Basketball regular seasons end

The regular season has finally come to a close for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Saturday marked the last game for both teams. They faced Mount Aloysius in a conference faceoff and Behrend walked away victorious in each game.

            The men kicked off the day. A dominating defense gave the Lions their 13^th conference win on the season. Mt. Aloysius is the sixth best scoring team in the nation, and Behrend held them to just 48 points. Behrend’s defense is ranked fifth in the nation in points allowed for a reason.

            Junior center Russ Conley led the Lions with 26 points and 13 rebounds. This is his sixth double-double of the season. Senior guard Nick Thorsen contributed 10 points. Every one of the Lions got to see some playing time in this matchup.

            The men have locked in their No. 3 spot in the conference. They will face No. 6 Pitt-Bradford on Tuesday, Feb. 21 in the Junker Center. Behrend got the regular season sweep of the Panthers winning both games by 10 or more points. They are 14-10 on the season and 13-5 in the conference.

            The women tipped off at 4 p.m. in the Junker Center. The Mounties appeared to be no competition for the Lions right from the start. The first half ended 37-14 in Behrend’s favor. They came back ready to dominate the second half, and that’s just what they did. The Lions walked away with their 20^th win of the season. This is their second consecutive 20-win season.

            Senior guard Brittany Wilwohl led Behrend with 22 points. Junior forward Holly Bourquin contributed 16 points. Junior forward Julia Myers recorded her seventh double-double of the season scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

            The women also secured their No. 3 spot on Saturday. They needed a win and a Medaille loss to grab the No. 2 spot. Unfortunately, Medaille topped No. 1 La Roche on Saturday to take their ranking. Behrend will play Pitt-Greensburg on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the Junker Center.

            Saturday not only ended the regular season for the Lions, it was their senior day as well. Abby Henderson, Kimmy Pol, Dan Simpson, Nick Thorsen and Brittany Wilwohl were honored before the games for their talent, dedication and leadership throughout their years at Behrend.

            Henderson has been honored not just for her athleticism but for her academic performance as well. She has been named AMCC All-Academic twice. Last season, she was named to the National College Athlete Honor Society and received the Sportsmanship/Leadership Award. This season, she has appeared in all 24 games and has proved herself as a leader.

            Pol is leading the team in assists with 55 this season. She is ranked fourth in assists in the conference. She has started in all but one game this season and is shooting 45.2 percent from the floor. She is one of three captains for the women and is a huge asset for the team.

            Simpson missed a chunk of the season due to mononucleosis. He is still shooting 45.5 percent from the floor. He had a strong start and is slowly getting back into the game. He started for the Lions on Saturday and will be contributing throughout the AMCC playoffs.

            Thorsen has started in every matchup this season. He is leading the team in assists this season with 56. He contributed 10 points in Saturday’s game against Mt. Aloysius. He has proven his leadership with the team on and off the court. He has improved greatly throughout the season and will guide the team through another AMCC tournament.

            This is Wilwohl’s first season at Behrend. She is a transfer from Siena College in Loudonville, New York. She has started in every game for the Lions and has meshed with Behrend’s style of play extremely well. She is averaging 15.8 points per game and is shooting 44.5 percent from the floor.  She recently led her team in points on Saturday with 22.

            With wins on Tuesday, both teams will move on to the championship weekend. The men will head to Medaille while the women go off to La Roche. The women are searching for a third AMCC title while the men fight for a fourth.