Albertus Magnus College
Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Preview

Albertus Magnus (19-9)
vs.
John Carroll (22-4)  
Friday, March 3rd • 3:15 p.m. • Oswego State University - Max Ziel Gymnasium

THE POSTSEASON RUN CONTINUES

For the eighth time in program history, the Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team will play in the NCAA Division III Tournament, which is set to begin Friday, March 3. The Falcons enter Friday's game with an overall record of 19-9 and will square off against John Carroll University (22-4) in the tournament's first round at Oswego State University in Oswego, New York.

REGULAR SEASON RECAP

• Albertus opened the season with a challenging non-conference schedule, which included contests against Amherst College, Mitchell College, 14th-ranked Keene State, and in-state, Division I neighbor Quinnipiac University.    
• The Falcons kicked off the month of December with their conference opener against Emmanuel (Mass.) College and suffered a hard-fought 83-79 loss.
• AMC then reeled off back-to-back victories over Dean College and Norwich University before losing to non-conference challenger Kean College.
• After the Cougars' loss, Albertus rallied for four victories over Nichols College, Regis (Mass.) College, Anna Maria College, and Colby-Sawyer College.
• A home setback against No.1 Saint Joseph (CT) preceded a six-game winning streak, wherein the Falcons bulldozed their way through Lasell University, Elms College, Saint Joseph's College of Maine, Dean College, and Johnson & Wales University.
• During their six-game winning streak, the Falcons took down NESCAC challenger Connecticut College in a thrilling 73-70 overtime victory.
• Albertus finished the regular season with a 4-2 stretch, defeating JWU, Elms, and Lasell for a second time while also taking down conference-opponent Rivier University.

GNAC TOURNAMENT RECAP

Quarterfinal vs. Colby-Sawyer College 

• Final Score: Albertus 128 | Colby-Sawyer 74 – BOX SCORE
• Key Highlight: The 128 points scored was a new program record for points in a single game, eclipsing the previous high of 125 set in 2019 against Lesley College.
• Key Highlight: Justice Washington (Hamden, Conn.) and Antonio Bonilla (Tenafly, N.J.) led the charge for the Falcons, scoring 21 and 20 points, respectively.

Semifinal vs. Emmanuel (Mass.) College 

• Final Score: Albertus 75 | Emmanuel (Mass.) 71 – BOX SCORE
• Key Highlight: Graduate forward Terry Dawkins (Bronx, N.Y.) led all players with a 27-point outburst, while Kevin Crawford (Bridgeport, Conn.) put together his best performance of the season with a 21-point showing. 

Championship vs. No. 1 University of Saint Joseph (CT) 

• Final Score: Albertus 83 | No. 1 University of Saint Joseph (CT) 79 - BOX SCORE  
• Player Highlight: Dawkins led all players with 19 points, while Washington recorded the double-double with a 12-point, 10-rebound day. 
• Offensive Stats Highlight: 
  • Field Goal Percentage: AMC 48.4 % | USJ 39.3 % 
  • Three-Point Percentage: AMC 23.1 % | USJ 15.0 % 
  • Free Throw Percentage: AMC 66.7 % | USJ 63.6 % 
• Defensive Stats Highlight: 
  • Defensive Rebounds: AMC 26 | USJ 23  
  • Steals: AMC 10 | USJ 8  
  • Blocks: AMC 10 | USJ 4  

ALBERTUS IN THE GNAC TOURNAMENT

• The Falcons improved their all-time GNAC postseason record to 40-13.
• This is the Falcons' ninth GNAC Championship Title.
• Sunday's Championship Title is Coach Oliver's eighth of his career.
• The Falcons own the third-longest active streak in all three divisions (I, II, and III), behind Gonzaga University and Whitworth University, of consecutively appearing in their conference's title game 11 straight. Both Gonzaga and Whitworth have a total of 18 championship tournament appearances. 

ALBERTUS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

• The men's basketball program has made eight trips to the NCAA Tournament.
• Albertus has made three NCAA second-round appearances and one NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.
• The Falcons' last time in the NCAA Tournament was back in 2019 when the blue-and-white faced off against Christopher-Newport University in the first round. 
• Albertus' last NCAA Tournament victory came in 2015 when they defeated Springfield College in the first round by a final score of 68-58. 
• In 2014, the Falcons advanced to the Sweet 16, defeating WPI and Purchase State in the first and second rounds before falling to Williams College in the Sweet 16 round. 
• AMC also got to the second round in 2010 and 2012, defeating William Paterson University in 2010 and St. Joseph's (L.I.) in 2012. 

NCAA TOURNAMENT POD BREAKDOWN

Albertus' pod of four includes: 

• Oswego State University * (host)   
• Marymount University  
• John Carroll College  
• Albertus Magnus College  

SCOUTING ALBERTUS

• Points Per Game: 84.0 PPG
• Rebounds Per Game: 46.7 RPG
• Assists Per Game: 13.2 APG
• Scoring Defense: 75.3 PPG

ALBERTUS TEAM HIGHLIGHTS 

• Dawkins has been an absolute menace in the paint for the Falcons, averaging a team-leading 17.3 points per game to go with 8.1 rebounds per game.
• Elsewhere, teammate Washington has been equally dominant in the paint, leading the blue-and-white in offensive rebounds (95), total rebounds (263), rebounds per game (10.5), and blocks (64).
• Albertus leads the country in rebound margin (+13.0), is second nationally in rebounds per game at 46.74, and is fifth in offensive rebounds per game (16.74).
• The Falcons' third threat on the court comes in the form of junior guard Bonilla, who leads the Falcons in three-pointers with 68 while ranking second on the team in scoring with 11.5 points per game.
• Bonilla also cemented himself in the program-record books with a 36-point performance against Saint Joseph's College of Maine, which included ten made three-pointers.
• The Falcons led the GNAC in offensive rebounds per game (16.6), defensive rebounds per game (29.8), rebound margin (13.0), and blocks per game (4.9) while placing third in the conference in steals per game (9.2).   

SCOUTING JOHN CARROLL

• Points Per Game: 82.2 PPG 
• Rebounds Per Game: 37.0 RPG 
• Assists Per Game: 11.9 APG 
• Scoring Defense: 71.5 PPG

JOHN CARROLL TEAM HIGHLIGHTS

• John Carroll is 14-2 over the second half of the season, which includes their OAC semifinal loss to Marietta College. 
• Sophomore guard Luke Frazier leads the Blue Streak's offense with 426 points (16.4 PPG) while shooting 42.7% from the field, 36.3% from behind the arch, and 84.7% from the charity stripe. 
• Sophomore guard Luke Chicone is close behind with 398 points (15.3 PPG).
• Jerry Higgins Jr., Frazier, Eric Hanna, and Chase Toppin all serve as deep scoring threats for the Blue Streaks, draining 104 three-pointers between them during the season for a 38.2 three-point percentage.  
• Henry Raynor leads the Blue Streaks' defensive end with 35 blocks and 145 rebounds, to go along with 225 points.