Knights National Title Dreams Dashed by Penn State/Beaver
Earning a berth in the ten team field at the USCAA National Championshlp Tournament is the mark of a highly successful season. Being named the #1 seed is icing on the cake. Losing in the quarter final round is prescription for heartache.
Members of the Vermont Tech Men’s Basketball Team were forced to stand along the sideline as the Penn State/Beaver Roaring Lions swarmed each other in jubilation after the final horn sounded. Eighth seeded Penn State upset top seeded Vermont Tech, 92-87, to earn a trip to the semi-finals and send Vermont Tech to the consolation bracket. Penn State/Beaver had defeated U Miami/Hamilton in the opening round to advance to the quarter finals.
It was a hard fought contest. The score was tied five times. The lead changed seven times. Vermont Tech opened a ten point lead in the first half and again at the 16:06 mark in the second half. Each time Penn State/Beaver fought its way back to tie the score.
Foul trouble had been VTC’s Achilles heel throughout the season. This game exposed that weakness. Senior Trent Roleau went to the bench with two fouls with 15:00 left in the first half and the Knights holding an eight point early lead. His teammate Josh Lindsey picked up his second foul four minutes later. That left the team without a post player against a very physical Penn State squad. Vermont Tech’s “small” lineup was forced to play zone for much of the remaining first half.
Penn State closed the gap and actually took the lead with 3:15 remaining in the half. Kevin Carr and Nick Simpson then went to work to give VTC a 7-0 run just before halftime. The Knights went to the locker room holding a six point lead, 47-41.
“We felt pretty good about our chances at halftime,” said Coach John Dyer. “Trent had only played 4 minutes and Josh about 10 minutes. When those two guys go out of the game, our leads disappear like water from a draining tub. We have trouble rebounding. Our opponents take full advantage on the offensive boards.”
The Knights opened strong in the second half and opened a ten point lead. Then disaster struck. Roleau picked up his third foul, then his fourth within a few seconds later as his replacement sat at the scorer’s table waiting to enter the contest. Fifteen minutes remained on the clock.
“Losing Trent was the big difference in this game,” commented Coach Dyer. “I’m not taking anything away from Penn State. They played a great game. The fact is, however, our opponent scored 20 points on offensive rebounds and had 42 points in the paint. My guess is that those numbers would have been considerably less if Trent had been in the game. In games where Trent plays more than 20 minutes, we usually win.”
Kevin Carr led the Knights with 30 points. Nick Simpson hit for 25 points. Freshman NiikAwei General-Vanderpuije had thirteen points.
Penn State Beaver advanced in the tournament and lost to the ultimate USCAA National Champion, Andrews University. Vermont Tech moved to the consolation round to compete for fifth place against 4th seed Berkeley College. Berkeley defeated the Knights 86-74.
“It was a great tournament—it always is, said Coach Dyer. “The teams were incredibly well balanced. There were four overtime games in the quarter final and semi final rounds. This is just a great experience for everyone. We’re going to work very hard to get back here again next year.”