CHESTER, Pa. – A pair of free throws for Steven Matlack sends the Schwartz Center ablaze to enter the 1k club and help give the Pride a trip to the MAC Commonwealth Championship.
 
The Pride's 80-70 win over Alvernia push the overall season record to 23-3 and 3-0 over the Golden Wolves.
 
OF NOTE
 
"Today was about staying focused," said Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Carideo. "I'm proud of the team and I'm excited to watch them play on Saturday."
 
#2 Howie Rankine joined the team this season, Rankine "doesn't take playing in a championship game for granted even while playing high level games."
 
After entering the 1,000-point club, #15 Steven Matlack mentions that "it means a lot to him and to get this accomplishment means a lot" and "is the reason" he continues to play basketball.
 
#44 Dominic Dunn enters his second championship game and fancies this upcoming one as a "very good team and a competitive one."
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Howie Rankine led the team with 21 points and four steals.
• Kevin Schenk continued his dominance under the rim with 20 points.
• Defensively, Dominic Dunn snagged six defensive rebounds.
• The Pride shot 48.3% from the field, 46.2% from beyond the arc, and 85.7% from the free throw line.
• In the paint, the Pride capitalized off Golden Wolves turnovers with 22 points and added 30 points in the paint.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• A Schenk winning tip will get things underway. Anthony DiCaro put the Pride on the board with a triple three minutes in the game. A defensive rebound from Mike Kane sends Rankine charging in for a good jumper to take the lead. Matlack saw his first points on a triple, forcing a Golden Wolves timeout. DiCaro would drain another triple with 13:42 left to start a small 7-0 run to double the score 18-9. Just at the halfway mark, Matt Daulerio sunk a triple after a Myles Bright assist. Dunn's first triple came with 8:47 left. Heading into the final minutes of the half, Rankine continued to put the petal to the metal as he would hit a layup to push the lead back to seven. On a fast break, Dunn hit a triple to head into halftime with a 37-29 lead.
• With a eight point lead coming out of half, Schenk continued to show his strength with a good jumper from the paint. Schenk drained a triple to give the Pride an 11-point lead and minutes later he would push the Pride over 50. A back and forth point scoring would push the game to just over the halfway mark of the half. The Schenk show continued with back-to-back triples and a pair of free throws. A Luke Mazur block would set the Golden Wolves shot clock back. With four points just around the corner, Matlack was sent to the charity stripe where he would hit both to put him two points away from the 1k mark. After a Rankine steal, Matlack was sent back to the stripe where he would hit two more to give him his ticket to the club. As time ticked to 3:28, a Dunn layup allowed Coach Carideo to call timeout to situate the team. The final points of the game would come from free throws from Dunn and Rankine. The 80-70 win send the Pride to the MAC Commonwealth Championship.

UP NEXT
Widener returns to the MAC Commonwealth Championship for the second year straight. The Pride will host the 19-7 (10-4) Eastern Eagles. Tip-off in the Schwartz Center is set for Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.