lead which Centenary could not come back on. After the final horn sounded, it was Keystone who had the game 72-65.

For Keystone, Tercel Taylor had 21 points and five assists, while Spencer Lunger finished with 22 points and was 9-9 from the foul line. For the Cyclones Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) and Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) combined for 50 points and 19 rebounds. Baker finished with 30 points and had 9 rebounds, while Kearney had 20 and 10. Boxscore

(12/1/08) The Cyclones men’s basketball team dropped their first conference game to Marywood losing 74-72 on a go ahead three pointer by Prince Blacknall with 40 seconds to play.

In the first half it was Marywood who behind some good long range shooting put the pressure on the Cyclones early, and opened a lead as big as 15 in the first half. The Pacers shot better than 50% from the field in this half, and were led by Sidney Tharpe who had 16 points in the half. Tharpe was matched however point for point in the half by Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) who also had 16, and the Cyclones put together a late 7-0 run to cut their deficit to eight at half, 45-37.

In the second half, Marywood’s hot shooting cooled and it was the Cyclones who began clawing back into the game. Trailing at one time by as many as 15 points, the Cyclones regained the lead when Corey Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) nailed a three pointer with 10 minutes to go in the half, making the score 53-51 Cyclones. The final ten minutes the lead the Cyclones held got no bigger than six points as the Pacers answered each time the Cyclones seemed to be pulling away. With 50 seconds to play and the Cyclones clinging to a one point lead, Marywood created a turnover and found Blacknall alone on the wing and without hesitating Blacknall hoisted a three which was good giving Marywood the two point lead, 74-72. In Centenary’s final two possessions they could not find a bucket, and Marywood held on to win the game, 74-72.

Ryan Kearney led the Cyclones with 23 points and eight rebounds. Also playing a good game was Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) who had a 14 points and a season high 16 rebounds for his second double double of the season. For the Pacers Tharpe had 24 points and 10 rebounds for a double double of his own and Blacknall finished the game with 13 points. Boxscore

(12/1/08) Rob Urie (Ortely Beach, NJ/Toms River) who was selected to the honor roll for the second consecutive week. Urie had 29 points, seven assists and four rebounds in the Cyclones 100-87 win against Penn-State Harrisburg. For the season Urie is now averaging 20.2 points per game.

(11/25/08) The men’s basketball team put four players into double figures in what turned out to be a shootout, out lasting Penn-State Harrisburg 100-87. This win is Centenary’s third in a row, and now improves their record 4-1. This loss for the Lions drops their record down to 2-3 on the season.

The first half was played mostly even with both teams trading buckets. For the Cyclones it was Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) who paced them in the half scoring 12 points, while Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds. For PSU Harrisburg, Kenton Alston had 15 points and six rebounds to lead them for the half, although his team still trailed 53-47.

The second half saw Centenary open up a lead that stretched to as big as 24 when Ryan Kearney hit a lay-up with 14:21 remaining in the half. The Lions were able to cut it down to 11 when Shane Woodman hit one of his five three pointers that brought the score to 76-65 with 9:14 left on the clock. The Cyclones however were resilient and answered every time Harrisburg got close, finally pulling away and winning the game 100-87. For the game the Cyclones shot impressively, hitting 56% from the field as well as 62% from three point range.

Starring for the Cyclones in this game was Urie who played a good all around game, finishing with the game high 29 points, seven assists, and four rebounds. Kearney finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) posted 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) rounded out the scoring with 11 points and three assists. For the Lions, Woodman was the high man with 23 points while Alston finished with 19 points and eight rebounds. Boxscore

(11/21/08) Traveling to Brooklyn to take on the Polytechnic Blue Jays, it was the Cyclones behind the power of big man Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) who came away with the victory. This win puts the Cyclones at 3-1 on the season, while dropping the Blue Jays to 0-4.

In the first half Centenary was running their offense through Baker inside, and he was producing scoring lay-up after lay-up opening up a lead in favor of the Cyclones. This established inside presence for the Cyclones opened up the game for the Cyclones guards and they attacked. Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) and Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) combined to shoot five of six from three, as the Cyclones closed out the half leading 44-25.

The second half continued to go this way for the Cyclones as they opened up the lead early. The Blue Jays had an answer however by the name of Arjun Ohri. Ohri began to single handedly bring Polytech back into the game with a combination of long threes and crafty floaters. The Blue Jays came all the way back to close the margin to 8, but that’s where it would stop. When the game turned into a free throw contest, the Cyclones were able to hit, making all but one down the stretch and never letting the lead get any closer than eight. When the final horn sounded it was Centenary who came away on top with a final score of 87-77.

For the game Baker was huge all night, scoring 27 points as well as pulling in 11 rebounds. Urie and Atkinson continued to play solid games for the Cyclones with 18 points and 16 points respectively. Also scoring in double figures was Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) who chipped in with 13 points and four rebounds.

Polytechnic was led by Anthony Mottola who had his own double double with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Ohri finished the game with 23 points.

(11/19/08) In the men’s basketball home opener it was Rob Urie’s (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) 17 points that paced the Cyclones to a 73-47 win over a scrappy Berkeley College team. This win puts the Cyclones above .500 at 2-1 while dropping the Berkeley Bulldogs to 0-5.

The Cyclones took over this game right from the get go, jumping out to a 14 point lead when Maurice Marcus (Queens, NY/John Adams) converted on a lay-up. The whole first half played in favor of the Cyclones as the Bulldogs could not find an answer to Urie in transition. Urie scored all of his 17 points in the games opening half, and Cyclones went to the locker room with the lead, 44-17.

Berkeley however would not fold and fought back hard in the second half. Just about midway through the half, Donovan Black of Berkeley hit a lay-up and that moved the Bulldogs to within 19, the closest they had been since the first half. The Cyclones were able to absorb this run by Berkeley, and pushed the lead back up to 24 with five minutes to play, on a fast break lay-up from Ludner Innocent (Asbury Park, NJ/Academy Charter). The Cyclones wouldn’t look back from there, and completed the win with a final score of 73-47.

For the game, Rob Urie was the games high scorer with 17 points, he also finished with three assists and two rebounds. Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) finished the game with 16 points and six rebounds. The Cyclones got some solid play off their bench with Marcus chipping in with eight points and eight rebounds and Larry Lenahan (South Amboy, NJ/South Amboy) with six points and four rebounds in just seven minutes.

The Berkeley Bulldogs were led by James Bozor and Donovan Black who both had 12 points. Savereo Jackson had the team high in rebounds with seven.
Boxscore

(11/16/08) In the Days Inn Tip-Off Tournament the Centenary men’s basketball team achieved the split winning one game vs. Bard College 81-80 and losing one game to Wheaton (MA) 82-72. Centenary finished the tournament in third place.

In the first game of the tournament, the Cyclones were matched with the Wheaton Lyons.  Centenary started this game off well leading for the first 10 minutes of the half. Wheaton battled back however and took over the lead on a three pointer by Anthony Coppola making the score 24-21 in favor of Wheaton. The Cyclones wouldn’t let the lead get any further than that though and when Andrew Baker (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) hit a lay-up at the halftime buzzer; the Cyclones went into the locker room down three, 40-37.

After falling behind by 12 to start the half, the Cyclones fought all the way back and cut the lead to six when Will Atkinson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) connected on a long three.  This would be as close as Centenary could get the game though, as Wheaton continued making their foul shots, and took the game with a final score of 82-72.

For the game, Centenary was led by Rob Urie (Ortley Beach, NJ/Toms River) who finished with a game high 20 points, three rebounds, and two steals. Also starring for the Cyclones was Baker, who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Wheaton was led by their guards, Anthony Coppola and Bobby Perry who both finished the game with 17 points.

In a very exciting consolation game, Centenary was able to hold onto their lead, and win 81-80 over Bard College.

This game saw the Cyclones fall behind in the first half, trailing by as many as 13 points when Bard led 33-20 with seven minutes remaining in the half. This time it was the Cyclones who battled back, and trailed at the end of the half, 38-35.

The second half was a back and forth half with both teams taking turns going on runs, with the lead changing hands six times. The Cyclones in the second half were carried by Baker who had 15 points in the half. The games final minutes were some of the most exciting with both Bard’s David Pollet and Centenary’s Urie trading threes. With the Cyclones up by only five with just a minute to play, Bard cut the Cyclones lead down to only one. Bard had the ball with 4.4 seconds left, and dribbled it down only to get fouled and send Justin White to the foul line for a one and one, with just over one second left. White however missed the free throw, and the time on the clock expired with Centenary on top 81-80.

Bard’s Christian Marghella finished the game with 20 points and seven rebounds, and Justin White had 15 points and six assists. The Cyclones were again led by Andrew Baker and Will Atkinson. Baker finished one rebound shy of a double-double, with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Atkinson finished with 26 points including seven threes. Ryan Kearney (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) had a game high 10 rebounds. Rob Urie was selected to the Days Inn of Campton Tip-Off All-Tournament team for his two game average of 18.5 points.
Wheaton Boxscore

Bard Boxscore

(6/30/08)  Enrico Mastroianni has been named the new Head Coach of the Centenary College (NJ) Men’s Basketball program.

Mastroianni comes to Centenary after spending the last four seasons as the Associate Head Coach at Misericordia University in Dallas, PA.  During his time at Misericordia, Mastroianni was also the Head JV Coach, Academic Coordinator for the Men’s Basketball team, top recruiter and major contributor to all strategic game-day and practice planning.  “I am very excited about the opportunity to lead the Cyclones into the future!  I believe in this team and our administration.  I have no doubt that together we will do what is necessary to be successful!” 

When asked how she feels about Coach Mastroianni taking over the program, Centenary AD Billie Blackwell said " we are very excited to have Enrico join our staff.  He brings great passion and energy for the game.  I am pleased to have him take over our men's basketball program and look forward to a new era of Cyclone basketball.

Mastroianni is a 1999 graduate of Penn State University where he completed his undergraduate degree in Marketing and International Business.  Most recently he completed his Master’s Degree in Education at Misericordia University where he assumed the role of Associate Head Coach under Trevor Woodruff for the past four seasons.

Mastroianni brings extensive basketball knowledge to Centenary beyond that which comes from his time at Misericordia.  While working with the Cougars, he attended and worked at several Division I, II and III basketball and coaching camps.  He got a chance to work with some of the best coaches in the country and continuously expand on his philosophies.  His players excelled in and out of the classroom.  He contributed to nine “All PAC” awards which included two 1st team, two 2nd team and a PAC Coach of the Year Honor.  As Academic Coordinator he supported a team GPA that achieved at or above the overall school’s GPA consistently.

Last season, the Cougars ranked 8th nationally in scoring defense and 11th in FG % defense, finished in a tie for 2nd place in the former PAC conference and reached the semi-finals of the ECAC tournament.  Improving the team’s defense will be the first point of focus for Mastroianni.  Last year the Cyclones gave up 83.3 points per game to its opponents.  “It isn’t really hard to figure out what we need to do in order to be better right away; play better defense and take care of the basketball.  I believe this team has great potential – now we need to focus on being more disciplined and making better decisions.”

During the 2007-2008 season, the Cyclones men’s basketball program was 4-20 overall, 2-14 in conference play.  The Cyclones have not had a winning season in the last ten years.  The program returns six players off of last year’s roster, including five individuals that all averaged nearly twenty-five minutes a game.

"We have some challenges ahead, but they are challenges we will face head on and as one unit together," Mastroianni said. "I want to improve the culture and attitude of this program, we have to get to a place where we can expect to be competitive and win.  Success cannot be measured only by wins and losses; I want our guys to understand that they are preparing for the next step in life.  Our players will understand that the classroom comes first and if we can have success in there, the wins will follow.”